Federal Judge Rules National Day of Prayer as Unconstitutional
A federal judge in Wisconsin has ruled on Thursday that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.
He said that national Day of Prayer “goes beyondmere ‘acknowledgement’ of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context," said US District judge Barbara B Crabb.
"I understand that many may disagree with that conclusion and some may even view it as a criticism of prayer or those who pray. That is unfortunate. A determination that the government may not endorse a religious message is not a determination that the message itself is harmful, unimportant or undeserving of dissemination. Rather, it is part of the effort 'to carry out the Founders' plan of preserving religious liberty to the fullest extent possible in a pluralistic society.' ", she is quoted to have said.
Wisconsin based group Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a case that challenged the constitutionality of a 1998 law giving the president the authority to designate the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer.
One of the leaders of America’s largest Christian denominations wants his name removed from a statement calling for a more civil national discourse because he believes that lot of the wrong sort of Christian have signed the statement.
The problem is the tent that has grown so large on the signatures of this that they are including people who are supportive of gay marriage and abortion rights," explained a spokesman for George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, the nation's second largest Pentecostal group.
More than 100 Christians have signed the “Convent for Civility”.
