On May 7, Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to the National Day of Prayer:
“Americans don’t need a National Day of Prayer; we need a national commitment to the separation of church and state, which protects our freedom to pray — or not — as we choose. Our Constitution’s promise of church-state separation means the government should never tell us when, how, and whether to pray.
“The National Day of Prayer is, and always has been, an un-American example of Christian Nationalism — of government officials trying to impose religion on the people. The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 at the behest of Christian evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham. The National Day of Prayer Task Force’s mission is ‘to mobilize Christians to intercede for America,’ which the task force wrongly claims was ‘birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.’
“During both terms in office President Trump has held annual National Day of Prayer services at the White House featuring predominantly Christian clergy and Christian Nationalist policy announcements. At last year’s NDP prayer service, Trump questioned the validity of church-state separation — a pillar of American democracy.
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4 — and President Trump’s Christian Nationalist ‘jubilee’ on May 17 — I urge everyone to celebrate the fundamentally American invention of church-state separation, which promises everyone the freedom to live as themselves and believe as they choose, as long as they don’t harm others. Church-state separation is what enables us to come together as equals and build a stronger democracy.”