The National Day of Prayer has been observed by Americans since it was signed into law by President Truman in 1952. While the law is of dubious constitutionality, I don’t really think it’s a big deal, since most people probably don’t even realize when it’s happening anyway. And having been raised in a country where there is no legal separation of church and state (the UK), I realize that these somewhat meaningless government-sponsored events tend to induce apathy towards religion more than anything else.
A few years ago, I noticed that the James Dobson’s show, “Focus on the Family”, was spending a great deal of time and effort promoting the National Day of Prayer (NDP), to the point that they were essentially hijacking the day—a day meant for all people of faith—for evangelical Christians. They even created a separate organization called the National Day of Prayer Task Force to initiate the takeover.
How successful have they been? Well, in years past they have successfully propagated an “official theme” for the NDP, and an “official Bible verse” to go along with it, to the point where many states issued NDP proclamations that included these Bible verses and themes as if they were officially sanctioned by the government when they were anything but. The 2010 NDP is coming up next month, and I have yet to see any such activities this year—perhaps with James Dobson stepping down from Focus on the Family, things have cooled off a little, but somehow I doubt it since Shirley Dobson is still very much involved.
However, one thing still hasn’t changed—the pretense that the NDP Task Force web site is the “Official Site” of the National Day of Prayer. First the web address of their site is http://nationaldayofprayer.org, and when you load their home page, you are presenting with this banner:
Note how the logo at the top-left says “National Day of Prayer” in large letters, and the words “official site” appear on the right-hand side of the banner title. Now try finding the words “Task Force” anywhere. (Click on the image to view it full size.)
If you are sharp-eyed enough you will see the words in teensy tiny thin lettering beneath the words “National Day of Prayer” in the logo. If you missed that (as most people would) then what would you think this web site was the official site of? The National Day of Prayer, of course.
Here is the full size logo as it appears on the NDPTF web site:
I don’t know about you, but I have to squint very hard to see the words “TASK FORCE”. Thus there is no doubt that they want to convey the false impression that they are the ones in charge of the National Day of Prayer, and it is thoroughly dishonest of them.
Yes they have a disclaimer at the very bottom of their “About” page that explains that they do not in fact have anything to do with the official governmental observance of the NDP, but they know as well as we do that most people won’t find information that’s safely tucked away behind a small menu link when all the things they want you to notice—sign up sheets and donation forms—are prominently placed in the middle of the web page.
This type of behavior doesn’t surprise me in the least, and I am sure they are entirely oblivious to the dishonesty of it. They are, after all, only doing the “Lord’s work,” so how can they be in the wrong?
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#1 by Alan at 10:59am on April 10th, 2010
I’ve blogged about this too. There was also a story aboutr Shirley Dobson grilling applicants about whether they were Christians before her “National Day Of Prayer Taskforce” would employ them.
They are at best being disingenuous at Focus On The Family. At worst they are lying sleazeballs as you say, hijacking a nationally recognized day of prayer into a Christian Heritage Lovefest.
#2 by Rational Dreamer at 2:27pm on April 10th, 2010
Yes, the “Task Force” have made it abundantly clear that only like-minded “Bible-believing Christians” are welcome to participate in their organization.
You’ve got to love the double-speak they use on their About page too:
They appear to be inclusive with the phrase “Christian community” but then talk about the “God of the Bible” which is a not-so-subtle way to exclude liberal Christians from the mix.
Ironically, the Jews–being God’s chosen people–can’t be left out (hence “Judeo-Christian”) even though they most certainly don’t believe in the “God of the Bible” given that they reject the New Testament in its entirety.
#3 by Russell at 9:35pm on April 13th, 2010
To read your comments and it shows your lack of understanding and ignorance
It makes perfectly good since to me how you both could miss it all.
Who is this day of prayer really for?,… You?
It is foolishness in your eyes, and it is supposes to be. Don’t think to hard on the day of prayer it take to much brain power, you would actually have to read and study.
I suppose in the future you both will see and understand the truth, but at that time it will be too late to do anything.
#4 by Rational Dreamer at 12:42am on April 14th, 2010
Hello Russell, what’s so hard to understand? The National Day of Prayer is supposed to be a non-partisan, non-sectarian celebration of prayer for all religious people to partake in, but the religious right in America was not satisfied with that, and hijacked it for their own political ends. Their dishonesty and deceptiveness should be condemned, not excused, and you don’t have to be a religious person to see that.
The irony is that according to what Jesus says in the Bible, you are supposed to pray quietly in your room, not on the street corners where everyone can see you. There is no reason to make a huge fuss over the NDP except for partisan political purposes, and that’s exactly what Dobson’s crew is doing.
#5 by George Wooley at 8:44am on April 14th, 2010
Nobody owns the National Day of Prayer. If the NDP Task Force group wants to organize people to pray I’m all for it. The more people pray the better!
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” -2 Chronicles 7:14
#6 by Rational Dreamer at 2:38pm on April 14th, 2010
Of course nobody “owns” the National Day of Prayer, but doesn’t it give you even the slightest pause for thought that the NDP Task Force is so keen to wilfully lie about their involvement and role in the observance, or is that all okay because they are lying for Jesus?
#7 by KD at 9:18am on April 15th, 2010
They aren’t tryting to hijack the day of prayer. They aren’t trying to push Christianity on others. They just want to put it out there for others to make their own decisions. If it weren’t for Christian people America wouldn’t be what it is today. Would the Day of Prayer still be held if the Dobsons didn’t promote it? Yes Jesus said to pray in private, but there were still times when all the people got together and prayed.
#8 by KD at 9:24am on April 15th, 2010
I guess my statement about America today being the result of Christians is two-sided. If we hadn’t sat back and let Madeline Murray O’Hare have her way, we could still have prayer and the pledge of alliegance in school. Our founding fathers didn’t want a government supported Church as the early colonists had. That is what Jefferson meant by the separation of Church and State. He and the other founding fathers would be ashamed of how far our leaders have taken it. They were Christian men.
#9 by Susan at 9:51am on April 15th, 2010
@KD: There is still prayer in schools. There is no longer FORCED prayer in schools.
I guess you could call Jefferson a Christian if you would call someone who denied the divinity of Christ a Christian.
#10 by Rational Dreamer at 11:24am on April 15th, 2010
Nonsense. There is no reason for the Dobsons to call their web site the “official site,” (implying that it’s the official site of the NDP) or to call Franklin Graham the Honorary Chairman of the NDP, (not the Task Force), or to present state governments with “official” themes and “official” Bible verses to be included in state NDP proclamations, which they have done in years past. And whenever I heard Shirley Dobson on the Focus on the Family show to promote her work, it was always as the Chairwoman of the NDP, not the NDP Task Force.
And they are not putting it out there for people to make their own decisions. The site is very clearly only meant for conservative Christians who adhere to the same “Biblical worldview” as the Dobsons — and they will tell you as such, if you dig deep enough into their site.