U.S. Representative Mike Honda supports secular alternative to National Day of Prayer
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org
(Washington, D.C., April 29, 2015)—Today, United States Representative Mike Honda (CA-17) introduced U.S. House Resolution 228, which would celebrate May 7, 2015, as the National Day of Reason. This is the first time that a National Day of Reason resolution has been introduced in Congress.
“Each day, scientists and engineers in my Silicon Valley district are developing innovative new technologies through the use of the scientific method and the application of reason,” said Rep. Honda upon introduction of the resolution. “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.”
“Millions of nontheist Americans reject prayer as a method for solving individual and societal problems, and so they’re understandably alienated when elected officials endorse a National Day of Prayer,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, “Let’s seek a more universal option.”
The American Humanist Association worked closely with Rep. Honda and his staff to introduce this resolution, which is co-sponsored by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC). In previous years, Rep. Honda and Del. Norton have also supported the National Day of Reason by entering statements into the congressional record in favor of its observance.
The American Humanist Association commemorates the National Day of Reason on the first Thursday in May in response to a resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1952, instituting a National Day of Prayer. This inclusive and secular alternative honors reason, which religious and nonreligious Americans can support together. The resolution asserts that “those who wrote the Constitution of the United States…based it upon principles delineated within the philosophies distinguishing the historical Age of Reason.” The day also raises awareness about the dangers of blurring the lines that separate church and state.
This year’s National Day of Reason is also supported by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts; Omaha, Nebraska, Mayor Jean Stothert; Bellevue, Nebraska, Mayor Rita Sanders; and Delaware Governor Jack A. Markell, who have all issued proclamations declaring May 7 as a Day of Reason. Efforts are ongoing to introduce other proclamations and resolutions at the state and local levels.
Humanists across the country will celebrate the National Day of Reason by hosting public rallies, lectures and other events. More information about these festivities and about the National Day of Reason can be found at NationalDayofReason.org.
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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other non-religious Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.