Today, organizations advocating the intrusion of the federal government are furious at the decision by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. They are outraged that Judge Crabb interpreted the Constitution literally, instead of twisting its meaning to suit their agenda.

The issues involved are quite clear. The very first phrase of the very first amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”. Yet, President Obama has declared May 7 to be the government’s official National Day of Prayer, and has done so under the order of a law passed by Congress.

“The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”

Public Law 100-307 is a law, made by Congress, respecting an establishment of religion. That’s clearly forbidden by the Constitution. The National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, and therefore illegal.

The National Day of Prayer is also disrespectful to the large and growing number of Americans who are not religious, and therefore choose as a matter of conscience to avoid the practice of prayer. The official presidential declaration of the National Day of Prayer asserts that prayer is a source of national unity, when in fact, government-pushed prayers are divisive.

Furthermore, National Day of Prayer isn’t even inclusive of all religious Americans. It’s an event that advocates for participation in God-centered religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It’s not a National Day of Meditation, and the President’s declaration uses the language of theistic religion:

“I call upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.”

Tea Party activists claim to be against big government intrusion into our private lives. If that’s the truth, and not just a convenient pose used to promote laws that protect corporate interests, we should now expect the hear Tea Party activists applauding the decision by Judge Crabb rejecting big government attempts to intrude into private decisions about religion. The National Day of Prayer puts religious decisions into the hands of government bureaucrats, after all.