Monday Forum: Haley is not to blame for call to prayer; we are

While I agree in tone with Rev. Neal Jones in his May 18 column (“Haley crossed line in calling Christians to day of prayer”), I would offer one minor adjustment: To blame Gov. Nikki Haley for her clarion call to a day of prayer is misplaced. Like the song, but with one minor adjustment, Mrs. Haley’s invitation to Christian prayer is “all about the base.”

In recent decades, too many members of the electorate have been unable or unwilling to separate politics from religion. Therein lies the blame. Although religion and politics have distinctly different DNA, Gov. Haley is merely doing what an astute politician does. Constitution and First Amendment be damned, she’s safely joining the two by appealing to her base.

An exclusive day of prayer, one that separates by its very invitation, is our fault, not the governor’s. When religion and politics support each other at the apparent benefit of both, the consequences can be dire. A cursory reading of world history demonstrates this slippery slope better than my words here.

Gov. Haley is merely following our lead. While the governor may or may not be held accountable for sponsoring and advocating a day of proud prayer on the street corner, maybe we should all fall to our knees in solitude first. Allowing another cross to be placed upon the shield of Constantine is not the answer, and we the people are way more responsible to that notion than any sitting governor.

Columbia