Well, the Reverend-in-Chief has done it again. Friday, September 16, as of 2 minutes ago (which is why there is no link) has been declared a National Day of Prayer and Rememberance. Yet another knife into the back of the separation of church and state. I do not jerk my knee at every boneheaded move the CinC makes (and that’s regardless to which party the CinC belongs), but his insistence on constantly marrying religion and government is, IMNSHO, destroying the Constitution more than any “activist” judicial decision.
I wouldn’t get too worked up about it. It’s not like prayer is mandatory, nor is it like Bush has done anything that every other president didn’t do before him.
Not that I like President Cuckoobanananuts, but I think this is a non-issue.
Did he tell you to which god you have to pray? If not, then this does not violate separation of church and state.
You could pray to Satan, maybe?
Yeah, I don’t believe in him either, but how better to annoy the Religious Right types???
Presidents have been declaring National Days of Prayer and Rememberance since George Washington, and George Washington headed the committee that wrote the Constitution in the first place. Trust me, this won’t destroy the Constitution.
Time to bring in an Upchuck smiley.
Of course, this should be no surprise. the guy’s dad thinks that non-religious folks have no business in this god-fearing country. :rolleyes:
Guess I haven’t been paying too much attention to past instances of National Days of Prayers and Rememberance. Why can’t we just call it a National Day of Rememberance. Is the ‘prayer’ bit necessary?
Maybe I’m just a little trigger-happy; Bush is the biggest bible-thumper in the Oval Office in my memory of Presidents. It’s one thing to have your system of faith and beliefs. It’s another to wear it on your sleeve, especially when you are the Chief Executive of a secular nation.
But every president has been pretty conspicuously Christian. Remember Clinton’s New Covenant?
Yeah, that’s what Hitler said to the Bundestadt in 1933.
…What? It’s not a pitting until somebody brings up the “N” word. 
Umm I think that’s wrong. Everson v. Board of Education (1947)
The “establishment of religion” clause of the First Amendment means at least this:
(1) Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church.
(2) Neither can pass laws which aid one religion aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another.
(3) Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion.
(4) No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance.
(5) No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion.
(6) Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa.
Merely by saying prayer you at least violate #3 in that by prayer you force them to profess a belief in a religion. Cite where this summary comes from Needless to say most of that list is shot to hell by everyday activities of both the Church and the State but a guy can dream can’t he?
So, if he had said “Prayer or Remembrance,” that’d be okay?
That discriminates against people who want to pray. Or Alzheimer’s patients.
This was the right thing for Bush to do.
He did it for 9/11. It would look very odd for him not to do so for Katrina.
I am with D_Odds and Scott Plaid, although I guess I’m used to it. I’ve already known Bush Senior doesn’t think we atheists citizens or patriots. Funny, I don’t remember any god-bothering in the citizenship oath I took when I came to this country. :mad:
I know I’d be highly amused if he put it that way. Frankly I’m not too worked up about it. It’s not a big secret Presidents throw religion around to win votes (or truly believe if you’re not a cynic)
Has anyone ever found a primary source for this quote?
Darkhold, perhaps you can elaborate for me. I’m failing to see how just saying the word prayer is in violation of #3 in your example. The president calling for prayer isn’t forcing non-religious people into churches or forcing them to believe in religion. No one is being forced to pray.
Personaly, it doesn’t matter to me what the exact wording is. I usually ignore the president when he calls for days of prayer anyway. I’m not the praying type.
To which president are you referring?
. . . I like you 
I’m to lazy to look, but howsabout someone look up how many Americans “pray” or partipate in some equally religious activity. I would venture to say this is probably a pretty good chunk. Because we are (probably) dealing with a huge percentage of the population, he would look like a douche for not saying to pray. Not to mention he would be alienating a huge part of his base and all that annoying political crap.
Not to mention, I distinctly recall my high school principal getting on the intercom on 9-11 and telling us all to pray. No one complained, not even my atheist friends. Why? Because they understood the spirit of what he was saying, not that he was forcing them to LITERALLY pray.
Closest I ever got sounds fishy to me personally.
Well it’s the fact that by telling the entire nation it’s a day of prayer he’s forcing them to acknowledge some type of religion and influencing them to believe in said religion. I was mainly quibbling about Lord Ashtar’s stance that government could tell you to pray as long as they didn’t pick a single religion.
Nope. National Day of Prayer AND Rememberance. You can do both or just one. I think it would be bad form to do the first without the second, but doing the second without the first would be just fine.
Doing neither wouldn’t be polite. If you do that, don’t tell anyone. Like farting in the pews, it’s a subject best not spoken of.