Brenda Stewart’s piece on the National Day of Prayer rightly criticizes the over-reaction and sensationalism on the internet, though I think all political perspectives are prone to these things. However, I disagree with the implication of her piece – that prayer is a private matter, period.
Unfortunately we moved from the practice of reasonable public expressions of faith. On nationally broadcast radio, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the nation in an extended prayer during World War II. In the Declaration of Independence certain rights are “unalienable” because they were given by a Creator. It concludes with a “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence”. A broadly held belief in God and a sense of accountability to God, marked the civil – civil religion of the nation’s history. It was also a source of national unity.
In her final paragraph Stewart quotes Christ’s words about not praying on the street corners but praying in one’s room. Well, strangely it really isn’t “as simple as that” because Jesus prayed publically (Matthew 14:19) and the Sermon on the Mount – which she quotes – was a publically proclaimed religious message (i.e. not in a private place of worship). The words of Jesus do not oppose public prayer.
In Matthew Chapter 6 Jesus refers to three types of private religious practices, which also had a public aspect to them: giving, praying and fasting. Jesus wasn’t condemning public prayer, but private prayer done publically, for show.
But in another indirect sense, Stewart could be justified in quoting Jesus. Although the National Day of Prayer is a case where politicians, among others, pray publically (which is not condemned by Jesus per se) the words of Jesus should convict us of our motives for all religious activity. I share some of her cynicism, but I honestly don’t know the hearts or motives of the leaders involved. I do regret the loss of civil – civil religion like that expressed by FDR, which did not trample on, or coerce – beliefs.
David Sweet
Buda
