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National Day of Prayer

Observance helps refresh values

Today, thousands around the United States — and many in our own area — will gather to celebrate a National Day of Prayer.

The annual observance — scheduled for the first Thursday in May — has a long history, dating back to the Second Continental Congress. In its modern incarnation, the United States Congress set aside the day for people “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.”

While challenged in court over the years, National Day of Prayer observances have persevered, giving citizens the right to pray as they wish, a right afforded to every American in the United State Constitution.

Indeed, religious freedom is a cornerstone of this great nation, a right cherished by many across the country, and in West Virginia, in particular.

The National Day of Prayer gives us all a time to take pause and be thankful for the freedoms we all enjoy. It also gives a respite from the daily grind for reflection on the past and an opportunity to look to the future.

Several activities are scheduled locally, including events in Elkins, Buckhannon and Weston. The observances all are nondenominational, with people able to worship in their own way.

The importance of such an event, both locally and nationally, is tantamount to the Founding Fathers’ vision for a great, equal and diverse America.

We encourage local residents to take part in today’s events, in their own way. Now, more than ever, we all could benefit from a return to our roots, reinvigorating our family values and harkening back to the ideals instilled by generations of the past.

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