It doesn't surprise me that Conservatives largely favor the National Day of Prayer... They've never really been all that invested in actually SOLVING problems or DOING anything about them. So "prayer" fits into their agenda nicely.
The National Day of Prayer was established in 1952 - the same era that added "Under God" to our Pledge of Allegience, and did any number of other uncostitutional things all while fearmongering about the Commies. And I have basically no respect for the view of the 1950's, and their Red-Scare McCarthyism, as the "Good ol' days."
The 1950's? Really?
You had segregation and the hula hoop.
We've got gay rights and the internet.
The '50's sucked. 'Nuff said.
I enjoyed very much hearing the exchange on NPR today between Annie Laurie Gaylor, Representing the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a certain Reverend Hunter (which would be a GREAT name for an atheist, wouldn't it?) who was defending - pathetically, I might add - this unconstitutional nonsense which is the National Day of Prayer. OK, I'll admit that my postion on the matter is hardly an objective one, but IMHO she mopped the floor with him, while he tried repeating the same old, tired and irrelevant arguments that the Federal Appeals courst has already ruled aginst.
BUT - lest you think that this is no more than another purely atheistic tirade - let me say that the very best argument AGAINST the National Day of Prayer that I've ever read comes not from an Atheist, or even from a Constitutional Scholar, but rather from a man of the cloth! I encorage everyone to read, and THINK about, Reverend Barry Lynn's April 20th Article fro HuffPo. THIS is my real problem with the National Day of Prayer. As Rev. Lynn points out, it actually UNDERMINES Religious faith and true practice. And THIS is what the Religious Right in this country just doesn't get - or doesn't care about. Because the Religious Right has NEVER been about Religion. It's has always been about POWER and MONEY. Or, more specifically, using RELIGION to get the religious to put them in POWER, so they can take their MONEY.
...And if there was any signifciant population of Christinas in this country who had any sense of real Christian principles, there's no way we'd have, "In GOD we trust" printed on so base and material thing as our MONEY.
But that a rant for a different day.
Happy National Day of Prayer.
(I'm going to celebrate MY "religion" by continuing to think and act rationally.)
