So, the evangelical Christians want to engage in a spectacle of public prayer? Hmmm...

Matthew 6:5 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."

It is better to have a Church to worship than to have the State as the deity. What's the matter no Mosque near the White House?

Having "National Day of Prayer" approved and motivated by the government; IS NOT FREAKIN' DEMOCRATIC WAY. This kind of 'national days" could come only from some Islamic country or Israel. We are acting here like all people pray in church or to Jesus. I can't beleive I hear this in America that has all kinds of people, races and religions. AND WE ARE THE ONES WHO SUPPOSE TO PUSH FOR DEMOCARCY TO OTHER COUNTRIES. YUCK!!!!!

Breaking from clueless George Bush is the best thing that President Obama can do. Bush said he was a born-again Christian, what did he do? He said that god told him to start a war with Iraq, and murder, torture, orphan, and exile hundreds of thousands of people for reasons completely based on lies.

Good work President Obama! The fact that George Bush performed an act that he called prayer doesn't mean that what he was doing in that act had anything to with truth or God or anything sacred. His actions spoke much louder than his piddling attempt at sanctity. He is responsible for untold death and suffering. He lied this country into a war. He will go down as one of the people that most directly personifies evil throughout the history of this world. All of his false praying will not change that.

Good for President Obama. Religions differ as to the wording of prayers; differences have occasioned vigorous disagreements. A war began over the number of fingers with which one crosses oneself. Far better is prayer BEFORE you meet a high government official.

It's about time! The involvement of the radical Evangelical Christians in government has been a complete and total disaster for America. The Republeban extremists should retreat to their tribal homelands, otherwise known as the Red States and leave the modern world alone! Let us pray.

do my taxpayer dollars pay for ANY of this?

madison and jefferson were even against having congressional chaplains and beginning each session with a prayer.

from madison's "detached memoranda":

"Is the appointment of Chaplains to the two Houses of Congress consistent with the Constitution, and with the pure principle of religious freedom? In strictness the answer on both points must be in the negative. The Constitution of the U. S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion. The law appointing Chaplains establishes a religious worship for the national representatives, to be performed by Ministers of religion, elected by a majority of them; and these are to be paid out of the national taxes. Does not this involve the principle of a national establishment, applicable to a provision for a religious worship for the Constituent as well as of the representative Body, approved by the majority, and conducted by Ministers of religion paid by the entire nation.

“The establishment of the Chaplainship to Congress is a PALPABLE VIOLATION OF EQUAL RIGHTS, as well as of Constitutional principles: The tenets of the chaplains elected [by the majority] shut the door of worship against the members whose creeds & consciences forbid a participation in that of the majority. To say nothing of other sects, this is the case with that of Roman Catholics & Quakers who have always had members in one or both of the Legislative branches. Could a Catholic clergyman ever hope to be appointed a Chaplain? To say that his religious principles are obnoxious or that his sect is small, is to lift the evil at once and exhibit in its naked deformity the doctrine that religious truth is to be tested by numbers, or that the major sects have a right to govern the minor.

“Better also to disarm in the same way, the precedent of Chaplainships for the army and navy, than erect them into a political authority in matters of religion. The object of this establishment is seducing; the motive to it is laudable. But is it not safer to adhere to a right principle, and trust to its consequences, than confide in the reasoning however specious in favor of a wrong one."

now THAT'S a wall of separation!

WHY SHOULD THEY? PRAYER IS A EVERY DAY EVENT FOR ALL NO MATTER WHAT YOUR BELIEF. DOES JUST A FEW RELIGIONS WANT SOME WHITE HOUSE P.R.?

Poor evangelicals. However will they recover from the snub? Oh the humanity. Or the religiousity, or something.

Why exactly do we need a National Day of Prayer anyway? We don't have a National Day of Baptism, or a National Day of Self-Flagellation, a National Day of Tarot Reading, or a National Day of Generic Religious Practice.
Those whose spiritual path includes the practice of prayer are free to do so any time they wish, directed to any deity they wish, and in any fashion they wish. It doesn't require a presidential proclamation.

What!! Prayer breakfast!! How about removing the break and make it a fast with prayer?

After all, a whole lot of the people involve in this lunches and breakfast could use some healthy fasting. Don't have to be a religious fasting, just for health reasons.

As much as we need to pray, the Lord Jesus and his Apostles practiced fasting as a Spiritual exercise, (Mk 2:20). Of course a show off is not to be made about it, (Mt. 6:18).

But since anyway they make a show about prayer. With complete disregard of the instructions of Jesus, about the best prayer being the one done in private (Mt.6:6).

The Lord Jesus prayers were done mostly in private. They were not a public spectacle or a religious show off, (Lk. 9:18). Often he withdrew to pray alone in private, (Lk. 5:16). Jesus IS our example, our Paradigm on HOW TO PRAY. Even a very old lady did a thousand times better than this people, (Lk. 2:36,37).

fr the article:

>...There will a ceremony at the Cannon the Cannon House office building led by Shirley Dobson, as well as nationwide prayer breakfasts, lunchtime events, school prayer meetings ...

Frankly, I just wish both of the dobsons would go AWAY and "focus" on their OWN family, for once. We've had enough of them sticking their noses in where they do NOT belong. Yeah, let shirley have her own little "ceremony", privately, but they need to realize that the world does NOT revolve around them and their horrible, lie-filled anti-gay lies.

why the h-e-double-toothpicks do we even have a "national day of prayer"? MANDATED by congress no less... jefferson and madison are rolling over in their graves.