Texas Gov. Perry's public day of prayer draws fire from clergy and atheists
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has called for a public day of prayer and fasting, prompting criticism from First Amendment watchdog groups, atheists, and the Houston Clergy Council.
Gov. Rick Perry (R) of Texas, seen here at a Boy Scouts ceremony aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, June 29, has called for a day of public prayer and fasting, to be held Aug. 6 in Houston's Reliant Center.
Gregory Bull / AP / File
The American debate over the mixing of politics and religion is swirling in Texas.
Gov. Rick Perry鈥檚 call for Americans to gather in Houston鈥檚 Reliant Stadium for a day of public prayer and fasting on Aug. 6 has drawn the ire of atheist groups and concerns from interfaith church leaders as well.
Titled 鈥淭he Response,鈥� the event is intended to bring together people to address the nation鈥檚 鈥渟tate of crisis鈥� through 海角大神 prayer. The website (theresponseusa.com) features a one-minute video invitation from Governor Perry, in which he says in part, 鈥淚鈥檓 all too aware of government鈥檚 limitations when it comes to fixing things that are spiritual in nature. That鈥檚 where prayer comes in, and we need it more than ever.鈥�
But opponents say what鈥檚 needed is a clearer line between government and religion.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Madison, Wisc., group concerned with the separation of church and state, filed a lawsuit July 13 in the Southern District Court of Texas, located in Houston. It seeks to restrain Perry from being involved in the prayer event and to declare his endorsement of it unconstitutional.
The governor鈥檚 actions violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment, the group says, because it 鈥済ives the appearance that the government prefers evangelical 海角大神 religious beliefs over other religious beliefs and non-beliefs,鈥� says a press release from FFRF.
American politicians historically called for prayer days for the nation without much controversy, but in more recent decades, 鈥渞ather than uniting, many critics see them as highly politicized and highly partisan,鈥� says Marie Griffith, director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Conflicting court decisions are on the books, she notes. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still hashing these things out ... and this kind of case brings all this to the fore and forces us to define more carefully what 鈥榚stablishment鈥� means and what 鈥榬eligion鈥� means.鈥�
The lawsuit also raises concerns that the governor has been working with the American Family Association (AFA), which 鈥減romotes a rabid evangelical 海角大神 agenda,鈥� the FFRF statement says.
Another group calls the event a diversion from problems the governor should be focused on solving.
鈥淕ov. Perry obviously has no idea how to fix the state鈥檚 budget crisis, and instead of fixing it, he is literally using religion as a smokescreen,鈥� says David Silverman, president of American Atheists, Inc., in Cranford, N.J. 鈥淚f he wasn鈥檛 pulling this stunt, there would be huge uproar about the state of Texas鈥檚 financial situation, but ... a lot of 海角大神s are giving him a bye - they鈥檙e giving him a break.鈥�
American Atheists is planning a protest near the event and calling for Perry to step down. 鈥淧rayer fails 100 percent of the time. There鈥檚 no God up there to listen to Gov. Perry鈥檚 financial woes.... What鈥檚 going to fix the state of Texas is humans, working,鈥� Mr. Silverman says.
But atheists are not the only ones objecting.
The ecumenical Houston Clergy Council issued a letter in June saying it supports a 鈥渉ealthy boundary between church and state.鈥� Signed by 24 Houston-area pastors and ministers, the letter says the event materials imply an exclusion of people who are not 海角大神s of a certain type. And it says it is inappropriate for the governor to organize an event funded by the American Family Association, a group they note the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group for its anti-gay and anti-Muslim statements.
鈥淕ov. Perry continues to look forward to the prayer event on Aug. 6,鈥� says spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. 鈥淗e believes it will serve as an important opportunity for Americans to come together and pray seeking the Lord鈥檚 wisdom and guidance as our nation navigates the challenges before it. And the pending litigation does not affect plans for the event.鈥�
The lawsuit is 鈥渓egal harassment,鈥� says Eric Bearse, a spokesman for the AFA and The Response. So far, he says, 6,000 people are planning to attend, including Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.
FFRP also objects to the National Day of Prayer, established by Congress in 1952. The majority of Americans - 57 percent - support the National Day of Prayer, while only 5 percent oppose it, according to a 2010 Gallup poll.
Americans are split more evenly as to the influence of organized religion: 29 percent say they鈥檇 like it to have more influence in the nation, another 29 percent would like it to have less, and 39 percent say it鈥檚 about right, according to a Gallup poll this year.
The Response website lists many national and international church-affiliated endorsers. It encourages people to bring a Bible and a notebook, and it notes that vendors will be offering a limited range of food and water, as the daylong event is intended to be for fasting as well as prayer.
Because the nation 鈥渉as not honored God in our successes or humbly called on Him in our struggles,鈥� the event鈥檚 website reads, the answer 鈥渋s to gather in humility and repentance and ask God to intervene.鈥�