Today is the U.S. Government-endorsed National Day Of Prayer. Its intention is was to set aside a day for all Americans, regardless of their beliefs, to pray in their own way — hopefully for something positive like a Nintendo Wii because most major higher-beings are all for some fat, gaming action. Hey, it’s America. I have the right to pray the way I want.

This special day started as an act of the Continental Congress is 1775, which President Thomas Jefferson argued was wrong. He believed that while religious organizations should have the right to decree a day of prayer, our government should not. President Truman made the day law in 1952 and in 1988 (the year that Will To Power had a #1 hit with “Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley”) President Ronald Reagan signed into law that the National Day Of Prayer would be on the first Thursday in May.

In 1972 the National Day Of Prayer Committee was formed and they in turn created the National Day Of Prayer Task Force to handle all the day’s events. Hey! Guess where the National Day Of Prayer Task Force is headquartered? That’s right! Within the Focus On The Family facilities. Ooo! Guess who is the current head of the task force? No, but close. It’s Shirley Dobson, wife of Fecal On The Family founder, James Dobson. Somewhere along the way the task force decided that only those that believe in Christ should “officially” partake in the joyous, Congress-enacted, religious event. From their website:

The National Day of Prayer Task Force was a creation of the National Prayer Committee for the expressed purpose of organizing and promoting prayer observances conforming to a Judeo-Christian system of values.

So much for the great American melting pot, I guess.

People with other theological and philosophical views are, of course, free to organize and participate in activities that are consistent with their own beliefs.

Well, that is mighty White of you, neighbor.

Please correct me if I’m misremembering my American history lesions lessons, but I’m pretty sure our forefathers were trying to escape this kind of religious bigotry when we fought to go from a monarchy to a republic. As much as our government tauts our actions across the world, America is not a democracy. In fact, I’d go so far as to say we are probably a plutocracy — which unlike Pluto should be downgraded. Ironic that America seems to be as elitist as Britain’s ruling class was in the 1700’s.

Here now is the year 2007 and the National Day Of Christian Prayer happens to fall on my birthday. Well, my birthday wish and prayer is… oops, let me make sure I can pray today…

Let’s see I grew up Mormon. Checking the Articles Of Faith… Yes! Article #1 states:

We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

Dear Heavenly Father, please help our government to see that the National Day Of Prayer falls into all kinds of icky State vs. Church grayness and have them strike it from the law books. That way everyone can have a day of prayer and groups like the National Day Of Prayer Task Force won’t have to have an “Official Policy Statement on Participation of ‘Non-Judeo-Christian’ groups in the National Day of Prayer”. We can all pray to whomever we like and so keep within the spirit of Amendment One of The Bill Of Rights.

And I also pray that when you send your chosen son back to Earth for the third time (yes! third time. Read The Book Of Mormon! Gaaa!) bathed in holy light with a chorus of golden trumpets and singing angels that he gathers up all the people claiming they are Christians but not practicing his — Christ’s — teachings, looks them over in all his perfect glory, gives them all his knowing smile, showers them with love and understanding and says unto them, “You guys are dicks.” And then goes to do other good.

Now about that Wii…