Matthew Chapter 6, New Testament
6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Sorry for the 'comment diary', I just really had to do this after reading Dobson's National Day of Prayer nonsense.
Matthew Chapter 6, New Testament, King James Version
6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Does that say what I think it says? Let's try a different translation...
Matthew Chapter 6, New Testament, New International Translation
6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."
6:6 "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Hey, it really does say that, doesn't it? No, no, it must be a mistake. Let's try one more translation...
Matthew Chapter 6, New Testament, World English Version
6:5 "When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most assuredly, I tell you, they have received their reward."
6:6 "But you, when you pray, enter into your inner chamber, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
Explain yourself, James Dobson.
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UPDATE: Some commenters have suggested that this Bible verse is not condemning public prayer in general, but rather is condemning public prayer for the sake of arrogant self-aggrandizement. Whether you agree with that interpretation or not, it still holds true for James Dobson here. Who is he to tell Obama (or the nation for that matter) if, when, and how they pray?