fayfreethinkers.com

Why a "National Day of Reason?"

Many who value the separation of religion and government have sought an appropriate response to the federally-supported National Day of Prayer, an annual abuse of the constitution. Nontheistic Americans (including freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, and deists), along with many traditionally religious allies, view such government-sanctioned sectarianism as unduly exclusionary.

A consortium of leaders from within the community of reason endorsed the idea of a National Day of Reason. This observance is held in parallel with the National Day of Prayer, on the first Thursday in May (1 May 2008). The goal of this effort is to celebrate reason - a concept all Americans can support - and to raise public awareness about the persistent threat to religious liberty posed by government intrusion into the private sphere of worship.

The Day of Reason also exists to inspire the secular community to be visible and active on this day to set the right example for how to effect positive change. Local organizations might use "Day of Reason" to label their events, or they might choose labels such as Day of Action, Day of Service, or Rational Day of Care. The important message is to provide a positive, useful, constitutional alternative to the exclusionary National Day of Prayer.

More:

http://www.nationaldayofreason.org/

A Prayer For National Day Of Prayer

by tristero

Guess what?

It's (cue seraphim to blast their trumpets) National Day of Prayer. And Shirley Dobson , wife of James, is the chairman of the "National Day of Prayer Task Force." Now hold on to your hats, folks: The "national event" down in Washington for this holy shebang will feature a keynote by none other than Oliver North! Gotta hand it to those christianists, they believe in redemption for convicted criminals. I'm guessing they were going to invite Wayne Dumond, the serial rapist whose cause was championed by Michael Huckabee, but he had a prior date with his Destiny. Still, the choice of North as keynote speaker makes a similar point.

I think it is only fitting to offer up a prayer for this special occasion. Here it is:

Dear God and/or the Unnameable and/or Allah and/or Flying Spaghetti Monster and/or Vaguely Defined Divine Force and/or Completely Secular Processes And Events That Contrive A Better Future, Dear All Of You, be you natural, subnatural, or supernatural:

I fervently pray/hope/promise to work to ensure that the sleazy scumbags, felons, and anti-American theocrats involved in this National Day of Prayer are nowhere near the seats of power in the United States one year hence. And I also pray/hope/promise to work for the elimination of the National Day of Prayer, an egregiously awful violation of the Constitution that has been, as anyone familiar with American politics could have predicted, increasingly coopted by a fanatical group of nuts to establish their own religion."

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