The West Virginia House of Delagates passed House Bill 4135 unanimously (with two abstaining) on January 21, 2014. This bill establishes a West Virginia Day of Prayer on the same day as the National Day of Prayer. The bill can be read in its entirety here.

By the wording of the bill, it is obvious that this establishes a Judeo-Christian day of prayer. Because of this, this bill excludes many West Virginians who are of different religions or who are not religious. It is not okay to exclude constituents from this holiday based on their religion. Our group promotes inclusivity, while this bill does not.

Another concern many share about this bill is that it violates the separation of church and state. By being exclusive to all religions (and non-religious people) except Christianity, this bill effectively promotes Christianity, just one step away from establishing a state religion.

A third concern we have with House Bill 4135 is that it may affect public education. Many teachers would take the established day of prayer to sneak religious education into their curriculum under the guise of the statewide holiday.

With these three concerns combined, it is important that we voice our opinions on this bill. It hasn't had much media coverage at all. Let's send a message to our state senators and let them know where we stand on House Bill 4135 by delivering this petition with as many signatures as possible.