The National Day of Prayer Declared Unconstitutional

Alright, we have begun the final slippery slide down into the absolute secularization of the public arena in America.

"This week a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic."

"In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful

effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence

an individual's decision whether and when to pray," Crabb wrote.(AP)

Well, this is bizarre, is it not? How in the world can a judge be bothered by a day of prayer by choice of the individuals involved. No one religion is excluded or promoted, and the day has been known to foster good will between groups and remind people to pray for their leaders and government, whatever their religious beliefs. Just so we're clear, here is the text of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution: 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

How does a day of prayer by the citizenry either establish a religion or prohibit the free exercise of one? In fact, would it not rather seem that declaring a day of prayer unlawful is in fact "prohibiting the free exercise thereof?" 

The harsh truth is that what is happening is the absolute secularization of the public arena, relegating religious and spiritual activity to the realm of "personal" to the exclusion of communal and public faith expressions. How far can this go? Will we be forced to not have "Amazing Grace" sung at public funerals? Will someone finally sue someone else if they say "bless you" after they sneeze?  

Where is this going? There is a plan afoot to "prove" once and for all that those with religious beliefs are really those that espouse "hate speech." The goal is one of freedom from religion, and not freedom of religion. And this of course makes perfect sense, since the group that objected to the day of prayer was our friends at the Freedom From Religion Foundation. When men and women are put in jail here in the United States of America  for hate speech for refusing to give up their beliefs, just remember, we had a chance to protect our freedoms and we let our guard down.

Could there be a forced orthodoxy for religious tolerance by the government? Could the day come when pastors, priests, and rabbis will have to have their messages approved by the government before they give them?  Don't be silly, that would be intolerant!