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The Lowell (Mass.) Sun, April 23, 2010

This year’s National Day of Prayer will be recognized on May 6 by the U.S. government, despite a federal judge’s ruling that it violates the constitutional ban on government-backed religion.

We were pleased to learn the U.S. Justice Department has appealed the decision issued by U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb of Wisconsin. The ruling should be vigorously challenged.

According to Crabb’s decision, the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional because it calls upon U.S. citizens to participate in religious activity. Not surprisingly, the suit was initiated by a group of atheists and agnostics who argued it violates the separation of church and state.

How so?

The National Day of Prayer doesn’t require U.S. citizens to pray to any particular deity or in accordance with any particular religion. In fact, it doesn’t require them to pray at all. It merely encourages people to spend time in either prayer or contemplative silence.

Heaven forbid, we actually spend some time in meditation, reflecting on our lives and our world. We wouldn’t want to make thoughtful decisions or enjoy a modicum of peace, now would we?

Interestingly, federal courts have in recent years upheld the constitutionality of both the pledge of allegiance and the engraving of ā€œIn God We Trustā€ on U.S. currency. Many legal observers expected the National Day of Prayer also to survive the initial court challenge.

Crabb, however, had a different opinion of the more than 50-year custom.

ā€œIt goes beyond mere acknowledgment of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context,ā€ she wrote. ā€œIn this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience.ā€

We believe Crabb issued a flawed ruling because the National Day of Prayer, despite its official name, encourages either prayer or meditation, and requires neither. It promotes no particular form of religious observance.

The Obama administration made a prudent move in appealing the judge’s decision. We look forward to Crabb’s specious edict being overruled in the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Republican of Springfield, Mass., April 20, 2010

Hours after Barack Obama was elected the first African-American president on Nov. 4, 2008 _ while much of the nation was still wrapped in a sense of euphoria that one of the last racial barriers had been broken _ hate reared its ugly head in Springfield.

The Macedonia Church of God in Christ, a predominantly black church being built on Tinkham Road in Sixteen Acres, was destroyed in an arson fire. The church was nearly 75 percent complete when the fire was set.

Michael F. Jacques, 25, Benjamin F. Haskell, 23, and Thomas A. Gleason Jr., 22, all of Springfield, are charged in the case. Witnesses told the FBI the defendants said they set the fire in response to Obama’s election.

The blaze dealt a devastating blow to members of the church and stirred feelings of anger and shame in the community at-large.

But in the wake of the fire, goodness also emerged as clergy, government leaders and ordinary citizens stepped forward to show support for church members.

ā€œI think it’s a testimony to the community, the outpouring of sympathy, the outpouring of caring and concern shared with the Macedonia community,ā€ Bishop Bryant J. Robinson Jr., the church’s pastor, said at the time. ā€œWe have been delayed, but not denied. We will build that complex.ā€

The road to rebuilding the church has not been easy, however. Until recently it appeared as if the church would not secure a bank loan to proceed with its plans.

But on Sunday, Gov. Deval L. Patrick, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and bank officials, who worked behind the scenes to secure financing, gathered at the site of the fire to announce that the church had received a $1.8 million loan from TD Bank to move forward with the project. Volunteers from around the country are coming to help in the construction, which is slated to begin this month.

Patrick, who made history in 2006 when he became the state’s first African-American governor, said the rebuilding of the church signals a triumph of love over hate. ā€œWe could not let this lot stand empty as a symbol of hate and racism,ā€ he said.

May that prayer be answered. We look forward to the triumphant completion of the Macedonia Church of God in Christ.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

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