A Wisconsin judge rules that the long-standing (since 1952) National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, and is anyone surprised that plenty of conservatives online are complaining?
Sure, there is historical precedent for the National Day of Prayer, all the way back to the Continental Congress, making the practice older than the United States itself. But there’s historical precedent for lots of things that we no longer do, like owning slaves or having more than one spouse. So don’t argue based on precedent; precedent doesn’t guarantee correctness.
And yes, this decision was the result of an effort by a small but determined minority (the Freedom From Religion Foundation) but that’s hardly a criticism of the decision. History abounds with examples of minorities bringing practices into focus for the purpose of aligning them with higher principles, one of which is religious freedom.
If you want to pray, then pray. Pray today, tomorrow, and pray on May 6, which would have been this year’s official day to pray. But if you don’t want to pray–for whatever reason–then this year, finally, you won’t have the U.S. government telling you how you ought to pray on May 6, or any other day. That is progress. This is a nation coming to grips with higher principles, learning to stop “encouraging” a practice that it has no business in.
I’m not suggesting that everyone keep his religion to himself. I’m suggesting that our government does no one–Christian, Muslim, Agnostic, nor Atheist–any favors by encouraging anyone to pray. Pray if you want to. But don’t expect the government to get involved one way or another. It’s just good sense to keep the government out of your (or my) religious practices.
