President Donald Trump proclaimed September 3, 2017 a “National Day of Prayer” with particular reflection upon our Texas and Louisiana neighbors whose terrain was awash in the detritus deposited by Hurricane Harvey. With financial aid being bandied about on Capitol Hill, the president and First Lady Melania Trump attended St. John’s Episcopal Church on Sunday morning, devoting quiet time during National Day of Prayer.
This comes on the heels when the United States government and its military cabinet members are convening to strategize response to the latest global threat by the sixth in a series of nuclear tests from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un this morning.
At a time when our nation is experiencing major catastrophic events and all must pull together, some oppose the very notion of President Trump declaring a special day of prayer, let alone spearheading such a cause. Why? Separation of church and state is apparently on the minds of some US citizens, feeling it is inappropriate for a sitting president to invoke the notion of communal gathering in prayer.
“National Day of Prayer”
On this 3rd day of September 2017, President Trump authored and published a proclamation titled “National Day of Prayer.” In tandem with trying to wrap our national security heads around the nuclear nut in North Korea creeping closer to the edge of mass catastrophe, Mr. Trump tweeted a litany of responses regarding Kim Jong Un’s sixth nuclear detonation as well as Hurricane Harvey’s ravages:
I will be meeting General Kelly, General Mattis and other military leaders at the White House to discuss North Korea. Thank you.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
Coupled with our country’s dealing with North Korea insanity and potential military might, the waters generated by Hurricane Harvey are slowly receding while thousands of Texans await government assistance during dire circumstances, as Pres. Trump acknowledged via Twitter:
Together, we will prevail in the GREAT state of Texas. We love you!
GOD BLESS TEXAS & GOD BLESS THE USA🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/1rzmEenQIb
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017
“…faith in humanity always prevails”
Respecting freedom of religion as well as right to refrain thereof, faith in humanity always prevails…as illustrated in the tweet you just viewed above.
Separation of Church and State
Attributed to Thomas Jefferson in a January 1802 letter to church elders in Connecticut, the gist of “separation of church and state” doctrine was essentially coined in one line: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Depending on one’s views, perspectives, belief system, and personal feelings about government, attitudes may avow or disavow any intertwining of theology and government.
On the spectrum, “the [Supreme] Court has not always interpreted the constitutional principle as absolute, and the proper extent of separation between government and religion in the U.S. remains an ongoing subject of impassioned debate.” And that is what we see present day.
As President Trump dedicated September 3, 2017 a “National Day of Prayer” and pressed his open hands together in solemnity and faith-based concentration, interpretations zig-zag elsewhere.
For and against theological sentiments exist in a free society such as ours, exercised and protected under constitutional framework.
Pray for the world, for TX & LA who are under water & for USA being threatened by NK. Pray for our divided nation 🙏🏽 #NationalDayOfPrayer pic.twitter.com/And5cI9IE0
— Saltwater❤️🅿️atricia ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@TrumpGirlStrong) September 3, 2017
Conversely, some folks stand under the umbrella of another choice view:
Mr. Spock has been traveling too much and needs to rest. However I must comment on#nationaldayofprayer pic.twitter.com/rElw3wQr2X
— Mr. Spock 🖖 (Commentary) (@SpockResists) September 3, 2017
In either event, we’ve got plenty of work to do. The bogey-man flexes nuclear muscle in North Korea while those wading the wake in Texas and Louisiana await help of any kind.
