WASHINGTON (ABP) — President Bush observed the National Day of Prayer May 5 by acknowledging American leaders' history of relying on prayer — and doing so to an audience that exemplified the United States' very modern religious diversity.
Speaking to an audience that included evangelical Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs, Bush noted that, though the annual commemoration began in 1952, “this day is part of a broader tradition that reaches back to the beginnings of America. From the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, to the launch of the American Revolution, the men and women who founded this nation in freedom relied on prayer to protect and preserve it.”
He also said one reason Americans pray is to “give thanks for our freedom,” because “in our great country, among the freedoms we celebrate is the freedom to pray as you wish, or not at all. And when we offer thanks to our Creator for the gift of freedom, we acknowledge that it was meant for all men and women, and for all times.”