Congressman Wants A 'National Day Of Reason' As Atheist Alternative To Day Of Prayer

[trotsky]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/national-day-of-reason_us_570e7143e4b08a2d32b89ad5

Each year, on the first Thursday of May, elected officials gather in Washington, D.C., and around the country for the National Day of Prayer. It's a day when public servants from the president on down encourage Americans of all faiths to pray and contemplate the role of the divine in their lives. But 20 percent of Americans identify as religiously unaffiliated or simply don't believe in God -- and many of them aren't comfortable with the idea of a government-sanctioned occasion that shuts them out entirely.

This week, Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced a resolution to create a secular alternative to the National Day of Prayer. The one-time occasion, known as the National Day of Reason, would be observed on Thursday, May 5, the same day as this year's National Day of Prayer. According to the resolution's authors, the National Day of Reason would provide an opportunity for the religious and non-religious alike to come together and recognize "the importance of reason in the betterment of humanity."

"The application of reason has proven to improve the conditions in which people live, offer hope for human survival on Earth, and cultivated intelligent, moral, and ethical behaviors and interactions among people," said Honda in a Tuesday press release. "I encourage everyone to take this occasion to reflect upon the way that philosophical principles developed during the Age of Reason influenced our Founding Fathers as they formed our country and how the employment of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry can help resolve human problems and improve the welfare of humankind.”

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended. This seems like a reasonable idea. eom

[ladjf]

2. I think that it would be a mistake the "Day of Reason" with the entire "Atheist"

group. That would be making inaccurate assumptions in many cases. Better to have just "Day of Reason". Maybe in the future we could "One Week of Reason".

[trotsky]

3. "Atheist" appears to be HuffPo's addition.

Rep. Honda's resolution appears to only refer to the event as the National Day of Reason. The words "atheist" or "atheism" do not appear in the text.

[ladjf]

4. Good. The "Day of Reason" would clearly standalone. nt

[NeoGreen]

5. Why just a "day"...

...can't we do better than that?

[Iggo]

8. I say we do all 365.

They can have 2/29.

[NeoGreen]

9. I'd be good with that...

...can't always have it all I suppose.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. Two reasons it won't fly

First, there isn't much reason on Capital Hill. Second, too many xtians think that this somehow threatens their religion.

[Iggo]

7. Cinco De Mayo is the National Day Of Prayer?

[trotsky]

10. I know which event I'll be celebrating! n/t

[Fumesucker]

11. An entire day? That seems ambitious

Perhaps we should start with something a little closer to reality, how about the National Minute of Reason.

[NeoGreen]

12. All too true...

...even one the duration of a shake would be too much for some.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shake_%28unit%29

[trotsky]

13. Baby steps! n/t