National Day of Non-Prayer?

;-)

Robin and Walter,

I like the way your think!

that's what today we would call "pandering."

on the religious views of our founders (to quote myself...):

They were “Deists” – the sort of fuzzy philosophical “religion” Christians rail about. The God of Deism created the Universe and its physical laws, but stays out of earthly affairs. He does not write scripture and is not interested in us or our salvation. Dutch Reformed minister William Linn, in his 1800 pamphlet, Serious Considerations on the Election of a President, accused JEFFERSON of not believing in divine revelation, trying to destroy religion and seeking to “introduce immorality.” He warned that an “infidel like Jefferson could not, should not, be elected.” The problem was that Jefferson believed Jesus was a great moral teacher, but not the Son of God. Jefferson had no use for the Old Testament, and edited all the miracles and dogma out of the New Testament to create a tidy little handbook commonly called “The Jefferson Bible.” You can see how this would have upset Minister Linn. Interestingly, from its publication in 1904 until 1957, when Christian congressmen put an end to it, freshmen members of congress were given a copy of Jefferson’s apocryphal Bible.

MADISON was more discrete than Jefferson in dismissing Christianity. Nonetheless Episcopal Bishop of Virginia, William Meade, said Madison “left the impression on my mind that his creed was not strictly regulated by the Bible.”

ADAMS, in a letter to Jefferson, said, “The question before the human race is, whether the God of Nature shall govern the world by His own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?”

FRANKLIN wrote, “Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle’s Lectures. It happened that they wrought an effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist.”

Ashbel Green, Presbyterian minister and chaplain to Congress during WASHINGTON’s administration, lamented that “while Washington was very deferential to religion and its ceremonies, like nearly all the founders of the Republic, he was not a Christian, but a Deist.”

Had this not been the case, the U.S. would have be just another nation beholden to ancient scripture.

The Words of George Washington : "Thursday next the 20th. Instant, be observed by the Inhabitants of all the english Colonies upon this Continent, as a Day of public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer; that they may with united Hearts and Voice unfeignedly confess their Sins before God, and supplicate the all wise and merciful disposer of events, to avert the Desolation and Calamities of an unnatural war".

""National Day of Reason." Who could object to a president promoting reason?"

Reason may result in providing practical solutions to global problems, as famine, malnutrition, education, hygiene, access to resources etc. If one is to seek a solution through reason and based on evidence several of our national interests would be compromised. God's will to condemn millions of people to suffering is a much safer way out of solving the problem.
God bless inequality!

prayer09,
i've got no problem with christians declaring a national prayer day (heck, they declare every sunday that). my problem is when they use PUBLIC MONEY to do it.

if interested see my post here (http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/godingovernment/2009/05/not_day_of_prayer_event_for_president_obama.html) quoting james madison on the matter of congressional chaplains.

robinlandseadel,

it always amuses me when someone says something like, "they came to america for the freedom to pray and worship".

well, what was wrong with "praying and worshipping" in europe? ah...yes...the problem was other RELIGIOUS people. the only reason we need protections like "freedom of religion" and "separation of church and state" are religious people. freedom of religion is freedom from other RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. atheists don't care what your religion is.

Hmm, the post by DCWCA is a bit baffling. It seems a bit too convenient to always have some way of blaming the other side when it comes to problems in the world. Are you seriously saying that most of the problems in this world are due to people not following God's laws (whatever those laws may be...based on individual interpretation of holy scriptures)? When you say "because most religions thru the millenia have disposed of those laws," does this include Christianity?

Prayer09: "Attorney Alan Sears put it well when he said: “This nation was founded, settled, and populated by people seeking, first and foremost, the freedom to pray and worship"

Wrong.

This country was founded by people who were attempting to get away from religious nuts telling them how to pray, and other folks who were out to make a buck, including an assortment of criminals and undesirables being shipped out of their homelands and a clutch of slaveholders & slaves. The need to get away from religious intolerance is a dominant theme among settlers to the new world, not some overwhelming desire to prepare the way for James Dobson & his ilk.

Many of these criticisms come from groups that have everything upside down. The National Day of Prayer was proclaimed in 1775 by Gen. George Washington to encourage all religions to promote fasting and prayer in their own ways. There have been 134 national calls for prayer, humiliation, fasting and thanksgiving by the President (1789 to 2008). Nothing prevents Jews, Muslims, etc. from creating their own national prayer committees to contribute to this historic, national observance. Some critics actually go as far as to say that our organization violates separation of church and state by promoting state ceremonies with governors. This might give the impression that government participated in religion and that this violates the First Amendment. Since President Reagan’s 1988 proclamation establishing the first Thursday in May as annual date for the National Day of Prayer established into law by President Truman in 1952 , Christian groups eagerly created national and local prayer committees. Today there are tens of thousands of Christian-oriented events on the 1st Thursday of every May. Jews, however, do not respond in the same way. Virtually no synagogues participate. My research has revealed little to no events in the newspapers or Internet advertising events sponsored by other faiths as well. Instead other faiths demand penetration into Christian groups or else, incredibly, an end of the National Day of Prayer completely.

Attorney Alan Sears put it well when he said: “This nation was founded, settled, and populated by people seeking, first and foremost, the freedom to pray and worship; a government proclamation doesn’t compel anyone to continue that tradition…it merely recognizes a love for God and religious freedom that still pulses in the hearts of most Americans. But when the government simply acknowledges that a religious observance is taking place, and makes it a point to tell everyone in the country they’re invited to join in – and you choose, for reasons of your own, not to participate – and no one shows up at your door to arrest you, or to see that you’re fired, or to summon you to an IRS audit – that’s called “freedom.” http://townhall.com/Columnists/AlanSears/2009/03/18/preying_on_prayer?page=1

Millions of Americans now participate in the National Day of Prayer each year (1st Thursday in May). Last May 1st, tens of thousands of prayer gatherings were held, covering every state. “Day of Prayer” declarations were made from the President of the United States and all 50 governors. Prayer observances were held in 110 federal prisons, YMCAs, national monuments, Indian reservations, military bases, stadiums, nursing homes, airliners crossing our nation, schools, town halls, in the Senate and Congressional chambers of many state capitols, and overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to these public activities, people gathered to pray in their homes, churches, and other private places.

>>National Day of Reason.

Human reason?

If so, wouldn't put much hope in that, considering the history of mankind.

When someone truly doesn't understand our origins and reason for being on this earth...wisdom is certainly lacking. God is not the problem. God's laws are certainly not the problem..because most religions thru the millenia have disposed of those laws. That was the basic beginning of our problems.