Dear Friend,
How would you feel if your Mayor, Senator, Governor, or even the President asked you to join them in a sectarian prayer?
Believe it or not, every year politicians around the country do just that at government meetings to honor the National Day of Prayer, recognized on the first Thursday of May. Government recognition of the National Day of Prayer began in the 1950’s with an act of Congress, and the President has issued a National Day of Prayer proclamation almost every year since.
Not only do government officials use this day to participate in an egregious violation of the separation between church and state, but they also alienate millions of humanists like you and me and others who look to reason—not prayer—to solve problems.
That’s why I’m proud to announce that—for the first time ever—a member of Congress is willing to stand strong for National Day of Reason, the alternative to National Day of Prayer. Thanks to our lobbying efforts, Rep. Mike Honda (CA-17) recently introduced H. Res. 228 to recognize May 7 as National Day of Reason!
The National Day of Reason—a concept that all Americans can support—was created as an alternative to the National Day of Prayer to raise awareness of unconstitutional religious intrusion in government. This bill aims to encourage Americans to use “reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to the resolution of human problems.”
Rep. Honda summed up why we need this resolution when he said that “I am introducing a resolution declaring a National Day of Reason because the application of reason, more than any other means, has proven to offer hope for human survival on Earth, improved the conditions in which we live, and cultivated intelligent, moral, and ethical behaviors and interactions among people.”
I hope you agree—observances which benefit from government support must strive to include all Americans, not just those of certain religious beliefs.
Sincerely,
Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director
P.S. National Day of Reason is more than just about lobbying government—many of our over 190 AHA Chapters and Affiliates hold celebratory gatherings and conduct service projects to raise awareness of the secular community. Visit nationaldayofreason.org to see what’s happening near you.