Did you know that the President of the United States is required to pray? Given the First Amendment’s prohibition on laws establishing religion, this news may come as a surprise. Yet, if you look up 36 U.S.C. § 119 of the U.S. code, you will find that the law dictates that the President must “issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer (NDP) on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”
On the other hand, the NDP can be viewed as a acknowledgment that there is a greater power than a national government. All religions “pray”, so is it necessarily implicit that Christianity is being advanced?
The National Day of Prayer, Reconsidered
On the other hand, the NDP can be viewed as a acknowledgment that there is a greater power than a national government. All religions “pray”, so is it necessarily implicit that Christianity is being advanced?