By Emily Younker
Globe Staff Writer
JOPLIN, Mo. —
They prayed for government leaders, educators and families. They prayed for churches and businesses. They belted out “God Bless America.”
Groups gathered Thursday at the Dr. Donald E. Clark Public Safety and Justice Center in Joplin and at the Praying Hands Monument in Webb City to celebrate the National Day of Prayer by praying for their cities and country.
Abby Baker, of Joplin, said she felt compelled to attend.
“We’re so blessed that we live in a country where we can pray,” she said. “I think it’s something we should take advantage of.”
Baker said she thinks the National Day of Prayer demonstrates the power of those who pray.
“The fact that we’re out here, showing that we really care about our city and country,” she said. “A lot of people just complain, but I think prayer is a much better way of dealing with things.”
Chris Carnes, of Joplin, said he thinks the National Day of Prayer is more significant than its name implies.
“More than just prayer, I think it recognizes our heritage, our creator and (that) there’s someone great in charge,” he said.
Unconstitutional
The National Day of Prayer came a month after a federal judge in Wisconsin declared that the day is unconstitutional because it amounts to a call for religious action.
“It is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual’s decision whether and when to pray,” U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote.
Crabb wrote that her ruling was not a judgment on the value of prayer. She noted that government involvement in prayer may be constitutional if the conduct serves a “significant secular purpose” and doesn’t amount to a call for religious action. But the National Day of Prayer crosses that line, she wrote.
“It goes beyond mere ‘acknowledgment’ of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context,” Crabb wrote. “In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience.”
The ruling does not bar any prayer days until all appeals are exhausted, Crabb said.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison, Wis.-based group of atheists and agnostics, filed a lawsuit against the federal government in 2008, arguing that the day violated the separation of church and state.
President Barack Obama’s administration has countered that the statute simply acknowledges the role of religion in the United States. The Justice Department has said it will challenge the decision.
Government participation
The ruling did not prohibit government officials, such as Joplin Councilwoman Melodee Colbert-Kean, from taking part in National Day of Prayer events, according to an interpretation from the Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based group of lawyers.
“Public officials should be able to participate in public prayer activities just as America’s founders did, and a recent federal judge’s ruling does not prevent America’s cities from lawfully observing the National Day of Prayer,” ADF senior legal counsel Mike Johnson said in a statement.
Colbert-Kean, who serves as mayor pro tem, said she felt “blessed” to be part of a day that means so much to her. She offered a prayer on behalf of the city, asking for guidance for elected officials, and later called the National Day of Prayer a “beautiful” event.
“We set aside days for other things (that are) equally important, but prayer — it leaves me speechless,” she said. “We can’t do without it.”
Colbert-Kean didn’t say whether she agrees or disagrees with Crabb’s ruling, only that she supports the judge’s “right to what she feels.”
She said conflict over events such as the National Day of Prayer is rooted in daily practices that blur the line between church and state, such as the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at government functions and the swearing in of government officials with the Bible. She said that for some people, including herself, separation of church and state isn’t easy.
“There’s no separation to me,” she said. “You can’t take God out of what supposedly our forefathers founded us on.”
Colbert-Kean said it’s a balance “of sorts” to be a government official and a member of the religious community, though she knows where to draw the line when she’s performing her city duties.
“What you feel in your heart, that’s going to be with you no matter what,” she said. “When I’m at government functions or during a moment of silence, I’m praying. I’m not going to beat people over the head with those views because everyone has the freedom to believe or not believe.”
Disagreement
Gary Balfour, pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Webb City, said he sees no problem with the country designating one day each year for prayer.
“(Freedom of religion) has been a pretty strong tradition from the days of the Revolutionary War,” he said. “I see nothing untoward about a governor or president issuing a call to prayer.”
He also said he thinks it’s OK for city officials to get involved.
“They (participate) voluntarily,” he said. “It is a personal matter of choice with them, and it’s a matter of them expressing their own personal convictions.”
Balfour said that even if the National Day of Prayer eventually is barred by the court system, a prayer day celebrated nationwide would still be a possibility.
“All of the organization and promotion is privately done anyway,” he said. “We could still have a national day of prayer without any government influence at all.”
Carnes, the Joplin man who attended Thursday’s observance, said he disagrees with the federal judge’s ruling.
“I believe the separation of church and state means no forcing of religion,” he said. “National Day of Prayer doesn’t force a religion on people. It’s a recognition of the fact that people do celebrate religion.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Day of Prayer
Congress established the National Day of Prayer in 1952. In 1988, it set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray.
