Something remarkable in the modern history of America occurred 50 years ago — and 161 years ago — this week.
As the nation approached its bicentennial celebration, latter-day lawmakers had seen to do something their forebears in the Continental Congress had done, and something that President Abraham Lincoln had done 111 years earlier. By resolutions passed by the U.S. Congress, April 30, 1974, was set aside as a National Day for Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer. Senate Joint Resolution 183 called upon “the people of our Nation to humble ourselves as we see fit, before our Creator to acknowledge our final dependence upon Him and to repent of our national sins.”
The measure was sponsored by Sen. Mark Hatfield, R-Oregon, who was probably one of the most honorable men ever to serve in the Congress. Full and fair disclosure, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Sen. Hatfield on two occasions, once in 1967 and again in 1983. SJR 183 in 1974 called to mind Lincoln and his proclamation declaring April 30, 1863, as “a day set apart for national prayer and humiliation.”
In 1974, to be sure, we needed such an occasion, amid the ever-spreading Watergate scandal, the attempts to recover from our withdrawal from the no-win wars in Southeast Asia, and an economy that produced double-digit inflation, soaring interest rates and looming unemployment. Hatfield’s resolution noted, “it behooves us to humble our selves before Almighty God, to confess our sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
Surprisingly, SJR 183 was passed by a voice vote with no debate and no opposition. That probably would not happen today, given the much deeper divisiveness, rancor and outright, visceral hatred that poisons the political climate today, but it happened then. And there was no furor over any alleged breach of the “separation of church and state“ — wording that does not appear in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.
While many may laugh and scoff at the suggestion of the need for a timeout to turn to their Creator, many Americans quietly observed the day. Some churches opened their doors for people to come in from work or what would normally be their noonday mealtime or working time.
To be sure, the nation went back to “business as usual” after April 30, 1974. Did the day accomplish anything? We may never know, as we are not privy to how many, if any lives were changed by the act of calling out to Someone Greater than ourselves.
Could what happened 50 years ago happen in America again? Are we too advanced, too modern, too sophisticated to ask for Divine Aid and Guidance?
We may find out May 2, which is the National Day of Prayer.
In fact, is it just possible that the survival of our nation depends on how we, as individuals and collectively, respond to such calls to humble ourselves before, as Lincoln wrote, “the God that made us!”?
Ugh. Prayer isn’t needed for our nation to thrive. In fact, it’s the most divisive force today–even more than partisan politics. You are correct. Barely anyone remembers, and just a few more than that care. Feel free to pray on your own time and dime, but don’t ask our secular government to have a “call to prayer” for their constituents. The “separation of state and church” is an American invention that has allowed religions to thrive and kept government out of the religion business. It need not be written down verbatim for you anywhere.