{"id":1075,"date":"2011-09-07T15:53:46","date_gmt":"2011-09-07T19:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=1075"},"modified":"2011-09-07T15:53:46","modified_gmt":"2011-09-07T19:53:46","slug":"jay-sekulow-nearly-40000-urge-bloomberg-to-ok-911-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/09\/jay-sekulow-nearly-40000-urge-bloomberg-to-ok-911-prayer.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow: Nearly 40,000 Urge Bloomberg to OK 9\/11 Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Prayer is powerful. Americans have traditionally turned to God in times of crisis and this was no more true than on 9\/11. As we are just days away from the 10th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th, the American people are taking a stand \u2013 sending a powerful message to Mayor Bloomberg<\/a> that prayer should be included in the memorial service at Ground Zero.<\/p>\n

We are approaching 40,000 Americans who have signed on to our letter urging New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to reverse his decision banning prayer and religious leaders from participating in the 10th anniversary remembrance at Ground Zero.<\/p>\n

The decision by the Mayor to prohibit prayer at this most solemn occasion is offensive to millions of Americans and inconsistent with the nation’s long and cherished history of prayer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not only is prayer appropriate for this ceremony, it is indeed necessary to adequately commemorate the tragic events of a decade ago. For many, 9\/11 is not a distant memory. It’s still very real. Many face day-to-day struggles to cope with the loss of loved ones. Prayer brings many comfort and solace.<\/p>\n

As I recently explained on the Sean Hannity radio program<\/a>, the inclusion of prayer does not cause a constitutional crisis. Time and time again, the Supreme Court has recognized the importance of religion in our nation\u2019s history and the appropriateness of prayer and other religious references in public. Together, we are calling on Mayor Bloomberg to reverse his decision and permit prayer and religious leaders to be a part of this sacred day.<\/p>\n

Our letter<\/a> informs Mayor Bloomberg that the inclusion of prayer at this memorial service \u2013 or any public memorial service \u2013 is consistent with Supreme Court precedent. Justice Sandra Day O\u2019Connor summed up the appropriateness of prayer and invocation of divine assistance in remembering such an occasion as 9\/11:<\/p>\n

“For centuries, we have marked important occasions or pronouncements with references to God and invocations of divine assistance. Such references can serve to solemnize an occasion instead of to invoke divine provenance. The reasonable observer . . . fully aware of our national history and the origins of such practices, would not perceive these acknowledgments as signifying a government endorsement of any specific religion, or even of religion over non-religion.”<\/p>\n

Further, the Supreme Court has recognized that the Establishment Clause does not require all religion to be purged from the public sphere. In fact, “[a] relentless and all-pervasive attempt to exclude religion from every aspect of public life could itself become inconsistent with the Constitution.”<\/p>\n

You can read the entire letter to Mayor Bloomberg here<\/a>, and it\u2019s not too late to add your name here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Get the latest on this issue and others by visiting Jay Sekulow<\/a>\u00a0on our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prayer is powerful. Americans have traditionally turned to God in times of crisis and this was no more true than on 9\/11. As we are just days away from the 10th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th, the American people are taking a stand \u2013 sending a powerful message to Mayor Bloomberg…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,5,3,40],"tags":[316,752,743,791,329,221,748,328,327,765],"class_list":["post-1075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-11","category-aclj","category-faith","category-ground-zero","tag-10th-anniversary-9-11","tag-9-11","tag-aclj","tag-jay-sekulow","tag-justice-oconnor","tag-mayor-bloomberg","tag-prayer","tag-religious-leaders","tag-supreme-court-precedent","tag-u-s-constitution"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Sekulow: Nearly 40,000 Urge Bloomberg to OK 9\/11 Prayer - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/09\/jay-sekulow-nearly-40000-urge-bloomberg-to-ok-911-prayer.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jay Sekulow: Nearly 40,000 Urge Bloomberg to OK 9\/11 Prayer - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Prayer is powerful. Americans have traditionally turned to God in times of crisis and this was no more true than on 9\/11. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1075"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1082,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1075\/revisions\/1082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}