National Day of Prayer, 2025
President Donald J. Trump's May 1, 2025, proclamation designates the day as a National Day of Prayer.
It highlights the role of faith and prayer in American history, citing numerous examples from the nation's past.
The proclamation encourages all Americans to participate in prayer and reflection, drawing a connection between faith and the country's ongoing success.
It's rooted in the 1988 Public Law 100-307.
Arguments For
Intended Benefits: Promotes national unity and reflection through shared prayer and spiritual contemplation.
Evidence Cited: References historical instances of prayer in American leadership and national events, including the First Continental Congress, President Washington's Farewell Address, and the National Prayer Service after 9/11.
Implementation Methods: A Presidential Proclamation encourages citizens to observe the day with prayer and reflection in various settings.
Legal/historical basis: The proclamation is based on Public Law 100-307, which designates the first Thursday of May as a National Day of Prayer.
Arguments Against
Potential impacts: Could be viewed as promoting a specific religion over others, potentially alienating citizens of different faiths or no faith.
Implementation challenges: The effectiveness of a Presidential Proclamation in influencing individual behavior is limited and subjective. The impact of the declaration is difficult to measure.
Alternative approaches: Celebrating national unity could occur through secular events inclusive to all citizens with diverse beliefs and worldviews.
Unintended effects: The proclamation might be perceived as divisive and polarizing and could potentially exacerbate existing religious and political divides within the nation.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
This is the formal introduction to a Presidential Proclamation, indicating the document's official nature and authority.
From the earliest days of our Nation’s journey, America has been guided by the grace of Almighty God. Beginning with the opening prayer at the First Continental Congress in 1774, our faith has perpetually stood as the summit of our strength, the source of our unity, and the fount of our greatness. This National Day of Prayer, we thank God for His endless blessings -- and we ask Him to grant us fortitude, wisdom, and a renewed spirit of justice as we continue the work to save our country and restore our national promise.
The opening paragraph establishes a connection between religion and the history of the United States.
It links faith with national strength, unity, and purpose, positioning prayer as essential for the country's well-being.
Across every chapter of our grand American story — from General George Washington’s humble prayer at Valley Forge to Reverend Billy Graham’s legendary rallies in the heart of Manhattan to the somber National Prayer Service in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, our greatest leaders have always recognized the necessity of faith, prayer, and devotion to God. As President Washington famously stated in his seminal Farewell Address, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”
This paragraph further strengthens the connection between faith, leadership, and American history.
It uses significant historical events and quotes to support this connection.
For these reasons, my Administration is fighting to defend America’s longstanding legacy of prayer, faith, and trust in God. As President, I proudly established Task Forces to eradicate religious bias by combatting anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and additional forms of anti-religious bias. They are charged with the mandate to identify and eliminate all anti‑religious policies, practices, and conduct in executive departments and agencies. In addition, I established the White House Faith Office in order to strengthen our families and to protect our religious freedom. I will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty and protecting God in our public square.
This section explains the current administration's actions to protect religious freedom and combat religious bias.
The President emphasizes his personal commitment to these goals.
Nine months ago on July 13, 2024, my faith took on new meaning. An assassin’s bullet came within a quarter of an inch of ending my life. In that instant, as Secret Service crowded around and knocked me to the ground, I felt what seemed to be the supernatural hand of God. I believe that God spared my life for a reason — to save our country and restore America to greatness. It serves as a sacred reminder of our Creator’s infinite goodness, guidance, and grace.
This paragraph shares a deeply personal anecdote about surviving an assassination attempt.
The President attributes his survival to divine intervention and frames it in the context of his national responsibilities.
Through America’s victories and defeats, triumphs and setbacks, and periods of peace and times of war, the divine force of prayer has unfailingly sustained our people, our culture, and our beloved Nation. It was faith that guided our ancestors across turbulent waters to Plymouth Rock. It was faith that inspired our Founding Fathers to put in writing those immortal words, “All men are created equal.” It is faith that freed our Nation from the clutches of tyranny nearly 250 years ago, and it is faith that has rescued our freedom from forces of evil time and time again.
This paragraph continues to emphasize the enduring strength and significance of faith in American history and the life of the nation.
The passage links the country's very foundation to religious faith.
This National Day of Prayer, we recognize that the true strength of the American spirit has always been found in churches, chapels, pews, parishes and synagogues, and the hearts and souls of our citizens of faith. Today and every day, we bow our heads in prayer to thank God for His countless gifts and to ask for His divine protection. Above all, we acknowledge that prayer is the foundation of our past, the guiding hand of our present, and the light of our future.
This section summarizes the significance of the National Day of Prayer, reiterating its crucial role in the nation's past, present, and future.
In 1988, the Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer, “on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”
This paragraph provides the legal basis for the proclamation, referencing the 1988 congressional act that established the National Day of Prayer.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2025, as a National Day of Prayer. I encourage all Americans to observe this day, reflecting on the blessings our Nation has received and the importance of prayer, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in their houses of worship, communities, and places of work, schools, and homes.
This section formally proclaims May 1, 2025, as the National Day of Prayer, and encourages Americans to participate in meaningful activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.
This is the formal closing of the Presidential Proclamation, signifying its completion and official status.
DONALD J. TRUMP
The President's signature.
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