A federal district court rejected a lawsuit filed by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and in so doing, exposed their true anti-Christian agenda.   You see, Americans United likes to tout itself as being a watchdog group that seeks to keep religion and government strictly separate.  But their actions in this case have exposed their true agenda.

In Galloway v. Town of Greece, New York, Americans United, representing two local plaintiffs, sued the Town of Greece, New York, claiming that the Town’s policy of allowing local clergy to give the prayer before Town board meetings was unconstitutional.  The Town had permitted various local clergy to give the prayers before meetings, but refused to tell the clergy how, or to whom, to pray.  Consequently, some prayed in God’s name, and some prayed in Jesus’ name.  Even the plaintiffs themselves, one of whom was an atheist, were given the opportunity to pray before the Town Board meetings.

This did not sit well with this organization that supposedly wants a separation between church and state.  But did they sue to stop the prayers?  No.  They sued demanding that the Town Board tell local clergy how to pray!

Now this is true irony.  A group that calls itself “Americans United for the Separation of Church and State” wants the government to tell clergy how to pray.

Fortunately, the Court recognized this irony and refused to play along.  The Court noted “the policy requested by Plaintiffs would…impose a state-created orthodoxy” and dismissed the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.

Now why did Americans United not just ask that all prayers stop?  Because the United States Supreme Court has already decisively ruled that prayer before legislative sessions are constitutional.  In Marsh v. Chambers, the Supreme Court, after noting that legislative prayers have been going on in this country since its inception, ruled that such prayers do not violate the Constitution.

So knowing that they couldn’t stop the prayers, they then sought to challenge prayers “in Jesus’ name.”  This is really what bothers them.  Fortunately, the court rejected this attempt at prayer censorship.  If American’s United had stayed true to their identity, they would not be asking government officials to tell local clergy how and to whom to pray.  This is a matter best left to theologians, not courts of law or local governments.

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On April 15, 2010, United States District Court Judge Barbara Crabb, for the Western District of Wisconsin, struck down the National Day of Prayer statute, 36 U.S.C. § 119. This opinion usurped hundreds of years of American history and tradition and must be overturned. It was on November 26, 1789, that George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Day prayer proclamation, calling this nation to a day of prayer and giving thanks. But if this decision is not overturned, future prayer proclamations like our first president’s will be jeopardized. Be assured, though, that the Alliance Defense Fund is prepared to devote its resources and manpower to protecting our American heritage and religious freedom.

In striking down the statute, the court ruled it serves no secular purpose, but rather calls the nation to engage in a religious exercise – prayer. The court also ruled that the NDP statute violated the endorsement test because a reasonable observer, upon reviewing the statute, would conclude that the government endorses religion. And according to this court, even the endorsement of religion generally is a violation of the establishment clause. The court concluded, “[b]ecause the National Day of Prayer does not have a secular purpose or effect, it cannot survive scrutiny under Lemon and the endorsement test.”
We at the Alliance Defense Fund believe this court’s decision will be overturned as the Supreme Court has already upheld the very similar practice of legislative prayer. In Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 (1983), the Supreme Court upheld the practice of opening a legislative session with prayer because it dates back to the founding fathers.

But the Wisconsin federal judge ruled that Marsh is a limited opinion that should not be applied in this case. The court stated that while the NDP statute encourages national prayer, the legislative prayers in Marsh were just examples of ceremonial deism. In addition, the court said that just because prayer proclamations have been going on since our nation’s inception, that does not make the practice right.

The good news is that the court’s ruling specifically does not apply to the 2010 National Day of Prayer, or to any other future National Days of Prayer until this case has been fully appealed, which could include an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. We will continue to fight in this case through all appeals to protect our religious heritage. It is vitally important that decisions like this attempt to minimize America’s religious historical roots are not allowed to stand.

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On April 15, United States District Court Judge Barbara Crabb, for the Western District of Wisconsin, struck down the National Day of Prayer statute, 36 U.S.C. § 119, claiming that it violated the Establishment Clause. 

Did this statute require people to join a church?  Did it force people to pay tithe to the Southern Baptist Convention?  No.  This statute did not even force people to sing all four stanzas of Amazing Grace. 

So how is it that this statute was found to violate our First Amendment’s prohibition against the establishment of a national religion?  Here is the exact wording of the statute:

The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.

All that this statute does is set aside a day each year for those that want to, to gather in prayer.  This is hardly the religious persecution our founding fathers faced when they fled England.  No one is forced to pray.  No one will be required to attend church or take communion in order to be a citizen. 

This statute is simply a reflection of our history and our heritage.  It is fast becoming a national secret, but America has a religious heritage.  We have a religious history.  As Supreme Court Justice William Douglas said, “We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.”

From George Washington to today, Presidents have issued proclamations asking for national prayer.  In 1789, both the House and the Senate passed resolutions asking President Washington to issue an exhortation to the nation to pray and be thankful.   This tradition has been carried on by the many different presidents, has sustained us through national crises, and has continued till today.

But our nation’s history was of little concern here.  The opinion stated, ““[I]f history is controlling, it would require the Supreme Court to overrule much of its establishment clause jurisprudence of the last 50 years.”

Finally, we get a concession from a federal judge that the last fifty years of jurisprudence has been slightly off the mark from our nation’s history!  But in the end, the court struck down the statute because it was a promotion of religion in general.

Luckily for this nation, the court stayed its ruling until all appeals have been exhausted.  Most likely, the Supreme Court will have the last say on whether our history will be re-written.  And we at the Alliance Defense Fund will be employing every legal strategy to make sure our history, our heritage, is not so easily discarded.

Let President Obama know that the National Day of Prayer is important to you and to our country.  Encourage him to instruct the Justice Department to appeal this decision.

Sign the petition for President Obama

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The assault on faith and people of faith has never been greater here in America. Billboards sponsored by atheistic organizations have been springing up around the country spouting phrases like “Praise Darwin: Evolve Beyond Belief,” and “Imagine No Religion.” Churches taking a biblical stand on moral issues such as homosexual behavior are becoming victims of vandalism and disruption of worship services.
But those standing firm in the face of this anti-religious onslaught received welcome news from a federal court the first week in March. Several years ago the anti-religion group, Freedom From Religion Foundation, sued President Bush, the governor of Wisconsin, and Shirley Dobson in an effort to stop the National Day of Prayer.
Mrs. Dobson voluntarily chairs the National Day of Prayer Task Force – a private non-profit ministry that promotes prayer observances on the National Day of Prayer each year and asks the President to issue a proclamation. For her efforts, she was named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit. The plaintiffs complained that a ministry requesting the President to ask the nation to pray violates the so-called “separation of church and state.” In essence, they wanted the court to muzzle people of faith and keep them from talking to their political leaders.
But in a March 2, 2010 ruling, a Federal District Court in Wisconsin threw out their claim against Mrs. Dobson – reaffirming the right of religious people and organizations to petition their government officials. Thankfully, this attempt to silence religious ministries was unsuccessful. Mrs. Dobson is to be commended for not rolling over when faced with legal action for merely speaking up.