National Day Of Reason: Secularists Counter National Day Of Prayer

By Kimberly Winston
Religion News Service

(RNS) As millions of Americans bow their heads next Thursday (May 3) for the annual National Day of Prayer, atheists, humanists and other nontheists will mark a day of their own.

The National Day of Reason -- or "NDR" in the shorthand of the nontheist community -- will also be held May 3, part protest, part celebration and totally godless.

"In times of great conflict and worry, people want to look to a higher power, and I am sympathetic to that," said Paul Fidalgo, communications director at the Center for Inquiry. "But our day puts the focus back on people and what we can do for ourselves. We are trying to make a better world on our own by emphasizing good works and good deeds on the day."

To that end, local groups of nontheists will hold blood drives (Groton, Conn.) training in lobbying politicians (Raleigh, N.C.) and voter registration drives (Flagstaff, Ariz.), as well as marches, rallies and social gatherings. One group in Putnam, Conn., is holding a "science for reason" book exchange -- turn in a Bible and receive a free copy of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species," among other titles.

NDR was started in 2003 by a Washington-based group of humanists who viewed government participation in the National Day of Prayer as a violation of the separation of church and state.

While the numbers participating in NDR have never equaled those of the National Day of Prayer, NDR supporters scored a victory in 2010 when a federal judge ruled that the 1988 law that designates the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional.

The victory was short-lived, as a higher court ruled in 2011 that government participation did not equal compulsory participation.

This year, while there are no pending legal challenges, nontheist groups would still like to see the National Day of Prayer become a strictly private holiday.

"We feel that having our chief elected officials proclaim a religious day to be a clear violation of the separation of church and state," Fidalgo said. "Besides that, it is exclusionary not just for nonbelievers but to everyone who does not buy into monotheism."

Comments

[derpollisauce]

07:20 PM on 01/01/2013

Sadly, it doesn't look like we can get our government to adhere to the constitution and end this National Day of Prayer any more than we can get rid of all the people ruining our deficit.

[FreedToChoose]

03:06 PM on 08/19/2012

Maybe we non-theist religious should hold a National Day of Resolve, resolute in our commitment to theists and atheists having the freedom to their views and asking that they consider allowing the other to do likewise... ;-)

[Too good]

10:38 PM on 07/05/2012

I'm not going to say atheism is right, and I'm not going to say atheism is wrong, I'm not going to say religion is wrong neither am I going to say if it's right, but I know that everyone has their right to believe atheist don't know the total truth neither does religion, both are just guessing just cause a scientist finds a skull in some desert that doesn't mean they found the "missing link" or the evidence to justify evolution! I advise that you all read "How to overcome fear, and start living fearless" because then you'll learn more about the fear tactics used to keep us arguing and seperated becasue arguing about religion won't help us no way to advance as a society!

[artboyzreborn]

02:23 PM on 07/11/2012

Atheism is right, because it makes no false claims. Religion could be right or wrong, nobody knows.

[Too good]

01:27 AM on 07/12/2012

I totally understand what your sayig, but saying atheism is right can also equate to a chritisan saying their belief is right, and a muslim's belief is wrong cause everything is all relative, and yes atheism do go by science, so I'm not saying it's wrong either if you get my drift! all I'm saying if we keep arguing those who really run society will keep us all like sheep while they take off with the whole load

[readDanQuinn]

07:34 AM on 07/01/2012

As an atheist, all I can do is shake my head in disbelief (see what I did there?). Atheists do not share any attributes! There is nothing to organize, no parties to attend. The most poinient way to mark this day is to ignore it. I'm not saying don't criticize the government as it transitions to an office of religion -- we have to fight to delay the erosion of the rights we have. I'm saying don't immulate religion, atheists shouldn't be dishonest about the fact that we offer no single alternative. Reason and science seem to attract atheists, but there are plenty of believers who stake that claim as well and nitwits are allowed to be atheists too.

[artboyzreborn]

02:26 PM on 07/11/2012

Good point. Whenever we assume religious tactics the believers tar us as being just as bad as they are. They don't have the dspassion to separate our tactics from our beliefs ( or lack thereof).

[dwight who]

03:14 PM on 06/30/2012

How is Prayer Not Reasonable?

[Bob Metcalfe]

11:16 PM on 07/07/2012

When it intrudes on my right not to have to listen to it. When it becomes part of the government of my country. When it interferes with my right to be free from religion.

[dwight who]

09:31 AM on 07/08/2012

NDR is a reasonable protest for nontheists in the ongoing debate over God and the democratic State... it is unreasonable to not allow the debate because it more than implies that the mind of the people is inherently separate from mind of the state....

[dwight who]

11:58 PM on 07/29/2012

freedom Of religion

[Cye]

10:52 PM on 08/14/2012

Because you're praying to a being who, according to the evidence available, most likely doesn't exist.

Not just that, but people often pray for god to intervene in their lives. How is that possible when we're constantly told that god has a plan, not just for the universe, but for each of it. Why pray for intervention then? If giving you what you wanted was in that plan, then there's no need to pray - you were getting it anyway. Similarly, if giving you what you want was not in that plan, then there was no point praying - because you were never going to get it.

That's how prayer isn't reasonable.

[dwight who]

11:04 PM on 08/14/2012

how do you know that's true?

[Welshish]

10:03 PM on 08/20/2012

Love it, Cye!

[jld1973]

12:52 AM on 05/18/2012

Giving up bibles and getting that Darwin book? The least the non-theists could do is give them a book that is relevant. There is a scientific dissent from Darwinism. The list (last one I saw was updated in 2011) was signed by 600 scientists who, "are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.” Why? Because they are realizing that Darwinism is not reasonable.

[readDanQuinn]

07:46 AM on 07/01/2012

There is no significant scientific dissent 'from Darwinism'. The list you mention was published by "a statement issued in 2001 by the Discovery Institute, a conservative non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, USA, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design." The signatories are NOT leaders in relevant fields. All this document proves is that there are scientists who are religious. That's not really a big surprise, we knew that. There has been no scientific refutation of evolution. Go ahead and believe what you will, just don't try to justify it with 'scientific' claims. In other words, it's OK to lie to yourself, don't lie to others.

[artboyzreborn]

02:31 PM on 07/11/2012

Why is it significant that a few hundred so-called scientists dissent from a community of hundreds of thousands. Evoutionary theory is at the foundation of every biological diiscovery since Darwin was published.

[shiloh7]

12:37 AM on 05/08/2012

I am sure 3% of the world will really enjoy the day!

[Dean J Smith]

06:27 PM on 05/09/2012

If you're trying to say only 3% of the world's population doesn't believe in God, you're mistaken. It's more like 20%. America is the most religous developed country, the percentages are quite higher in most of Europe and Asia sans India. And Tibet. The Chinese alone are about 14% of the world's population, how many of them do you think believe in God? The official estimate for number of nonbeliever in the world is around 1.5 billion.

[Bill Duckworth]

09:36 PM on 05/06/2012

WORKS or DEEDS is the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST.

And the Atheist are claiming it for their OWN and for reason....LOL

Churches and Atheist Seculars should get together for a day of Ignorance assuming Ignorance is the lack of knowledge of the New Testament and the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the Word of GOD. Like free will to choose good over evil is a group theropy of church or secular governmetn.

NO that is Community Organization and not Self Realizations or being Christ Like

[Paul Robertson]

10:13 PM on 05/06/2012

You gave yourself away with this one. Look, I enjoy good Poe as much as the next man, but maybe you could mix it up with a bit more variety and ease up on the walls of text?

[Bill Duckworth]

10:55 AM on 05/07/2012

To use reason one should no the meaning of words. Reason is not living ones EGO

Definition of EGO

: the self especially as contrasted with another self or the world

: the one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that serves as the organized conscious mediator between the person and reality especially by functioning both in the perception of and adaptation to reality—compare id[1], superego

[taoistpunk]

09:33 AM on 05/07/2012

works or deeds is the gospel?

all plumbers is plumbers for jesus??

[Bill Duckworth]

10:56 AM on 05/07/2012

Plumbers can be Christ, but not all plumbers are Christ

You could say everything i the world is in the world and that would be true

[jrham1108]

02:12 PM on 05/13/2012

You are one of my favorites, taostpunk. There you go again. Let me help. The 'Works' scripture you are butchering here is like this; Many people CLAIM to be a Christian, but they don't DO anything by way of 'works' to indicate such. So it says that 'Faith without WORKS, is dead.' It's a 'dead faith'. It says that; 'Show me your faith without works, and I'll show you my faith by my works'. It says that if someone is really a Christian? There will be certain proofs that will be obvious. Not everyone who works at ANYTHING, are for Jesus. Come on now. You're splitting hairs here. It would be like someone standing at top of a building claiming to have committed suicide by having leaped to their death. But they're still on the ledge. If you claim to have become a Christian, you will have jumped from the ledge of 'SELF' and would be serving your fellow man as Jesus did, and sacrificing some of yourself for them who need help. Hope this clarifies what The Bible means by 'Works' (though 'Works' without Jesus, can't save the soul'), Salvation is a gift of God. Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9, but afterwards, there WILL be WORKS that prove this transformation of the soul, evidence that IT has become alive.

[Paul Robertson]

08:52 PM on 05/06/2012

Some exerpts from the Conservative Bible. The text has been edited to remove liberal bias.

Matt 18:20
"For where two or three million gather in my name on a date designated by the government of the land, there am I with them."

Luke 10:30-37
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he said, "I am on my way to the Roman Day of Prayer. I will pray for you." And he passed by on the other side. [...] And when the priest later saw the man whole and well he cried, "God be praised! My prayer was answered!"
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who prayed for him at the state-endorsed prayer event.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

[Bill Duckworth]

09:43 PM on 05/06/2012

Before there was Repubicans and Democrats and other SELF-MOTIVATED governments and Secular seeking to control the masses. Stick with King James Version as the New Testament or Gospel of Christ or Word of GOD

English versions

21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

American Standard Version (ASV)

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Common English Bible (CEB)

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Darby Translation (DARBY)

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

English Standard Version (ESV)

English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK)

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Good News Translation (GNT)

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

King James Version (KJV)

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New Century Version (NCV)

New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

New International Version (NIV)

New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

New International Version 1984 (NIV)

New King James Version (NKJV)

New Life Version (NLV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Message (MSG)

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

[Paul Robertson]

10:06 PM on 05/06/2012

Wow. Miss the joke much? In any event, don't you know that even Christians find you KJV-only types a bit nutty? Five bucks says you've got the complete "Left Behind" series on your bookshelf.

[jrham1108]

07:33 PM on 05/06/2012

An Atheist 'Counter to 'The National Day of Prayer'. What is this, some kind of counter offensive of some sort? I guess what makes me wonder. Is how can people want a special day for NOT believing something? What do you say? "I want a special day because of what I DON'T believe"?
This is crazy! 'We are a bunch of people who lack faith in God and we need a special day where we get together around the world in spirit and believe even less. We will encourage one another to believe less and stand strong in not believing something."? "Instead of prayer we will not believe in God together, and instead, we'll do good things without Him (who does not exist).". Next we'll have people wanting a special day for not believing in Santa or Bigfoot. Can you imagine a National Day of 'Not Believing in Nessie?' We get it People! We are Christians and you hate it. Do you have go this far?

[Bill Duckworth]

09:46 PM on 05/06/2012

Like getting married not to protect children but get a economic advantage?

[Dalton Perry]

01:07 AM on 05/07/2012

Is it really any more absurd than having a national day of talking to yourself? The only reason they did it is because the religious are once again trying to weasel their religion into our government. How many times do we have to say "KNOCK IT OFF!" We are perfectly fine with having a national day of prayer organized by religious organizations, but it doesn't need to be a federal holiday.

[jrham1108]

03:53 AM on 05/07/2012

I guess what I don't understand; is what does it hurt for the Government to pick one day for the Nation to pray if they want to? The Government or anyone else is not out any money or relinquishing power or anything. What harm does 'listing' a certain day for all who want to pray, to pray together on that day? What 'weaseling'. Trust me! We don't want the Government to have ANY 'say' in The Church's business at all (and they'd love that more than we would). 'Knock it off'? Knock what off really? Don't you mean; 'be quiet and go away'? We don't need a National 'anything'. It's just a specific day that we can all set aside a little more time to include people like you in our prayers to heal this Nation and ask God to protect us all. It's not like we're asking for anything or receiving anything by it. And it's not like we're asking for a National Kill Your Baby Day or anything. Having a known day for Christians to come together in prayer can only do good for everyone here, and does NO harm at all.

[thebearclaw007]

04:00 PM on 05/06/2012

Just remember this: No one becomes an atheist to become a more loving, caring, respectful human being.

[capitaldysfunction]

06:30 PM on 05/06/2012

You have no idea what you are talking about. Secular humanists are some of the most loving, generous, respectful people you will ever meet.

[thebearclaw007]

07:00 PM on 05/06/2012

Actions speak louder than words.

[Bill Duckworth]

09:54 PM on 05/06/2012

The Rule of Law is how you gain social love, generousity, respect.

It is not occupying others, droning them, killing themand their leaders w/o a trial by jury.

Jesus did not say SAVE THE POOR. He said you will have the poor always. He ask you to teach all men to save them selves no Economically, Politically, but SPRITUALLY.

Read the WORD OF GOD, the Gospel as taught by Jesus Christ the New Testament not this OLD Testament crap

[Bill Duckworth]

09:50 PM on 05/06/2012

Or they would simply follow the Gospel's Works and Deeds as taught by Christ as this article implies is the MOTIVATION of atheist here. Not SELF MOTIVATION history and experience teaches man

Show me a society that is not fiath base and you will be showing me the Law of the Jungle ruled by the King APE.

Oops that almost sound like America. Killing unarmed prisnoners of WAR and civilians without a trial by jury.

[TexasTreader]

11:45 PM on 05/05/2012

Looking at the posts below, if you want to outlaw personal, private faith, vote democrat.

[Paul Robertson]

09:41 AM on 05/06/2012

Explain to me again how personal, private faith requires a government proclamation?

[demsrsilly]

07:22 AM on 05/07/2012

Should we go back and change the references to God in the Declaration of Independence?

[pdferguson]

10:43 AM on 05/06/2012

Looking at your posts below, if you want to outlaw public reason and science, vote republic.

[notwaff]

01:35 PM on 05/05/2012

.....

so the National Day of Reason is also the National Day of Christian Bashing

(or does the bashing part come every day)

[Paul Robertson]

06:32 PM on 05/05/2012

Christian bashing, v., the act of politely asking Christians to stop trying to impose their acts of worship on everyone else.

[jrham1108]

07:47 PM on 05/06/2012

Act of free will is not 'imposing', my friend. If we want to exercise our Freedom of Religion and pray somewhere public or display our Normal Religious beliefs in God openly? Then we should be able to do that without ridicule or opposition. If you don't want to pray when we do, then don't. We aren't imposing anything on you. It would be like you throwing a fit and saying that we are imposing our beliefs in 'fitness' because we order 'Just a Salad' at a public restaurant because we might happen to be a vegetarian and talking about going to the gym later. Maybe you could have a 'National Not Believing in Vegetarianism Day'?

[LillyLyn]

08:28 PM on 05/06/2012

Imposing really?! I feel like aheists just want that to be the case always so they can have some excuse to make Christians look like the bad guys even when they're not.

[Bill Duckworth]

10:02 PM on 05/06/2012

What do you expect of people who call themselve for REASON

But have never red the WORK OF GOD, New Testament. And call Christian churchianist Old Testament believers.

I call that Jewist not Christian. Surely not reasonalle at all. Ignorance for the lack of knowledge. 2000 years and as you say Bashing of Christians

And they don't even know what a Christian is? That is not reason at all. But believe they are loving, caring. SO what does that have to do with Spiitualism. Sounds like a Car salemsan telling me to buy a junker. A materialits driven my Self Motivation asking be to have their Faith Based Belief. Wich in contrary not only in my history and experience but the WORLD and existence of record history

[Dean J Smith]

06:03 PM on 05/09/2012

I've read the Bible twice (KJV and Living Bible) cover-to-cover and the NT a few more. In America, most atheists were raised Christian. You're assuming a LOT.

[saj1000]

06:18 PM on 05/09/2012

Before you start calling other people ignorant, I really suggest an automatic spellchecker or something. You sound like you walked out of a meth lab in Kentucky. Seriously.

[notwaff]

01:21 PM on 05/05/2012

.....

ask any former atheist who is now a follower of Jesus and you'll see that the National Day of Prayer IS the National Day of Reason

.....

(Even Richard Dawkins has clarified that he is NOT to called an atheist)

[DakkonA]

01:57 PM on 05/05/2012

Source please?

[notwaff]

02:07 PM on 05/05/2012

Atheist Richard Dawkins is a self-described agnostic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9102740/Richard-Dawkins-I-cant-be-sure-God-does-not-exist.html

[Cye]

10:05 PM on 08/14/2012

In his book, the God Delusion, Dawkins says that he can't be 100% positive that god doesn't exist. And really, as a scientist, the scientific method prevents him from difinitively making that statement.

[Paul Robertson]

06:29 PM on 05/05/2012

"(Even Richard Dawkins has clarified that he is NOT to called an atheist)"
Ahh but on his scale of belief, he's as near as damnit. ;)

[youthemandme]

11:12 AM on 05/05/2012

isaiah 1:18 - "come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord"

[Bill Duckworth]

10:11 PM on 05/06/2012

Seculars do they have a lead that is 2000 years old and still remembered like Krishna, Buddha, Christ.

Ceasar? Kuan? Peter the great? What reason is today any different in the last 2000 years.

But then if you think Christ drop the Atomic Bomb, no that was Moses and the Secular USA Military/CIA.....

Since when is ignorance synonimous with reason

[Utopian Sky]

12:28 PM on 05/07/2012

Secular people are not sheep, we do not need a shepard.

We know how to think for ourselves.
Instead, we just have great philosophers and thinkers, great scientists and artists, who inspire us, who teach us, and on whose shoulders we stand.

Ignorance is not synonymous with reason.
Ignorance is synonymous with Religion.

Faith is by definition Ignorance raised to a virtue.
It is blindly believing in something you have no way of knowing to be true.