Throughout our nation's history, Presidents and other leaders have called our nation to prayer. Our country's founders opened meetings with prayer. Numerous court rulings have upheld prayers like invocations. Our national heritage of prayer is well-documented and is an essential part of our nation's history and future. Yet we continue to see individuals and organizations that persist in challenging this heritage by trying to completely remove religion from the public square by court action.

Now, the battle has come to Arizona. The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit in federal court this week against Governor Jan Brewer for her declaration of the "Arizona Day of Prayer" as part of the National Day of Prayer. This year's National Day of Prayer is May 5.

In a media interview this week about the lawsuit, a reporter asked me about the "wall between separation of church and state." Once again, I clarified for the reporter the actual words of the First Amendment. Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution will one find those words. To imply that the First Amendment in some way bans elected officials from calling for prayer is to fundamentally misinterpret and misconstrue the document, the intent of our Founding Fathers, and numerous court rulings.

Governor Brewer released a statement yesterday saying she would vehemently defend the Arizona Day of Prayer. CAP is already involved with supporting the National Day of Prayer in a 7th District Court of Appeals case, and will continue to monitor this situation and defend our religious freedom. To thank Gov. Brewer for her admirable and accurate stand, click here to send her an email. 

CAP Communications Director Aaron Baer launched our new blog this week, Foundations - Check it out! On the blog, you'll hear from our CAP team as we discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the legislature and our culture. We'll also provide you with an inside look of our daily work at the Capitol to protect and promote foundational principles. 

Choosing Between Your Faith and Your Education

On the Foundations blog this week, CAP Legal Counsel Deborah Sheasby talked about why HB 2565 is so critical to protecting university students' religious liberty. This bill was heard in the Senate Education Committee where Deborah and Bethany Miller, one of the many amazing CAP alumni, testified in support of the bill. Click to read the post and to watch Bethany testify.

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