The National Day of Prayer tradition predates the founding of the United States of America, evidenced by the Continental Congress’ proclamation in 1775 setting aside a day of prayer. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and, in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
On April 14, 2011, a panel of the U.S. court of appeals overturned a ruling that previously found the law requiring the President to proclaim a National Day of Prayer each year as unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, based in Chicago, ruled 3-0 that the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and its plaintiffs do not have standing to continue their challenge of the 1952 congressional act declaring an annual National Day of Prayer.
According to the appeals court ruling, the proclamation imposes no requirement on a person and therefore no one is hurt by a request that can be declined. “Those who do not agree with a president’s statement may speak in opposition to it, they are not entitled to silence the speech of which they disapprove.”
Shirley Dobson said, “Since the days of our Founding Fathers, the government has protected and encouraged public prayer and other expressions of dependence on the Almighty. Prayer is an indispensable part of our heritage, and as citizens, we must remain faithful in our commitment to intercede for our nation during this pivotal and challenging time.”
The 60th annual observance of the National Day of Prayer will take place on Thursday, May 5th — this year’s theme, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” is based on Psalm 91:2: “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
See http://www.CapitalRegionNDP.org for information about the observance on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
David Robert Lambert 
Leave a comment