Atheists outnumbered at Statehouse on prayer day

BOISE – National Day of Prayer participants outnumbered atheists 10-to-1 on the Statehouse steps Thursday, one day after a federal judge ruled the state had to honor the atheists’ reservation of the religious group’s traditional spots.

The prayer gathering moved to the west Statehouse steps, leaving the front entrance to the Idaho Atheists. More than 500 people gathered to hear music, preachers and an address by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne.

About 50 people met at the front steps, some holding signs proclaiming “One Nation Under the Constitution.” They heard about a dozen speakers, including civil liberties advocates and Unitarian leaders.

Atheists conceded that publicity about the reservation flap drew larger-than-usual crowds for the National Day of Prayer. But Idaho Atheists’ director, Susan Harrington, said it was important to note government bias in favor of religious groups.

In February, the atheists reserved the steps for the first Thursday in May, when the National Day of Prayer traditionally is held. State officials tried to bounce them off the calendar, contending that recurring events got priority, but a U.S. District Court judge Wednesday ruled in favor of the atheists.

“Whenever an atheist speaks out, it seems there are some religious people who feel threatened,” Harrington said. “But we can’t just stand by and be treated like second-class citizens.”

Those attending the prayer gathering, held on the front steps annually since 1989, played down the conflict.

“It was supposed to be a disruption, but it didn’t cause a disruption,” said Kempthorne, seated with the state’s first lady, Patricia Kempthorne, under an awning that protected dignitaries from the rain.

“I chose to be here because I believe in God,” he said. “I don’t believe that when you become governor of the state, you have to sacrifice your personal belief.”

Local prayer-day organizers have reserved the front steps of the Statehouse through 2015, said Pat Wynn, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Administration.

On Wednesday, Judge B. Lynn Winmill said Idaho Atheists had presented enough evidence for him to issue a temporary restraining order barring the prayer-day group from the front steps.

Winmill wasn’t moved by arguments from state Deputy Attorney General Jim Carlson that the state has a standing policy to reserve the front steps for annual events.

Harrington chose the date to protest Kempthorne’s past refusal to sign proclamations from the atheist group for such events as “Atheist Heritage Week” and “Idaho Day of Reason” while endorsing the National Day of Prayer.

“This was an opportunity to try to get them to understand our point of view,” she said.

Across the nation, atheist activists say the National Day of Prayer is a way for Christian fundamentalists to assert influence on American politics.

“The nationwide event is being organized to meld evangelical Christianity and government, and thus endanger the constitutional separation of church and state,” said Ellen Johnson, president of the New Jersey-based American Atheists.

“We’ve got thousands of events all over the country, from courthouse steps to community parks,” said Terrell Mayton, a spokesman for the National Day of Prayer based in Colorado Springs, Colo. “One of the great things in this country is the right of free speech and right to assemble. The National Day of Prayer enjoys that right, as do other groups.”

In 1952, President Harry Truman signed a unanimous joint resolution by Congress establishing an annual National Day of Prayer.

The law was amended by President Ronald Reagan to set aside the first Thursday of May for the event.