Alabama is pretty dry these days – extremely dry, actually. The state is experiencing one of its worse droughts ever.
Situations like this are very frustrating. Evil villains in science fiction movies may have machines that can control the weather, but in real life there’s not much we can do when it rains too little or too much.
But Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has an idea: He’s asked the state’s citizens to pray for rain. According to the Birmingham News, Riley issued a proclamation last week calling for an entire week of prayer. It began on Saturday.
In the proclamation, Riley urges Alabama residents to pray “individually and in their houses of worship.”
Observes the proclamation, “Throughout our history, Alabamians have turned in prayer to God to humbly ask for his blessings and to hold us steady during times of difficulty. This drought is without question a time of great difficulty.”
Unquestionably, it is a time of great difficulty in Alabama. The drought has affected many facets of life. Tourism is down because of the unrelenting heat and dropping lake levels. Farmers are worried about their crops. Residents have been warned to be extra cautious with fireworks this July 4, lest the dryness spark fires.
None of this means the governor has the right to usurp the job of the state’s religious leaders. Alabamians are known for their piety. (This is the state, after all, that elected “Ten Commandments” Judge Roy Moore to the state supreme court.) Undoubtedly, state residents are capable of looking outside, seeing that rain is needed and, if so moved, praying for it. Their religious leaders are capable of advising them to pray for it as well. There is no need for Riley to elevate himself to Alabama’s Official Pastor.
Some dismiss proclamations like this as a small deal. They are not. In fact, they do damage to our constitutional principles.
First, they spread the erroneous idea that government has an interest in the religious lives of the people. Where, when, how and if the people worship should be of no interest to state officials.
These proclamations also promote the idea that praying and being religious is the default position of our citizens. This is not the case, as polls show an increasing number of Americans are secular, agnostic, atheist or Humanist. The government is supposed to treat the religious and the non-religious equally.
Finally, proclamations like this spread the idea that the government believes some religions are better than others. Not all religions accept the concept of intercessory prayer. Others may argue that prayer alone is not enough and that others actions are needed to appease God to persuade the deity to bring rain. Yet Riley did not call for a rain dance or a sacrifice of animals.
James Madison was president during the War of 1812. The war often did not go well. (Remember, it was during this war that British troops burned Washington, D.C.) Congress called on Madison to issue proclamations calling for days of prayer and fasting.
Madison did so, but years later admitted that he had been in the wrong. In an essay, Madison listed five reasons why such proclamations are a bad idea. Gov. Riley should take note especially of number four: “The tendency of the practice [is] to narrow the recommendation to the standard of the predominant sect.”
Alabamians can decide for themselves if praying for rain is a good idea. They don’t need Riley’s advice on religious matters.
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