Obama and the National Day of Prayer

Description: Forwarded email
Circulating since: March 2010
Status: Mostly false

Email example contributed by Jo Ann H., March 24, 2010:

FW: This is chilling

In 1952 President Truman established one day a year as a "National Day of Prayer."

In 1988, President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May of each year as the National Day of Prayer.

In June 2007, (then) Presidential candidate Barack Obama declared that the USA was no longer a Christian nation.

This year President Obama, canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the rouse of "not wanting to offend anyone"

On September 25, 2009 from 4 am until 7pm, a National Day of Prayer for the Muslim religion was held on Capitol Hill, beside the White House. There were over 50,000 Muslims that day in DC.

I guess it doesn't matter if "Christians" are offended by this event - we obviously don't count as "anyone" anymore.

The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian. Especially knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be converted they should be annihilated

This is not a rumor - Go to the website to confirm this info:
( http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/ )

Pay particular attention to the very bottom of the page: "OUR TIME HAS COME"

I hope that this information will stir your spirit.

The words of 2 Chronicles 7:1

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

We must pray for our nation, our communities, our families, and especially our children. They are the ones that are going to suffer the most if we don't PRAY!

May God have mercy... IN GOD WE TRUST.

Please pass this on, maybe someone, somehow can figure out a way to put America back on the map as it was when we were growing up, a safe place to live and by the Ten Commandments and Pledge of Allegiance, etc!

ANALYSIS: The above email contains a mixture of fact, fiction, and fearmongering. Let's consider the claims one at a time:

CLAIM: In 1952, President Truman established one day a year as a 'National Day of Prayer.'

STATUS: TRUE. A bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer was passed unanimously by Congress and Harry Truman signed it into law in April 1952. The law left it up to the President to select a date.
    _{Source:
    • History of the National Day of Prayer, ReligiousTolerance.org, 17 April 2007}

CLAIM: In 1988, President Reagan designated the first Thursday in May of each year as the National Day of Prayer.

STATUS: TRUE. President Ronald Reagan signed bipartisan legislation making the first Thursday in May the annual National Day of Prayer in May 1988.
    _{Source:
    • History of the National Day of Prayer, ReligiousTolerance.org, 17 April 2007}

CLAIM: In June 2007, (then) Presidential candidate Barack Obama declared that the U.S.A. was no longer a Christian nation.

STATUS: FALSE. This is based on a misquotation. One sentence in Barack Obama's prepared remarks for his keynote address at the "Call to Renewal" conference sponsored by Christian Sojourners on June 28, 2006 (not 2007) read as follows (emphasis added):

Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation — at least, not just; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.

CLAIM: This year President Obama canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse of 'not wanting to offend anyone.'

STATUS: PARTLY TRUE. Though Obama issued a National Day of Prayer proclamation on May 7, 2009 per tradition, he broke with a precedent established by the Bush administration by not holding a White House ceremony on the occasion. However, neither the President, his press secretary, nor any other member of the administration characterized the decision as an effort "not to offend anyone."
    _{Sources:
    • Text of Obama's National Day of Prayer Proclamation, Beliefnet.com, 7 May 2009
    • Obama Ends Bush-Era National Prayer Day Service at White House, LA Times blog, 7 May 2009
    • Obama Tones Down National Day of Prayer Observance. CNN.com, 6 May 2009}

CLAIM: On September 25, 2009 from 4 am until 7 pm, a National Day of Prayer for the Muslim religion was held on Capitol Hill.

STATUS: TRUE. It wasn't billed as a "National Day of Prayer," however, nor was it sponsored or promoted by the U.S. government. Described by its creators as a "day of Islamic unity" and featuring Muslim prayers and readings from the Qur'an, the all-day event was called "Islam on Capital Hill." It was sponsored by a Washington, DC mosque.
    _{Sources:
    • Islam on Capitol Hill. Official Website
    • Elizabeth Mosque Organizes National Prayer Gathering for Muslims in Washington, D.C. Newark Star-Ledger, 31 August 2009
    • Muslims to Pray for 'Soul of America' at U.S. Capitol Event Washington Post, 5 September 2009}

CLAIM: The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian. Especially knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be converted they should be annihilated.

STATUS: FALSE. It is not a tenet of the Islamic faith that Christians must either be converted or annihilated.
    _{Sources:
    • Christians in the Qur'an. About.com: Islam
    • Do Verses of the Qur'an Condone 'Killing the Infidel'? About.com: Islam
    • What Is Jihad? About.com: Islam}

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Last updated 04/03/10