MADISON, Wis. - A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.
Until I heard this news I wasn't even aware that there was a National Day of Prayer. It's not on any of my calendars, like Thanksgiving and Independence Day and Full Moon are. I do seem to recall hearing, from time to time, of the President having a national prayer day breakfast, now that I think about it, but I don't recall anyone other than the president ever celebrating it. Maybe it never caught on with the public, or never achieved the commercial, materialistic, amd irreligious success, replete with football games and conspicuous consumption of food and ale, that we afford other holidays like Christmas or Saint Patrick's Day or Thanksgiving.
I guess I could go either way with this. I think I agree with the judge's conclusion that the government hasn't any business deciding whether or when people should pray, but then its creation by the Congress doesn't seemed to have harmed anyone. Still, its demise won't hurt the NFL, Macy's, beer sales, fast food markets, or the greeting card industry so the decision isn't likely to cut into American culture in any meaningful way.
