WASHINGTON (ABP) — As President Bush spoke to an ecumenical group at the White House to mark the National Day of Prayer May 4, religious moderates and progressives gathered in locations around the country in an effort to broaden an event that has in recent years been closely identified with evangelical Protestants.
“America is a nation of prayer,” Bush said, speaking to an interfaith gathering of religious dignitaries in the White House's East Room. “At decisive moments in our history and in quiet times around family tables, we are a people humbled and strengthened and blessed by prayer.”
But he was also careful to note the role of secularism in American history. “In America, we are free to profess any faith we choose, or no faith at all,” he said. “What brings us together is our shared desire to answer the call to serve something greater than ourselves.”
One of Bush's political rivals used the occasion to call Americans to pray for greater economic justice.
“The book of Isaiah says, 'If you remove the yoke from among you…if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness,'” said Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of Congress' Democratic Faith Working Group, in a press release. “Congress must remove the yoke of economic oppression gripping the American people. Our policies must provide greater benefits to those who are working tirelessly to support their families. We must provide adequate and affordable health care to our citizens.”
In some major cities, the event has been marked for decades by interfaith gatherings — such as the annual White House event. But in recent decades, an evangelical group calling itself the National Day of Prayer Task Force has organized events, limiting leadership participation to Christians. The Colorado-based group is chaired by Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson.
However, several local groups have objected to the evangelical-only nature of the events — in particular, the many Day of Prayer events that take place on government property, such as city hall or courthouse buildings. For instance, Troy, Mich., and Oklahoma City both hosted rival events last year, with evangelicals gathering for “official” events and ecumenical groups gathering nearby.
“We can't sit back and leave this day to the Christian-only events that people are organizing in many places,” said Padma Kuppa, a Hindu educator in Troy who led in the efforts to integrate the city's traditional Day of Prayer event, according to the Detroit Free Press. “The future of our country depends on Americans like me stepping forward, too, and helping to serve our communities.”
Several cities that have hosted events organized by the task force have been threatened with legal challenges in recent years. Often, groups have cited concern over the separation of church and state with the appearance that governments seemed to be endorsing Christianity with the events.
In response to that possibility, a Christian legal group recently sent out a letter to 1,200 American cities, citing its opinion that such rallies fall within constitutional bounds. “You can be confident that your participation in and acknowledgment of the National Day of Prayer are constitutionally protected activities,” wrote Benjamin Bull, chief counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. “You are free to proclaim your city's support for this event, and you are under no obligation to satisfy the demands of any disgruntled citizen or civil-libertarian group that may oppose such action.”
The day of prayer was first established by Congress in 1952 and then amended in 1988 to standardize the date of the event. “The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals,” the law says.
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