Religion, readability and the presidency: a historic combination

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/07/religion-readability-and-the-presidency-a-historic-combination/


Presidential displays of piety, like this, are common and historians say they make presidents more relatable.

February 7th, 2013
06:00 AM ET

By Dan Merica, CNN

Washington (CNN) – Employing faith, whether calling for nationwide prayer or healing the nation by quoting scripture, is a presidential tradition as old as the office itself.

The nation’s first president, George Washington, was also the first to call for a National Day of Prayer, one of “fasting, humiliation and prayer” to “acknowledge the gracious interpositions of Providence.”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his famous fireside chats, promised “salvation” from the economic doldrums of the Great Depression. And President Barack Obama, in the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, quoted scripture as a way to comfort those grieving.

Obama will continue this tradition on Thursday when he attends the National Prayer Breakfast, a longstanding Washington event that has hosted every president since Dwight Eisenhower.

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