National Day of Shut the Heck Up

OK, this blog is a little late but this issue keeps popping up in the news and it is bugging me. Apparently since 1952, May 6 has been the National Day of Prayer (Every year since 1952! Who knew?). That is until an evil judge in Wisconsin ruled on April 15 that a National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. So politicians on both sides are pandering to their constituents by screaming foul vowing to challenge the ruling.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force (yes that is a real organization kind of like the never-nudes) launched a "Save the National Day of Prayer" campaign with a petition that read, "This is an attack upon our religious freedoms, and it is a sad day in America when an atheist in Wisconsin can undermine this tradition for millions of others who simply wish to join their fellow citizens in praying for their country."

Newsweek editor John Meacham (a practicing Episcopalian who wrote a great book on religion in the USA called American Gospel) noted that in the New Testament Paul explained, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." After reading this Meacham deduced that a "Christian nation, then is a theological impossibility, and faith coerced is no faith at all, only tyranny."

My take you might ask? Well, I'm a huge fan of prayer. I truly believe it is a method to communicate with God and is actually quite therapeutic. But why on earth would I need a National Day of Prayer? I don't need permission to pray and one certainly should pray more than once a year! We pray every morning and evening and don't expect a pat on the back for our religiosity. Prayer is a private thing, not a national spectacle. Granted it makes sense to pray at religious functions, family events, and a few other select activities but not at the Washington D.C. National Mall, Lake Mead National Park, the Clear Lake Dog Park, or any other public venue.

As we recently read in our morning or evening scripture study (didn't need a national day for that one either) Jesus said,

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; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Alright, so who is the hypocrite here? Yep, this is obnoxious, besides don't we have bigger things to worry about like I don't know, say whether the Celtics are going to take the NBA Championship or not?