President Joe Biden released a proclamation for Thursday's "National Day of Prayer" in which he left out "God" and His role in the founding and future of the country. He said that the day is one in which "Americans of faith can call upon the power of prayer" while they face "racial justice" and "the existential threat of climate change."
"Today, we remember and celebrate the role that the healing balm of prayer can play in our lives and in the life of our Nation," states Biden's proclamation. "As we continue to confront the crises and challenges of our time - from a deadly pandemic to the loss of lives and livelihoods in its wake, to a reckoning on racial justice, to the existential threat of climate change - Americans of faith can call upon the power of prayer to provide hope and uplift us for the work ahead."
In his address, he broached the subject of how prayer is used to facilitate social justice, climate change, the First Amendment, and diversity, and unity. He claims that across history, people of all faiths and backgrounds have traditionally looked to prayer as a major source of power and hope.
Additionally, the president stated that the Constitution's First Amendment guarantees the freedom of free expression and religious freedoms, and the ability of all Americans to pray. These liberties allowed them to establish and maintain a Nation renowned for its religious resilience and plurality through generations.
The president continues to stress the importance of unity, reminding people to find determination in their prayers, no matter how they are delivered, to transcend adversity, grow beyond divisions, and to come together as one country.
"I invite the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join all people of faith in prayers for spiritual guidance, mercy, and protection," he concluded.
Conservatives immediately noticed the deviations in the Proclamation. Pro-life and pro-liberty news source "The Stream" noticed that the President seemed to be reluctant to cite Scripture, instead quoting the late civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis.
"The late Congressman John Lewis gets a shout out. So does the 'existential threat of climate change.' But not the Creator," noted the outlet.
Rachel Semmel, Communications Director for American Renewing, summed up the bulk of conservatives' sentiments in a tweet, mentioning that the proclamation contained topics of diversity, social inequality, climate change, and Rep. John Lewis' quote, but omitted references to Jesus, God, and Christianity.
In a similar vein, Breitbart notes that Biden's backers refer to him as a "devout Catholic" and also "extremely Catholic," notwithstanding the fact that he advocates policies that contradict the most fundamental doctrines of the Catholic Church.
CatholicVote, on the other hand, recently stated that Biden has brought a "partisan wrecking ball" to the issues that are most relevant to Americans of faith.
As faith leaders have pointed out, the Biden-Harris administration advocates state sponsorship of abortions both at home and overseas, as well as pressuring doctors to administer abortions and gender change surgery.
