Archives > Allen American > News
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Day of prayer continues despite judge's ruling
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@acnpapers.com
National Day of Prayer will be held May 6 despite a recent court ruling.
On April 15, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared the law creating National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, but President Barack Obama is still expected to declare the first Thursday in May as National Day of Prayer, as he did last year.
The theme for the 59th National Day of Prayer is "Prayer for such a time as this." The day serves as a time for people of all faiths to come together and pray for the nation.
"It is a time to gather together and thank God and realize that none of us are a means to an end, but prayer is," Pierce said. "National Day of Prayer is an opportunity to do just that. To come together as a nation, no matter what your denomination is, and give thanks for America."
Pierce said the theme of the day changes each year, and each year there is a scripture for the day. This year's scripture is Nahum 1:7.
"Nahum 1:7 says the Lord is good and he is our refuge in time of trouble," she said. "That he cares for those that trust in him. At Gateway, we see people come in every day that have needs outside of their control such as marriages, finances and the economy. We have an opportunity to come together all across the nation and say that 'God is good.' We can go to him in a time of trouble and know that he really cares about us."
The idea of a national day of prayer is older than the United States itself. The Continental Congress first asked for a day of prayer in 1775, and other presidents, including John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, did the same until 1952. That was the year Harry Truman signed a bill creating an annual national day of prayer and requiring that every president declare a day each year as a national day of prayer. The first Thursday in May was chosen as the official date in 1988.
"I love that the foundation of our nation coming together and praying started at the very beginning," Pierce said. "I really believe that when we get together and come under one banner of our faith, heaven takes notice and God hears our prayers."
Crabb said that her decision doesn't prohibit anyone from observing the day and doesn't prohibit government officials from sharing their views on prayer. Crabb's decision said that the federal government may not endorse prayer in a statute.
"The same law that prohibits the government from declaring a National Day of Prayer also prohibits it from declaring a National Day of Blasphemy," Crabb wrote in her decision.
The day of Crabb's ruling, the White House issued a statement on its official Twitter account saying that the president would recognize a National Day of Prayer in 2010. Gov. Rick Perry has also issued a proclamation denoting May 6 as a day of prayer in the state of Texas.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
