The Freedom From Religion Foundation is once again calling out Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s show of governmental piety in proclaiming a day for Utah citizens to “pray for rain.”

“Utah is facing a tough season, and we need both divine help and practical action,” Cox recently remarked. “I invite every Utahn, whatever your faith or belief system, to join me this Sunday [June 29] in a unified fast and prayer for rain. And while we look heavenward, let’s do our part here at home — fix leaks, water lawns less and use every drop wisely. Small actions, taken together, can make a big difference for our state.”

Mark Twain once quipped: “It is best to read the weather forecast before we pray for rain,” advice Cox failed to heed — since Utah’s coming weekend is predicted to be hot and dry.

In a letter to Cox on behalf of its hundreds of nonreligious Utah members and its Salt Lake City chapter, FFRF, a state/church watchdog, notes that whether to pray, and whether to believe in a god who answers prayer, is an intensely personal decision protected under our First Amendment as a matter of conscience.

“While we are sorry about the continuing drought situation in Utah and the hardships it creates, that is no excuse for disrespecting the First Amendment,” say FFRF Co-Presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker.

The prayers will not increase the small chance of rain, but Cox’s show of piety scores some cheap political points while giving the illusion of doing something to address the crisis. It improperly inserts religion into state governance, placing the state’s stamp of approval on a religious practice in disregard of the constitutionally mandated separation between state and church.

Instead of calling for “thoughts and prayers,” Cox should focus on combating climate change and water shortages by investing in reason-based science. Belief that the environment and rainfall are controlled by a supernatural deity who listens to our pleas is one of the stumbling blocks that prevent our country from addressing challenges underlying environmental disasters, such as global climate change, FFRF asserts.

Pew’s new Religious Landscape Survey reveals that Utah has a higher than average number of “Nones” at 34 percent. They, too, are Cox’s constituents, and care as much about the future of Utah as religious residents. However, they do not believe in the efficacy of appealing to supernatural forces in response to human-made climate change or any other challenges — and should not be subjected to the government instructing them to believe otherwise.

This is neither the first time Cox has “prayed for rain,” nor is Cox the first governor to turn to wishful thinking when facing a drought. In 2007, Georgia’s then-Gov. Sonny Perdue infamously led a prayer meeting to beseech God for rain. Needless to say, that prayer was ineffective. Still, this embarrassing spectacle did not stop the U.S. Senate from confirming Perdue as President Trump’s secretary of agriculture. Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s three-day “Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas” was followed by a horrific drought.

FFRF notes: “Nothing fails like prayer. Wishful thinking cannot suspend natural law, much less cause precipitation. Utahns do not need prayers, they need real solutions.” Cox should pray on his own time and dime.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with about 42,000 members and several chapters across the country, including hundreds of members and a chapter in Utah. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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