For decades, the National Day of Prayer has been observed—unconstitutionally—by officials at all levels of government, most notably proclaimed by every president since Truman. When elected leaders conduct religious ceremonies and events, they endorse and favor a particular religious belief, using taxpayers’ money while doing so. When they call upon all Americans to join them in this particularly sectarian exercise, they defy our Constitution.
In response, the National Day of Reason was established in 2003 to coincide with the National Day of Prayer, observed annually on the first Thursday of May. This was not done merely to express opposition but also to give an alternative view, a positive vision for tackling the country’s problems: reason over faith and good works over wishful thinking.
The crises and challenges facing our nation can seem staggering at times, and it’s only natural that Americans would want to turn to a higher power for solutions. But we know that human beings have it within themselves to make their world a better place, by applying the tools of science and reason, by living the values of compassion and charity, by taking action in this world rather than asking for favors from the next.
Official observance of the National Day of Prayer is a violation of our basic constitutional principles, essentially classifying the nonreligious as “less American” than those who subscribe to a specific faith. But even worse, by insisting that we must submit to a deity to solve our problems, it robs Americans of our ability to find our own strength and take responsibility for our country and our fellow citizens.
On the National Day of Reason, we affirm that it is within each of us to make this country as prosperous, as secure, and as good as we want it to be.
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