Is this a good example to set ?

This Thursday, for the first time in nine years, there won't be a White House ceremony in observance of the National Day of Prayer - Is this a good example to set ?

absolutely it is a good example. The best example that could be set for a country that has a clear rules for separation of church and state. I think he has a lot more important things to worry about than wasting his time praying. He can do that on his own private time. No need to drag the country into his own private beliefs. It is quite refreshing after Bush's phoney practice of chrisitanity that allowed him to start an unnecessary war that brutally killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Soon the government will ban all evidence of belief and there will be no churches either.

What an idiotic statement. How does not engaging in prayer ritual translate to banning prayer and religion?

I think so
but im biased being an atheist...
and I think that religion has no place in government

then again, religion is an important part of this country (negatively and positively) and people should be getting mad so they might just throw it in there last minute or something lol

Soon the government will ban all evidence of belief and there will be no churches either.

Fine by me -- separation of church + state.

Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

A step in the right direction anyway. I seem to remember this religious radical saying that believers should pray in closets instead of making a public display of piety. Who was this radical?

15% of the people in the US are *atheist*...so any instance of the president pushing his belief system on those who have none...is, in my mind, the same as any form of religious persecution that enlightened people shouldn't be practicing, irregardless of their belief system.

Eg, if it's OK for the president to push Christianity...on those who have no belief system...well, it'd be the same as if we had a Muslim president pushing that on all the Christians in the US.

I'm 100% certain every Christian in the US (or Catholic) would be up in arms if we had a Muslim president who prayed five times a day started saying in his speeches that Allah told me we should bomb them...after all, isn't that what Bush did???

Get a clue.

Wait a sec. I thought Obama was a Christian? Ok libs, this is why we call him an empty suit.

Here is the real question, how long will it take for him to find a church in DC that harbors the same hate and racisim that his old church did?

I can't determine how earnest anyone is but President Obama says he is a Christian and I have no reason to doubt him. Just because he is a Christian doesn't mean that he has to force his views on everyone else. President Obama is everyone's president not just Christian Americans.'

tseirpeht: Here is the real question, how long will it take for him to find a church in DC that harbors the same hate and racisim that his old church did?

Pretty easy, there are lots of churches that spew hate and judgment instead of love and acceptance.

what is wrong wit takin five minutes out of the day to give thanks? you people whine bout respect all beliefs includin atheists what bout him claimin to be a christian but going to a catholic church and makin them cover up the cross cause it offends him. he isn no christian for sure and he had no business going into a place like that and demandin to cover the cross up. what did he think theyd have in there? its showin the times. Christ is comin soon. PRAISE GOD

lish54, what the hell are you talking about? Please provide the source for this claim.

Good answer lish, this is absolutly harmless to the atheist. Its day of prayer, not a specific religion but a religion in general. Granted we should pray every day but is it really so bad for the country that we have a day that recognizes it?

tseirpeht, if you are too stupid to understand separation of church and state, maybe you should actually read some of the writings of the founders. Prayer is religion, regardless of the denomination. And the constitution is quite clear about it. It is not bad for those who believe to have the pray day, but our goverment should not be acknowledging it. Why can't you keep your religion to yourself, and not keep shoving it down peoples throat.