Unprecedented in recent history, Obama's practice of opening presidential events with a prayer seems like it will become a new tradition, further eroding the boundaries between church and state.
Although the administration has kept the new practice out of the public spotlight by scheduling opening prayers and invocations before Mr. Obama arrives, the trend is clear. Prayers have been commissioned by the White House before events as mundane as those that characterized the recent whirlwind campaign-style trip around the country to promote the president's economic stimulus plan.
Not only are the prayers contracted and prepared in advance, they must also be submitted for vetting by White House officials. Barry W. Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, says that the vetting policy is a particularly troublesome feature of the new Obama prayer program.
"The only thing worse than having these prayers in the first place is to have them vetted, because it entangles the White House in core theological matters," says Lynn, quoted in a blog entry by Dan Gilgoff on the US News & World Report website.
"Why would you even request getting a copy of the prayer in advance if you didn't want to exercise the power to change it or even cancel it?" Lynn asks. Read the full article here.