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For the record, President Obama did not “cancel” the National Day of Prayer. He issued a Proclamation for the National Day of Prayer, just as every president has done since President Harry Truman. (President Obama’s official Proclamation can be viewed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-day-prayer-0).
While it is true that President Obama did not host a prayer service in the White House for this day, he is little different in that regard than most previous presidents. Only President George W. Bush held the White House service all eight years he was in office. Previous presidents have been sporadic in their holding or hosting of such a service, with Presidents Reagan and Bush (Sr.) each holding it only once during their presidential tenures. Observances of the National Day of Prayer took place throughout the U.S. in 2009 and 2010. In fact, though President Obama has been accused of canceling the National Day of Prayer, he was, actually the defendant in a suit brought by the Freedom from Religion Foundation that challenged its constitutionality.
Though I would love to see this White House service become a yearly tradition for our current president, I am puzzled as to why this decision not to hold it has been met with such vicious attacks and deceptive information. For the seven years for which president Ronald Reagan chose not to host the prayer service, I do not recall any such attacks. Disagreement is one thing, but the attacks against President Obama have become vitriolic; there appears to be a faction whose agenda is to bring down President Obama at all costs. With apparent glee, members of this faction circulate distorted information, with little concern for accuracy. The constant barrage of jumping to the worst possible conclusions for every move the president makes, circulating them as truth, and allowing vicious rumors to go unchecked, has created a hateful atmosphere.
In a recent rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, we heard calls to return to “values,” to “be on our knees in prayer,” and to “go to church.” These are noble calls for action, but we cannot engage in those sacred activities on the one hand, while engaging in hateful and deceitful attitudes with the other. Were there any calls there to pray for our president? Was there a pledge to stop the name-calling? The same faith that causes us to wish for a White House Prayer service dictates that we show love and compassion to all. It calls us to pray for those with whom we have conflict. If we really want an effective president, we will not get it by participating in vicious attacks; we will not see good outcomes by using the Internet to circulate misunderstandings and rumors; we will strengthen our leaders by praying for them.
In all our valuing of the National Day of Prayer, are we only trying to score a moral point, or do we truly believe in the power of prayer and the responsibilities attached to it? If we cherish the right to pray, if we comprehend the power of prayer, we will pledge to fall on our knees in prayer for our president, who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. We should have prayed more for our previous administration, and we should be praying for this one.
Prayer is our only hope for healing our divided nation.
By Sue Ellen Spaulding
Anderson resident
