National Prayer Day — or was it?

The Rededicate 250 National Prayer Day on Sunday, May 17, should have been a broadly unifying celebration, focusing on time-honored prayers and American values. Traditionally prayers focus on recognizing a higher power, obligations to our neighbors, justice, mercy. American values designed by our Founding Fathers include freedom, peace, justice, voting rights, diversity and protecting our beautiful, blessed land.

Sadly, these values are sorely lacking in the present administration and they were not the focus of the recent National Prayer Day. News reports of the event did not reflect efforts to provide justice, promote peace, help the vulnerable, or protect our environment. While the event had potential to celebrate American spirit in all its diversity, it reflected a narrow and unconstitutional view rejecting separation of church and state, while glorifying the present administration’s opposing values. Of the 15 total faith leaders scheduled to participate, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, an Orthodox Jewish leader, was the sole non-Christian representative.

What could have been a broadly unifying celebration has been politically hijacked, resulting in an event that ignored the very real problems this country is facing and encourages a fusion of government and Christian nationalism. A May 14 Pew Research poll found that 52 % of U.S. adults think “conservative Christians have gone too far in trying to push their religious values in the government. Even many of Trump’s supporters on the Christian right found the AI-generated image he posted last month on social media, depicting him as a Christ figure, or Hegseth’s declaring the US-Israeli war on Iran as a “Christian-crusade” as neither moral nor American.

In a patriotic rush to celebrate our country’s 250th birthday, we need to consider carefully what message is being given when future events are planned, especially if promoted by an administration with a mixed message agenda.

Joan Davis

Huntley