As expected, President Obama has issued the proclamation declaring Thursday, May 6 a National Day of Prayer, despite a recent court ruling that the underlying law violates the separation of church and state. The President's statement emphasizes prayer as a way for many to express fundamental American freedoms:
We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences. Prayer has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation.
In addition to proceeding with the proclamation, the White House is appealing the decision that the prayer day legislation is unconstitutional.
