{"id":980,"date":"2008-10-06T16:52:52","date_gmt":"2008-10-06T16:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/2008\/10\/atheists-file-suit-over-nation.php"},"modified":"2008-10-06T16:52:52","modified_gmt":"2008-10-06T16:52:52","slug":"atheists-file-suit-over-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2008\/10\/atheists-file-suit-over-nation","title":{"rendered":"Atheists File Suit Over National Day of Prayer"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (RNS) A Wisconsin-based group of atheists and agnostics has filed suit against President Bush over the federal law designating a National Day of Prayer.
\nThe Freedom From Religion Foundation, which urges a strict separation of church and state, also names White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and National Day of Prayer Task Force Chairwoman Shirley Dobson in the lawsuit filed Friday (Oct. 3).
\n“The point is to stop the National Day of Prayer,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation, in an interview Monday.
\nThe law, created in 1952 by Congress and signed by President Harry Truman, establishes an annual prayer day. In 1988, President Reagan amended the law, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of May.
\n“Designations of an official Day of Prayer by presidential and gubernatorial proclamations…create a hostile environment for nonbelievers,” the complaint says.
\nThe Freedom From Religion Foundation maintains the law violates the First Amendment’s prohibition against an official establishment of religion.
\n“We hope to buttress the wall of separation of church and state,” Gaylor said.
\nLast year, the Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by the same group that criticized Bush’s faith-based initiative.
\nThe recent suit charges that the National Day of Prayer Task Force has ties to James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, a nonprofit evangelical organization. Shirley Dobson is James Dobson’s wife. The task force also rents office space in the Focus on the Family headquarters.
\n”
\nPresidents throughout our history have called for a national day of prayer,” said the task force’s vice chairman, Brian Toon. “This is an act of Congress.”
\n“They can sue if they want to, but they’re going to go against some pretty heavy people in our nation,” Toon said.
\nThe foundation, which is based in Madison, Wis., is also suing Doyle as one of 50 governors to issue a proclamation for the prayer day. The White House had no immediate comment.
\nBy Brittney Bain
\nCopyright 2008 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (RNS) A Wisconsin-based group of atheists and agnostics has filed suit against President Bush over the federal law designating a National Day of Prayer. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which urges a strict separation of church and state, also names White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and National Day of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAtheists File Suit Over National Day of Prayer<\/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\/news\/2008\/10\/atheists-file-suit-over-nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Atheists File Suit Over National Day of Prayer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WASHINGTON (RNS) A Wisconsin-based group of atheists and agnostics has filed suit against President Bush over the federal law designating a National Day of Prayer. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which urges a strict separation of church and state, also names White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, Wisconsin Gov. 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