National Day Of Prayer, National Day Of Reason Marked By Christians And Atheists Respectively

Kelly Boorse, left, and Francisca McNeil, right, join others during a National Day of Prayer event, Thursday, May 3, 2012, at City Hall in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) Americans marked the National Day of Prayer Thursday (May 3), with Christians gathering on Capitol Hill to defend their right to pray as nonbelievers observed a "Day of Reason."

Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and the chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said the total of 40,000 observances across the U.S. for the National Day of Prayer "belies the fact of many skeptics saying that citizens in our nation no longer believe in prayer."

The American Humanist Association used Thursday to mark the National Day of Reason, and encouraged atheists, agnostics and nonbelievers to give blood or participate in counter demonstrations.

The annual observance on Capitol Hill featured more than three hours of worship and prayer for the nation's leaders and the military. But when it came time to pray for the executive branch, Bishop Harry Jackson, a Maryland megachurch pastor, critiqued the Obama administration for not defending the Defense of Marriage Act and urged prayer for "clarity of mission."

The White House did not send a representative to speak at the gathering, but as has been his practice, President Obama issued a proclamation to mark the prayer day.

"On this National Day of Prayer, we give thanks for our democracy that respects the beliefs and protects the religious freedom of all people to pray, worship, or abstain according to the dictates of their conscience," Obama said in his proclamation of the day, which was enacted into law in 1952.

Shin Inouye, a White House spokesman, said the president celebrates "prayer and faith through events like his recent Easter Prayer Breakfast" and "prays daily and deeply appreciates the important role that prayer plays in the lives of millions of Americans."

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Comments

[Alone2Alone]

07:31 PM on 08/28/2012

WHEN THE ATHEIST MET THE MYSTIC "In popular media, religion and atheism are viewed as locked in debate: religion represents revelation, dogma, and traditional values; atheism champions truth, science, honesty and innovation. Each charges the other with immorality, violence and repression of the human spirit, with atheism currently gaining the upper hand for many with its “slam-dunk” arguments against traditional belief. Yet many are currently questioning this simple opposition..... http://spiritualhuman.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/when-the-atheist-met-the-mystic/

[SarahRuth23]

03:24 PM on 07/10/2012

If you look back in the history of America, Atheists have generally become active in response to a rise in theocratic evangelism designed to impose religious beliefs.

Of course, the Theocrats have always claimed they were trying to "promote morality," or "family values," or "Christian values," but they have always been led by "religious" bigots who resorted to political grandstanding from behind their pulpits, trying to rule in the name of religion.

They did it in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson was running for president, and they accused Jefferson of being "Anti-Christian" merely because he insisted that religious freedom cannot exist unless government "builds a wall of separation between church and state."

The Theocrats rose up in the 1930s too, and then they started to come on strong in 1980 supporting Ronald Reagan for president. And during the last 30 years they've pretty much had their way -- from local school boards, to state legislatures to the Congress.

Now it's time to expose them for what they are: Hypocrites who serve Mammon, not God.

See the truth About Christianity, and its true purpose, at http://messenger.cjcmp.org/christianity.html..

[arachne646]

03:29 PM on 06/05/2012

Why can't we participate in both? Reason and religion don't have to be exclusive, unless you pick people like James Dobson and atheists who think religion means believing Adam and Eve rode on dinosaurs 10,000 years ago.

[Andrew McLaughlin1]

06:51 PM on 06/22/2012

but even if the smarter religious people don't believe that, there are some that do because of religion

[Esperito Vamos]

08:42 PM on 05/20/2012

Really, W. Ralph, it's all bunkum and squat. Please evolve.

[W Ralph Mangum]

11:30 AM on 05/17/2012

The mind of mortal humanity is a gift from God, but when mankind does not observe and obey the laws of Almighty God he will find that there are parameters, not to limit his will to explore, but to control his tendency to seek things he is not prepared to face and to curb his intolerable pride. Such is the state today in contemporary societies.

[W Ralph Mangum]

11:24 AM on 05/17/2012

No mortal man can intelligently present him- or her self as a living God, for he or she is not capable of creating and maintaining him- or her self independently of all else in the universe and is forever subject to universal death.

[W Ralph Mangum]

11:17 AM on 05/17/2012

When two sons or daughters of creation rise up togeather, early in the morning to celebrate the dawning of a new day, God is glorified.

[SarahRuth23]

10:47 PM on 05/09/2012

It is ironic to me that there is a perceived conflict between faith and reason, and that there is a perceived conflict between religion and science.

To me, realistic faith is based on reason, and realistic religion is compatible with science.

To me, the problem is that religion has been coopted by spiritually blind Theocrats, which has prompted atheists to fight back.

To me, the solution is a new reformation of religion so that religion serves its true purpose, and a reformation of government so that government promotes the general welfare, ensures justice for all, and is actually of, by and for the people.

That's what the message at http://messenger.cjcmp.org is all about.

[SylvreWolfe]

05:46 PM on 05/07/2012

The problem with a National Day of Prayer is the Congress isn't suppose to be mandating that we pray. It is also suppose to include ALL religions, but got hijacked by the religious right to shove their idea of christianity down our throats. If someone other than a christian tries to organize something, these guys, like Dobson, whine about how their religious rights are being trampled.

[RGShowers]

04:53 PM on 05/05/2012

It is a marvelous coincidence - whether or not intended by the 1952 authors of the American version of National Day of Prayer - that this holiday falls together with the Scandinavian version of The Great Day of Prayer. This was in turn inspired by the Great Day of Prayer celebrated in the Germanic countries (still celebrated ini Germany, Switzerland and Austria). The day during the European Wars of Religion, when Anabaptists would hold large prayer meetings for peace, instead of meeting the violence of Catholics, Lutherans and Calvinists with more violence. As the wars dragged on and became the Thirty Years War, Ctholics, Lutherans and Calvinists also gathered to pray for an end to war in the name of religion.

Both secular and religious authorities resisted this grass roots initiative, but the people won out. The day is on our calendar.

How ironic that some so-called Christians - see article above - want to take a holiday which celebrated the seperation of church and state and turn it into a triumph of church over state. But those who live by the sword die by the sword. Bishop Harry Jackson may wish to show his power over the kingdoms of this world (as Satan promised to those who fall down before him) but the Day of Prayer still stands as a reminder of non-violence.

See: http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D10106.php

[AntithiChrist]

03:47 PM on 05/05/2012

What did these thousands of people pray for? Can we break it down and test the results for prayer effectiveness? Sorry, it's that reasonable thing again.

[Esperito Vamos]

08:45 PM on 05/20/2012

I'd settle just for a guy walking on water. We can't even get a run-of-the-mill "See, I told you so!" miracle these days.