We can pray with the president or not

Presidents have been inviting Americans to pray for their country since George Washington took office. Thomas Jefferson was an exception, opposing any declaration of a National Day of Prayer because he believed prayer is a “religious exercise” government should not support.

Congress voted in 1952 to require the president to select a day for national prayer each year. In 1988, Congress fixed the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May. But last month, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, saying it amounts to a call for religious action.

While it's ultimately up to the Supreme Court to determine whether the law violates the Constitution, we don't see that a presidential proclamation pressures anyone to practice religion of any kind.

The Constitution calls for “no law respecting an establishment of religion” by the government. That clause protects everyone's right to practice - or not practice - a particular religion without government intervention.

But is all prayer a form of religion?

We think not.

Various dictionaries define religion as the worship of God or the supernatural, via a set of institutionalized or formal beliefs and practices. Prayer is not necessarily tied to formal worship, although it generally alludes to a higher power.

Then there's the tradition factor. Americans have long been known as a praying people, whether at home, in church or in public. A USA Today/Gallup conducted just ahead of today's National Day of Prayer found that 92 percent of Americans believe in a God and 83 percent believe that he answers prayers. At the same time, 57 percent of American adults surveyed favor a National Day of Prayer required by law; only 4.5 percent oppose it.

As a nation, we honor and respect tradition in many ways, including federally observed holidays, some with religious roots, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving.

We respect those Americans who do not subscribe to religion or prayer. But we do not see how their freedoms are curbed or threatened by a president's proclamation encouraging prayer for the nation. No mandate is involved. They're free to ignore it. To disagree with it. As they should be able to in a society that protects free speech.

If the National Day of Prayer law is eventually declared unconstitutional, which we think is unlikely, we expect and hope the presidential proclamation and local observances will continue. Americans cherish their freedoms, including the freedom to pray, to practice a religion of their choice as no one else is forced to do the same. Tolerance of others' beliefs, or non-belief, accompanies that freedom.

-- The Gazette Editorial Board