The National Day of Prayer in the USA (NDP)
History of the NDP
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History:
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 | 1775: The first day of prayer was declared when the Continental
Congress "designated a time for prayer in forming a new nation."
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| 1783: "...the conclusion of the Revolutionary War marked a
temporary end to the National Day of Prayer."
12
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| 1795-FEB-19: George Washington proclaimed a day of public thanksgiving
and prayer.
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| Circa 1813: President James Madison proclaimed a day of prayer. He
later said such proclamations are not appropriate. "They seem to imply and
certainly nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion."
2
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| 1808: Thomas Jefferson also opposed declarations of national days of
prayer by the Federal government. He wrote "Fasting and prayer are religious
exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to
determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them,
according to their own particular tenets; and right can never be safer than in their
hands, where the Constitution has deposited it." 3
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| 1863-MAR-30: Abraham Lincoln signed a Congressional resolution of MAR-3
which called for a day of fasting and prayer durin the Civil War (1860-1865). 4
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| 1952-APR-17: A bill proclaiming an annual National Day of Prayer (NDP)
was unanimously passed by both houses of congress. President Truman signed it into law. It required the
President to select a day for national prayer each year.
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1972: The National Prayer Committee was created. It is an
non-profit evangelical Christian organization. The National
Day of Prayer Task Force is a project of that committee.
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| 1988: A bill was introduced to Congress which fixed the annual
NDP at
the first Thursday in May. The Senate bill, S 1378, was introduced by Stron Thurmond
(R-SC); a matching House version was initiated by Tony Hall, (D-OH). It received broad
bipartisan sponsorship and support, and became Public Law 100-307. It was signed into law
by President Reagan on 1988-MAY-5. He commented: "On our National Day of Prayer,
then, we join together as people of many faiths to petition God to show us His mercy and
His love, to heal our weariness and uphold our hope, that we might live ever mindful of
His justice and thankful for His blessing."
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| 1993 to 1998: The concept of the NDP as a multi-faith event
which recognizes the extensive diversity of religious expression in the
U.S. was
echoed by subsequent presidents in their proclamations. President Clinton has written:
 | 1993: "Through prayer our people take a moment away from the
concerns of everyday life to understand the greater power that gives us guidance. We
come together in an act common to all religions."
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| 1994: "I encourage the citizens of this great Nation to
gather, each in his or her own manner, to recognize our blessings, acknowledge our wrongs,
to remember the needy, to seek guidance for our challenging future, and to give thanks for
the abundance we have enjoyed throughout our history."
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| 1995: "I call upon every citizen of this great Nation to
gather together on that day to pray, each in his or her own manner, for God's continued
guidance and blessing."
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| 1996: "And though our citizens come from every nation on Earth
and observe an extraordinary variety of religious faith [sic] and traditions, prayer
remains at the heart of the American spirit."
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| 1997: "...let us uphold the tradition of observing a day in
which every American, in his or her own way, may come before God seeking increased peace,
guidance, and wisdom for the challenges ahead." 5
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| 1998: "In every city, town, and rural community across our
country, people of every religious denomination gather to worship according to their
faith. In churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, Americans come together to pray."
9 |
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| 1999: According to some reports, all 50 U.S. state governors and
several governors of U.S. territories proclaimed the National Day of Prayer
within their jurisdictions. Other sources of information indicate that a few state
governors did not issue proclamations. An Evangelical Press News Service posting
on 1999-MAY-14 mentioned that Jesse Ventura, governor of Minnesota refused to issue a
proclamation for the NDP because of separation of church and state issues. He commented
"There are people out there who are Atheists, who don't believe at all. They are
all citizens of Minnesota, and I have to respect that." Ventura signed a
statement of recognition instead; it acknowledged that the NDP existed, but did not offer
state support for it. Minnesota Family Council President Tom Prichard criticized
Ventura. "I'm perplexed to think the governor would refuse to issue a prayer
proclamation, something President Clinton and many other governors have proclaimed this
year, but would issue a proclamation for the Rolling Stones [on 1999-FEB-15]. In a time of
school shootings and international turmoil, we should be encouraging prayer all the time.
I would think the governor at the very least would give the same recognition to a day of
prayer that he gave to Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones." There is, of course,
no constitutional requirement for the separation of music and state, as there is between
church and state.
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| 2000: Texas Metroplex Atheists announced that they would hold a peaceful demonstration at the NDP event in Bedford TX on
2000-MAY-4. The national headquarters of the Christian Coalition is
located in this city. They are not protesting prayer itself; they are
opposed to the use of tax money and public property to encourage
religious devotion. 6 Similar demonstrations will
be held in Dallas, TX; Orlando, FL; and Detroit, MI. "In
Washington, D.C., NDOP organizers stage a prayer ceremony on capitol
hill, and an afternoon rally on the steps of the capitol building.
The Nationally Broadcast Concert of Prayer (NBCOP) will air Thursday
night [MAY-4] on radio stations from 8 - 11 p.m. from the Prestonwood
Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas." 7
|
| 2001: The 50th National Day of Prayer was held on MAY-3. Its
organizers estimate that about 2.5 million people attended the
approximately 40,000 events across the U.S. Several representatives of
American Atheists protested at Andover, KS, city hall where one
event took place. They objected to the apparent violation of the
principle of church and state which occurred when the religious
meeting was held in a government building.
Chairperson Shirley Dobson stated that all of the state governors
recognized the NDP this year. In the year 2000, Jesse Ventura of MN
had refused to
sign a declaration on constitutional grounds. He felt that it would have violated
his oath of office which requires him to uphold the U.S. constitution. Pastor Phyllis Gregory
stated that a prayer would be offered "the lost, those in sin,
in need, living in lack and Cassadaga." The latter is a small
town in Florida known for its Spiritualist camp. The camp president
said that he didn't feel that they were lost souls, but welcomed the
prayer anyway.
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| 2002: The National Day of Prayer Task Force reported that "...approximately 40,000 events were held
nationwide. Local volunteers and coordinators held a variety of
activities ranging from prayer breakfasts, Bible reading marathons,
concerts of prayer, rallies, church prayer vigils, student flagpole
gatherings and observances held in sports stadiums." 8
President George W. Bush stated in his proclamation that the two
purposes of the NDP were: "...to reaffirm the role of prayer in our
society and to honor the religious diversity our freedom permits..."
9
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| 2003: The National Day of Prayer was
held on MAY-1. It coincided with three other celebrations:
| Wiccans celebrate Beltane on this day. This is one of their four
major Sabbats (seasonal days of celebration). Wicca is a
Neopagan
religion, patterned after the aboriginal religion of the ancient
Celtic people. Other Neopagan religions also celebrated on this day.
|
| International Workers' Day, recognizes the contribution by
workers throughout the world. It is recognized in almost every country
except the United States, Canada, and South Africa.
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| This will be the first annual observance of the National Day of
Reason. Future celebrations will also be scheduled the first
Thursday in May. It is a response to the National Day of Prayer
by various Humanist, Agnostic, Atheist, and other secular groups. It
is intended to
support those Americans who do not believe in a personal male
deity who listens to prayer and responds to it. |
Dr. Luis Palau, an internationally-known Fundamentalist pastor wrote a prayer for the NDP. The
NDPTF encourages Americans to
recite this prayer at noontime on MAY-1 local time.
Some interesting notes about NDP for 2003-MAY-01:
| Almost all events were located at or sponsored by conservative
Christian churches and/or are led by conservative Christian pastors.
There are a few exceptions; most involve Presbyterian or Methodist
pastors or churches.
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| A few events emphasized that everyone in the community is welcome
to attend.
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| There was at least one Jewish NDP event. It occured in
Arizona.
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| There was at least one ecumenical Christian NDP event in Texas and three
in Florida led by conservative Pastors, mainline Protestant ministers
and Catholic priests.
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| The Montana NDP group prayed for God to "build a wall along
the northern border" with Canada to "prevent the enemy,
spiritual and natural from entering into the U.S." This will
presumably be a spiritual wall; there was no obvious news items
in the media about a physical wall being erected to keep Canadians out. The fear evidenced by this statement may be related
to a growing expectation at the time that
same-sex marriage might become available in Canada. If so, their
prophecy came true a month and nine days later when same-sex couples
started to buy marriage licenses, get married and
register their marriages in Ontario. This right has since spread
across Canada.
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| In some
cities, including Munci IN, a pair of NDP events were
held: one for conservative Christians, and the other for persons of
all faiths, including conservative Christians. Pastor William Keller, president of the Delaware County
Evangelistic Association organized the exclusively conservative
Christian event in Munci. He expressed concern that "My people wouldn't come
to a meeting that is an inter-faith event." 10 |
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| 2004: According to the NDPTF web
site: "In 2004, approximately 40,000 events were held
nationwide. Local volunteers and coordinators held a variety of
activities ranging from prayer breakfasts, Bible reading marathons,
concerts of prayer, rallies, church prayer vigils, student flagpole
gatherings and observances held in sports stadiums."
11 It is not known whether this is an estimate of the NDP
events that it coordinated, or whether it is an estimate of the total
number of NDP events across the U.S.
|
| 2005: Americans United for the
Separation of Church and State organized a truly
inclusive NDP event in Oklahoma City, OK,
for Christians, followers of other religions, and persons who followed
no religion. A similar inclusive event was scheduled in Troy, MI, and
probably in other locations.
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| 2006-MAY-04: The theme is "America,
Honor God."
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| 2007-MAY-03: According to Shirley
Dobson, chairperson of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, the theme
for the 56th annual National Day of Prayer is "America, united in
prayer." It comes from 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV): "If my people, who
are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and will heal their land."
| |
2010-APR-15: A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the federal enabling legislation for the NDP was unconstitutional. That is, the right of individuals and groups to hold a NDP is very securely protected by the U.S. Constitution. The free exercise clause of the same amendment guarantees that. It is only the declaration of the NDP by the federal government that was found to be unconstitutional. More details |
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References:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- News release, "Americans United for Separation of Church and State,"
1999-APR-28
- James Madison, "Detached Memoranda." Cited in reference 1.
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to the Rev. Samuel Miller. Cited in reference 1.
- "Proclamation appointing a national fast day," at: http://www.netins.net/
- "Documents," Prayer for America, at: http://www.lesea.com/
- "American Atheists: Texas State Director's Page," at: http://www.star-telegram.com/
- "National Day of Prayer -- Is government promoting religion?," AANEWS,
news release, 2000-APR-28.
- "Frequently Asked Questions: National day of Prayer Fact Sheet,"
NDP Task Force, at:
http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/
- George W. Bush, "National Day of Prayer, 2002: A Proclamation," at:
http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/
- Kieth Roysdon, "Day of prayer divides faiths," The Star
Press, 2003-APR-13, at:
http://www.thestarpress.com/
- "Questions answered," NDP Task Force, at:
http://www.ndptf.org/
- Olene Walker, National Day of Prayer proclamation for Utah, 2004-MAY,
at:
http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/
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Copyright © 1999 to 2006 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally published: 1999-MAY-5
Most recent update: 2010-APR-10
Author: B.A. Robinson
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