Confused About the National Day of Prayer

Today in the United Sates of America, a country that is prohibited by law from establishing any religion, is the National Day of Prayer.

Now, I have nothing against prayer. I pray. Some of my best friends  pray. But I must confess that some of the most vocal people who are talking about prayer leave me confused.

For instance, on September 25 of 2009, 50,000 Muslims gathered on Capitol Hill to pray to their God, but the religious right was not happy that these American citizens were exercising their constitutional right to assemble and pray. Yet, today, Christians want that same right, as American citizens, to assemble and pray to their God.

This, despite the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (the ostensible founder of Christianity) who said:

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 1

So, if I get this straight, it is ok for Christians to assemble and pray and draw attention to themselves, despite the fact that their founder clearly said not to. It is, however, wrong for Muslims to do this.

I am not sure why this would be wrong. It cannot be that the government should not allow it, because the government is prohibited from preventing it. And it cannot be that they are concerned Jesus would be upset about it, since they decided it is OK for them to do the same thing, when Jesus clearly warned against it.

But then again, this is one of many reasons I find myself confused about Christianity as it is practiced in America. But maybe this somehow makes sense to you. If it does, please explain it to me, would you?

1 That was in the Gospel of Matthew, the 6th chapter, the 5th and 6th verse.

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  • Jeanne

    There is no explanation that will make sense for someone to be bothered by prayer itself. That's the bad news. The good news is that now that we've gotten that out of the way, you can go enjoy a beautiful sunny day!! :D

  • http://galleryd.net David

    Well said Hugh.
    In many ways, the five-times daily calls to prayer carried out in the cities of many predominantly Muslim nations seem to be a purer expression of faith and unity than the show that has developed around the National Day of Prayer. Of course, anytime people gather to commit themselves to a cause, especially to a divine effort, there is fertile ground for hypocrisy. While Jesus did offer those instructions for personal prayer, he often prayed in the presence of his disciples (that they might learn to pray and that their own faith might be strengthened). Joining together for this cause is a noble endeavor, but when it becomes an annual event, as opposed to a lifestyle of communion, what does that really say about the credibility we associate with prayer?

  • incognito

    Amen. Political prayer is obscene.

    I've always wondered about public prayer of any sort, including inside church walls (which incidentally tie up enough capital to make an incredible dent in poverty…). The point of the scripture seems to be that one's inner spiritual life is a private matter with only 2 participants, the person and her/his God. So what's the role of prayer in the church?

  • Jeanne

    I don't think there's anything wrong with praying in public, I think like most of the NT this is talking about motivation. If I'm praying in public to impress you with how spiritual and holy I am, my reward is already given. If I pray and there happen to be people around, but I am praying sincerely, there's nothing wrong with it. More than one person heard Jesus praying on the cross and I don't see any indication God was displeased.

  • hugh

    Obviously, my tongue was a bit in cheek. No doubt the problem Jesus was alluding to was the motivation – but that is sorta my point. Franklin Graham was not allowed to participate in a ceremony at the Pentagon, so he instead goes to the Pentagon grounds and prays “privately”.

    If I know about it, how could it be private? He could not do that at home? Or anywhere else? No – he did it on the Pentagon grounds in order to draw attention to himself.

  • incognito

    Amen. Political prayer is obscene.

    I've always wondered about public prayer of any sort, including inside church walls (which incidentally tie up enough capital to make an incredible dent in poverty…). The point of the scripture seems to be that one's inner spiritual life is a private matter with only 2 participants, the person and her/his God. So what's the role of prayer in the church?

  • Jeanne

    I don't think there's anything wrong with praying in public, I think like most of the NT this is talking about motivation. If I'm praying in public to impress you with how spiritual and holy I am, my reward is already given. If I pray and there happen to be people around, but I am praying sincerely, there's nothing wrong with it. More than one person heard Jesus praying on the cross and I don't see any indication God was displeased.

  • hugh

    Obviously, my tongue was a bit in cheek. No doubt the problem Jesus was alluding to was the motivation – but that is sorta my point. Franklin Graham was not allowed to participate in a ceremony at the Pentagon, so he instead goes to the Pentagon grounds and prays “privately”.

    If I know about it, how could it be private? He could not do that at home? Or anywhere else? No – he did it on the Pentagon grounds in order to draw attention to himself.

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