Should governors, mayors and other elected officials be encouraging people to pray? Is it proper -- and constitutional -- for government to assist in the expression of sectarian, public religiosity?

rganizers of the National Day of Prayer event are busy seeking the endorsement of government leaders for their May 6th celebration, which will feature an estimated 20,000 different activities throughout the nation. The activity "is dedicated to calling America back to God by calling the Church back to Prayer," according to NDOP publicity materials. But event supporters need a little help from the nation's governors, mayors and other public officials who are often enlisted in Day of Prayer actions, including prayerbreakfasts, religion-based rally events at government buildings, and official proclamations.

    To many supporters of the First Amendment, that involves government in the promotion of sectarian religious belief, and religion in general. Last year, for instance, governors of all fifty states and several territories issued proclamations supporting the NDOP, and an estimated one million persons participatied in 15,000 observances. The commingling of the event, though, with symbols and institutions linked to the government was a major goal. As noted by the National Day of Prayer Task Force, "At state capitols, county court houses, on the steps of city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches and homes, people stopped their activities and gathered for prayer."

   This year, as last, observances are also scheduled at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

    Materials from the Day of Prayer Task Force cite freedom of religion as a constitutional guarantee, but do not address the problem of involving government officials in what is clearly a sectarian religious exercise. In an NDOP tract titled "Historical Significance of the National Day of Prayer," for instance, the group argues, "The Jeffersonian separation between church and state, understood in support of the Declaration of Independence, means only that a church and the civil government are separate and distinct institutions. It does not mean government must be hostile toward religion or seek to eliminate religious content from public forums..." The essay continues: The National Day of Prayer, specifically, is a vital part of our national heritage..."

    Although certain Founders of the Republic and government leaders have argued on behalf of the virtues of prayer and religious belief, though, the NDOP Task Force materials are highly selective in discussing the separation of church and state, and even distort the historical record. In fact, the National Day of Prayer arose in the midst of a unique time in American history, the cold war, when many national leaders supported what amounted to a religious crusade against "godless communism." Like many of the excesses of that era, however, those efforts really did little to oppose totalitarianism, and instead ended up fostering a social climate of fear, conformity and intimidation -- a dark stain on the American historical landscape some writers described as "the Great Fear". These included a spate of symbolic gestures to include belief in God (specifically Christianity) as a totem in the struggle against atheistic Russia. President Truman supported a 1952 joint declaration by Congress declaring an annual prayer event, and President Eisenhower followed suit by holding prayer breakfasts in the White House.

    At this same time, the Hearst newspaper chain initiated a campaign to include the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Catholic war veterans, the American Legion, Catholic and Protestant religious groups all supported the effort. In the midst of this climate of profuse and uncritical public religiosity, Congress passed a law on June 14, 1954 which changed the wording of the Pledge to read:

    "I pledge allegiance to the United States and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

    Other types of "religion friendly" legislation abounded. This included special mailing rates for religious organizations, the inclusion of a religious motto -- "In God We Trust" -- on the nation's currency, the replacement of "E Pluribus Unum" ("One out of Many") as the national motto, and a requirement for all federal judges to swear an oath "So help me God" before entering office.

    National Day of Prayer Task Force literature claims that the event "belongs to all Americans, of all faiths. It is a day which brings together Americans from all backgrounds, transcending differences." But does it? Critics charge that NDOP is a shabby propaganda tool for religious right groups, and point to the leadership of the Task Force which is headed by Shirley Dobson. She is the wife of John Dobson of Focus on the Family, a group known for its strident criticism of gay rights, abortion, church-state separation, and programs which it considers to be "antifamily."

    Chris Allen, the Utah State Director of American Atheists, has been challenging National Day of Prayer activities throughout his home state for years. "The goal of the Task Force is not simply to promote prayer," says Allen, "but to mix government and religion, denying our First Amendment right to separation of state and church." He noted that each year, many governors, mayors and other public officials "prostitute themselves and their offices, with some even leading sectarian religious rallies on public property."

    A survey of the groups and individuals signing on to the National Day of Prayer Task force suggests that there is little or anything "unifying" about the event; many are hard-core religious right activists, or religious evangelicals-fundamentalists known for their extreme and often intolerant political agendas. At this year's National Day of Prayer event in Washington, D.C., for instance, a leading speaker will be the controversial Judge Roy Moore of Alabama. Moore has attracted considerable attention for his policy of displaying a Ten Commandments plaque above his courtroom dais in Etowah County, Alabama, and opening judicial proceedings with a Baptist prayer. When asked if he would permit prayers from other religions, he argued that America was a Christian nation, and that he would not permit any invocation from a Buddhist, Muslim or other non-Christian believer.

    Other evidence of the sectarian nature of this "unifying" appears at the NDOP web site, which includes links to Pat Robertson's legal arm, the American Center for Law and Justice. Other links take visitors to groups like the National Prayer Committee or the Christian Legal Society. Still others who have been involved in planning with the NDOP Task Force include representatives from the National Association of Evangelicals, the Church of the Way (linked to the extreme Promise Keepers group), The Navigator Prayer Ministry and the Southern Baptist Convention.

    At this year's Washington event, Franklin Graham -- playboy-turned-preacher son of Billy Graham -- will headline the program, and be joined by Dr., Lloyd Ogilvie (U.S. Senate Chaplain), Barry McCaffrey ("Drug Czar," Office of National Drug Control Policy), Rep. Steve Largent (R-OK), and others.

   State-church separationists acknowledge the right of religious groups to pray, even if they choose to break the Biblical admonition of remaining in a closet to do so, and instead proselytize in public. But events like the National Day of Prayer become constitutionally suspect when government officials become involved as part of their office, or when public resources are used to promote or facilitate the event. The goal of National Day of Prayer and similar activities like "National Bible Week" is to meld the authority of the state with the church, and to support the questionable contention that America is founded upon religious (and specifically, Christian) principles. Despite claims that the event is designed to "unify" the society, it is divisive and discriminatory.

   ¶    Declarations and Proclamations on behalf of National Day of Prayer need to be challenged. Not all Americans pray, and there has never been a time in the nation's history when a majority of the population consisted of regular church goers. NDOP arose as part of a darker time in American history when outbursts of public religiosity became a litmus test for citizenship, virtue and loyalty to the country. Since then, despite some setbacks, many Americans have come to see that era as more problematic and complex, and acknowledge the excesses of that time. America is also a different place now. Atheists are coming "out of the closet," and there is also a different religious demographic profile. Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Scientologists, religious skeptics, Jews, Christians and, yes, nonbelievers are part of the lively American cultural scene. Declarations that Americans should pray, worship a god, or even read a particular spiritual text like the Bible, clearly endorse religious belief and have a sectarian character. They divide, rather than unify, Americans.

   ¶    Government resources should not be used to promote the National Day of Prayer, or any other similar religious activity. Separation of church and state requires that government not be "hostile" toward religious practice; it does not mean that the government should support, underwrite, or boost religious belief and ritual, however. In EVERSON v. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF EWING TOWNSHIP (1947), the justices of the Supreme Court noted:

"The 'establishment of religion' clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Nor can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect 'a wall of separation between Church and State.'"

   ¶    In addition to speaking out against official proclamations by government officials in support of prayer, or the National Day of Prayer, or specific NDOP activities, Atheists and separationists need to monitor these events to see if government resources or monies are expended in their promotion or operation. Is the local NDOP rally selectively exempted from the rules which would apply to any other group wishing to congregate at, say, City Hall or the State Capitol? Does this proselytizing event interfere with the everyday business there? Government offices should not close for this event. Local or state employees should not be pressured or recruited to attend a National Day of Prayer rally, prayer breakfast, or other ceremony. If a prayer breakfast takes place, it must be held on private property, or a rented facility; if it occurs in a public venue like an auditorium, appropriate rent -- comparable to what any other group would be required to pay -- must be charged.

   ¶    NDOP needs to be challenged as a sectarian religious and political event. Political operatives like the Dobsons, or Christian Reconstructionist Wellington Boone, or any number of other NDOP boosters who have ties to the religious right would not be involved in this event is were "strictly religious" and could not be exploited as a vehicle to convey a political message.

   ¶    Is the purpose of an event like the National Day of Prayer to help the country, or simply be a stage for public religious spectacle? Christians who consider participating in NDOP should remember the admonition found in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 6 verses 5-6: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret,,,"

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