I get what you're saying, but how in the hell is the act of prayer an unpopular act?
Statistics on Religion in America Report -- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Since Yukon can't be bothered with reading links, that's a report from the pewforum on the statistics of religion in America. It says that nearly 80% of Americans identify as "Christian" and almost 5% identify as "other religions", with a shockingly low 1.6% identifying as "Atheist".
Prayer is hardly conducted in the "face of ridicule and derision".