National day of prayer

The National Day of Prayer: Since 1980 Presidents have dispatched a cabinet person to represent the White House at the Focus on the Family event where they pray for the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of our government - a large event that...

takes a great deal of planning - this time the White House did not even return the phone call answering the request - Is the courtesy of a phone call too much to ask of this White House ?

*** If they didn't want Christianity involved with their form of government then why did they always start the secessions of congress or the house of represenatives with prayer to the almighty God, and why do we have the 10 commandments posted in stone on the exterior of many of the government buildings in Washington? Jefferson has been completely taken out of context.

Indeed. Jefferson *has* been taken out of context. For hundreds of years, people have been abusing the deistic notion of god Jefferson (and Washington, and Franklin, and Paine, and many other founding fathers) had and equivocating it to mean 'the christian god' - justfying all kinds of unconstitutional activity such as starting sessions of congress with prayer, or putting the 10 commandments in government buildings.

Regardless, it's the President's prerogative to return or ignore phone calls as he sees fit, just as it is yours or mine. It's nice to see a Presidnet with enough of a spine to give Focus on the Family the cold shoulder. This country does not belong to some small group of fundamentalist bible thumpers in Colorado who cheat on their taxes and their wives.

Doesn't make any sense.

Hellooo, separation of church and state. Welcome back, I've missed you so!

Hellooo separation of church and state isnt in the constitution.

Er, yes it is...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

**Er, yes it is..**

laughs...

Agreed with arachnid, seperation of the church and the state.

Hellooo, separation of church and state.

Hmmm...funny how all the Presidents since 1980 missed that - obviously you know more or think you know than they - Clinton was in error ?? - definitely classless and arrogant not to pick up the phone and leave these people hanging - all those other administrations did - you may admire this type of character in people, I sure don't - it's a severe Lack of character - I was taught better, indeed called 'common courtesy', H E L L O O !!

Hmmm...funny how all the Presidents since 1980 missed that - obviously you know more or think you know than they

Either that, or it's impossible to elect a US president who isn't a professing christian, and they all push the separation of church and state line to a greater or lesser degree.

definitely classless and arrogant not to pick up the phone and leave these people hanging

Really? Are you suggesting that any sufficiently large group of people should be able to compel presidential participation? Even if doing so explicitly contradicts your constitution?

Obama has professed to be a Christian - that, any was you slice or spin it was not how Christians treat other Christians or anyone else for that matter.

Obama has professed to be a Christian - that, any was you slice or spin it was not how Christians treat other Christians or anyone else for that matter.

In this context, he's the president. His religion is (or should be) irrelevant when it comes to carrying out official duties. He's welcome to be any religion he likes in his own time, and in his personal life.

If you will go back and read the whole quote from Thomas Jefferson, you will find that he wasn't saying that the government should keep the church out, he was saying that you can't allow a church rule the government, like the catholic church did in England. That's why they left England, so they could worship as they pleased. If they didn't want Christianity involved with their form of government then why did they always start the secessions of congress or the house of represenatives with prayer to the almighty God, and why do we have the 10 commandments posted in stone on the exterior of many of the government buildings in Washington? Jefferson has been completely taken out of context. From the founding of this nation up until 1963 this was never an issue that was ruled against by the Supreme Court.

wait, im confuzzled

***Jefferson has been completely taken out of context.***

Read it again... read ALL of it...

***wait, im confuzzled***

...about what?

Here is the entire text of Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association:

___
Gentlemen, the affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem.
___

cancersurvivor, please domonstrate how Jefferson is being taken out of context. What is the proper context?

Amen toadaly!!

It's exciting to think that *finally* we have both a president will to forsake involvement in petty issues (religious bickering) and focus on what he gets *paid* to do...you know, like his job, $450,000 per year of tax payer money in salary alone, millions when you include security, precautions, assistants, etc...

...that MY money should be used to send a GOVERNMENT official to a religious event of ANY denomination sickens me and while I don't share Obama's belief system, in this he is completely correct. The American government (with Jefferson's letter, in full context) has ZERO obligation to partake in the event...in fact, it should *never* have participated in the first place.

what you are refering to is giving and fasting. Ezekiel prayed a 63 word prayer in front of over 400 prophets of Baal (First Kings Chapter 18). There is a time for public prayer.

That is talking about fasting and giving. There is many times publick prayer is promoted and neccessary. Elijah in first Kings chapter 18 prayed a 63 word prayer after allowing 400 prophets of Baal 1/2 a day to pray their god bring down fire. It never happened but the God of Israel answered that little 63 word prayer that was prayed publicly.