[Mel W.]

My guess is this: America is considered by many a religious nation. For example, I often see or hear broadcasts devoted to talking about how the nation was formed on Christian ideals and beliefs (which, by the way, is baloney, because it’s not. Look at the political literature of the European Enlightment and compare it to the actions and philosophies of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, the various Adams, etc. Christianity had nothing to do with it.)

Every president has claimed a religious affiliation (always Christian) or participated in some sort of religious activity publicly, I guess to perpetuate this idea and as a symbol of the value system this country was supposedly built on.

Then again, the President might be trying to gain the political support of Protestants (who are supposed to make up 93 percent of this country) for the rest of his term. He lost a lot of “right-wing Christian” support over the entire impeachment thing.

So either way, politically, it’s evidently OK. But yes, it is a major violation of the separation of church and state idea (which, sorry to say, is another bit of baloney; look up the Supreme Court decisions on Humanism and Eastern meditation in public schools.) That would make it ethically wrong if the premise of a separated church and state was correct, but no more wrong than George W. Bush, the governor of Texas, announcing during an interview that he is a Christian. The main point, I think, is that the prayer breakfast is more an aspect of the President’s personal life, and his public figure status allows the line between his private and professional affairs and events to blur a great deal. If the president wants to participate in a prayer breakfast, it breaks no laws and violates nothing, because the president’s prayer is a religious practice, and religion generally is considered an aspect of someone’s private life. We can’t force the president to stop praying or the governor to become an atheist simply because they are public officials – that violates the freedom of religion clause in the Bill of Rights, which this nation has adhered to very well, I think.

User Detail :  

Name : Mel W., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 18, City : Denver, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

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