www.Inclusive Prayer Day.orgpeople of many faith traditions calling for an inclusive National Day of Prayer | ||
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Suggested Script for Phoning the Governor Hello, my name is ________________ and I am with ________________________ . I'm calling you about the National Day of Prayer, May 1st. Back in 1952 President Truman established this day to bring together Americans of every religion, to express their faith in whatever way was appropriate for them. Now this event has been taken over by a group of conservative Christians, led by Shirley Dobson of Focus on the Family., They call themselves the National Day of Prayer Task Force. I am really concerned because they are excluding Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists and even mainline Christian clergy from participating in their events. They even require Task Force volunteer coordinators to sign a pledge that their National Prayer Day activities "will be conducted solely by Christians." They are clearly aligning a government-sponsored event with their particular Christian denomination, in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which establishes the separation of church and state.
If the Governor has already issued the Focus on the Family-led Task Force a proclamation calling for a National Day of Prayer on May 1, I hope s/he will review it in the light of this blatant discrimination and re-consider whether it expresses the inclusivity and respect for all religious traditions that truly reflect the best values in our nation, and then, perhaps rescind it and issue another. If our State does not already have a proclamation, I hope the Governor will issue one that calls for an inclusive National Day of Prayer, embracing people of every faith tradition and encouraging clergy of diverse faith traditions to participate. Thank you. | ||