While many recognize today, Thursday, May 5, 2011, as the National Day of Prayer, I am writing to recognize it as the 2011 National Day of Reason.
The National Day of Reason, observed by millions of people in this country and around the world since 2003, celebrates the application of reason and the positive impacts it has had on humanity. Reason and rational discourse have the power to improve living conditions around the world and cultivate intelligent, moral, and ethical interactions among people.
Reason and rational thinking have made our country great. The Constitution of the United States of America is based upon the philosophies developed during the historical Age of Reason and the idea that citizens engaging in rational discourse and decision-making can govern themselves. The Constitution also contains a strong separation of church and state, making it clear that government should continue to be built on reason.
Our nation faces many problems -- ending two wars, creating jobs, educating our children, tackling our budget, and protecting our safety net. Although the gravity of these issues may drive many to prayer, the way we will solve them is through the application of reason.
The National Day of Reason is also about taking time to improve our communities -- whether that means holding a blood drive or collecting items for the local food bank. It is also about ensuring that our government represents citizens of all beliefs and backgrounds.
I encourage everyone to join in observing this day and focusing upon the employment of reason, critical thinking, the scientific method, and free inquiry to the resolution of human problems and for the welfare of human kind. It is the duty and responsibility of every American to promote the development and application of reason.
Follow Rep. Pete Stark on Twitter: www.twitter.com/petestark
Mike Ghouse: Muslim Canadians Should Ease Out of Prayers in Public School
About the same time the United States govenment was being formed there was a government in France being formed. This government was founded much more on the teachings of the Enlightenment, and relied more on the innate wisdom of people than on getting wisdom from a god or gods.
How did each government turn out ?
Of course, if the Founding Fathers had used the Bible as the source, that would explain all the slavery.
No thank you.
I think the deists have the only intelligible "religion" to date.
How about a day of peace, you know, the antithesis of religion?
That said, I have known people who reached for higher spiritual awareness in life, and others who have striven for greater knowledge through scientific study (who have never really adopted a dogmatic approach to spirituality, or any at all of which I am aware). And yet, of these two groups there are those whom I call my Friends.
The differences between Faith and Reason could not be more clear to me, but as a liberal of the classical tradition, I see no need to try to conflate the two or to believe that they MUST be diametrically opposed to one another; if you read even the most cursory biography of P.T. de Chardin's life, philosophy, and work then you will see why.
I am a person of faith. However, Faith and Reason are NOT mutually exclusive. Faith, in whatever form that may be for a person, is important. So is reason. As is rational, critical thinking.
If we hold that it is up to the private sector to create jobs, then, one, the government should not be blamed for joblessness and, two, we the people (the government) should penalize private businesses for shirking their responsibility.
The mandate for government to protect an individual's "Life, Liberty and Property" is found in the works of the great Enlightenment scholar John Locke:
“Man... hath by nature a power.... to preserve his property - that is, his life, liberty, and estate - against the injuries and attempts of other men.”
And:
“The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.”
Finally, Natural Law according to Locke has an immutable source:
“The Bible is one of the greatest blessings bestowed by God on the children of men.- It has God for its author; salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture for its matter.- It is all pure.”
This was in a letter by Locke to Rev. Richard King, Aug. 25, 1703, and is found in "The Works of John Locke, Vol IX, 1824. pp 305-306.
You can view a scan of the original quote at: http://files.libertyfund.org/files/1726/0128-09_Bk.pdf
Looks like Locke and Rep. Stark have incompatible views on the basis of Reason.
Any thoughts, anyone?
Go far enough and we all have fundamental axioms that we consider true (that cannot be proven) that we take on "faith", a metaphysics, that affects the world that we see and how we act in the world.
Most of our thoughts and actions and such are unconscious, even 'reason'.
The trick is to be able to suss out these game rules that we all follow, to be able to try out different instruments, so to see what becomes more 'real' and what disappears. To be less intimidated by the worlds that we create and live in.
But thanks for playing.
Where and from whom, 'Pray Tell' is this "Reason" going to come from?
You?........ Liberals??............ Progressives???
"God Save Us All!"
Humans!
You 'Really' think you're in control of your body and mind?
We do, however, need a national day of reason. I cannot think of a better way to honour our founding fathers than to celebrate the reason, which was the logic behind or split from England and our Constitution. In an age where division is the norm, we need a reminder that facts and reason should be the fondation of decisions and not ideology.