No, Bert. Being ASKED to pray is not equivalent to being FORBIDDEN to pray. Being forbidden to pray is equivalent to being FORCED to pray. Being asked to pray is the equivalent of being ASKED NOT TO PRAY.

If the president said, "please sacrifice a chicken at midnight for my new foreign policy," I would say, "um, no thanks." Maybe roll my eyes. But hardly feel oppressed.

The constitutional protections against being made to practice a religion not of one's choosing are still in place, and are holding firm as ever.

So far.

Alex