Where Will the Religious Litmus Test Stop?
The Religious Right changed what was originally called the National Day of Prayer AND MEDITATION." Chairperson Shirley Dobson, wife of James Dobson of Focus on the Family, is at the helm of the May 1 event. By distorting a spiritual moment, the Religious Right deliberately introduced a "litmus test" by limiting participation to fundamentalist Christian evangelicals. The "National Day of Prayer Task Force" camouflaged their website to appear as the "National Day of Prayer Official Website," suggesting full government approval.
Google "National Day of Prayer" and you’ll find that you are instantly directed to Dobson’s National Day of Prayer Task Force, a site blatant in its intent.
"A simple application with contact data and statement of faith, confirming your commitment to Christ is all that's needed to get you on the way to becoming a NDP Task Force volunteer coordinator," states the website.
Still not sure if you qualify? An affirmative answer to the following will put you firmly on the right path;
"I believe that the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of The Living God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only One by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God," that is as long as you promise, that activities you help lead "will be conducted solely by Christians while those with differing beliefs are welcome to attend." That’s inclusion for you.
Because the National Day of Prayer site contains the proclamations of all 50 governors, it is only logical for the casual reader to assume their approval with Shirley Dobson. Quite simply, she and her backers, are manipulating the governors in their quiet march toward their brand of Fundamentalist Christianity.
Haim Beliak and Jane Hunter of www.JewsOnFirst are fighting back. At a dedicated site, they explain simply and clearly how to contact your governor, asking for a statement distancing his or her office from the Dobsons. Calling for an Inclusive Day of Prayer at, www.inclusiveprayerday.org,(for atheists and agnostics as well),the site contains the tools necessary to educate and streamline a citizen movement against this progressive weakening of religious freedom. They have been joined by The Interfaith Alliance, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and several other groups, each concerned with the hijacking of what began as a day for all Americans but is now excluding and dividing us on religious lines.
Adelle Banks of Religious News Network writes, "While the task force is a private group, it nonetheless gets an unofficial government seal of approval with an annual proclamation by President Bush and prayer ceremonies held at the White House and on Capitol Hill." http://www.ndptf.org/...
The National Day of Prayer Task Force does more than dip its sanctimonious toes into our political system through its none too subtle video, Pray for Election 2008: http://www.ndptf.org/... The video accelerates fear while positing that "Red" represents all that’s good: freedom, integrity, faith, family and values. Vote Red and all will be "Right" in the world. Hmmm, where does that leave Blue?
Most dangerous of all is this latest encouragement to divide and discriminate. The "National Day of Prayer Task Force" excludes Jews, Muslims, Catholics and even mainline Christians from participation in the events it coordinates around the country. Many of those events are staged in government venues with elected officials, in a deliberate affront to the separation of church and state." Without watchdogs like Beliak and Hunter, without responding powerfully and rapidly to their site www.inclusiveprayerday.org, we can only sit back and watch the sad, slow death of our liberty.