blog.noetech.com

What the House passed was a resolution--not a law. In other words, Federal law will not be mandating that all citizens of the US engage in "prayer, fasting, and humility." It's really more of a symbolic gesture than anything else.

Thanks for the correction, but I still don't feel that it is the governments place to encourage prayer.

1775:
The first day of prayer was declared when the Continental Congress
"designated a time for prayer in forming a new nation."

1795-FEB-19:
George Washington proclaimed a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.

Circa 1813:
President James Madison proclaimed a day of prayer. He later said such
proclamations are not appropriate. "They seem to imply and certainly
nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion." 14

1808:
Thomas Jefferson also opposed declarations of national days of prayer by
the Federal government. He wrote "Fasting and prayer are religious
exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious
society has a right to determine for itself the time for these
exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to  their own
particular tenets; and right can never be safer than in their hands,
where the Constitution has deposited it." 15

1863-MAR-30:
Abraham Lincoln signed a Congressional resolution of MAR-3 which called
for a day of fasting and prayer. 12

1952-APR-17:
A bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer (NDP) was unanimously passed
by congress. President Truman signed it into law. It required the
President to select a day for national prayer each year.

1972:
The National Prayer Committee was created. It is a Christian
inter-denominational group, drawn primarily from the Christian Right.
The National Day of Prayer Task Force is a project of that committee.

1988:
A bill was introduced to Congress which fixed the annual day at the
first Thursday in May. The Senate bill, S 1378, was introduced by Stron
Thurmond (R-SC); a matching House version was initiated by Tony Hall,
(D-OH). It received broad bipartisan sponsorship and support, and became
Public Law 100-307. It was signed into law by President Reagan on
1988-MAY-5. He commented:
"On our National Day of Prayer, then, we join together as people of many
faiths to petition God to show us His mercy and His love, to heal our
weariness and uphold our hope, that we might live ever mindful of His
justice and thankful for His blessing."

1993 to 1998:
The concept of the NDP being an inter-faith event was echoed by
subsequent presidents in their proclamations. President Clinton has
written:

1993:
"Through prayer our people take a moment away from the concerns of
everyday life to understand the greater power that gives us guidance. 
We come together in an act common to all religions." 

1994:
"I encourage the citizens of this great Nation to gather, each in his or
her own manner, to recognize our blessings, acknowledge our wrongs, to
remember the needy, to seek guidance for our challenging future, and to
give thanks for the abundance we have enjoyed throughout our history."

1995:
"I call upon every citizen of this great Nation to gather together on
that day to pray, each in his or her own manner, for God's continued
guidance and blessing."

1996:
"And though our citizens come from every nation on Earth and observe an
extraordinary variety of religious faith [sic] and traditions, prayer
remains at the heart of the American spirit."

1997:
"...let us uphold the tradition of observing a day in which every
American, in his or her own way, may come before God seeking increased
peace, guidance, and wisdom for the challenges ahead." 7

1998:
"In every city, town, and rural community across our country, people of
every religious denomination gather to worship according to their faith.
In churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, Americans come together
to pray." 9

1999:
According to some reports, all 50 U.S. state governors and several
governors of U.S. territories proclaimed the National Day of Prayer
within their jurisdictions. Other sources of information indicate that a
few state governors did not issue proclamations. An Evangelical Press
News Service posting on 1999-MAY-14 mentioned that Jesse Ventura,
governor of Minnesota refused to issue a proclamation for the NDP
because of separation of church and state issues. He commented"There are
people out there who are Atheists, who don't believe at all. They are
all citizens of Minnesota, and I have to respect that." Ventura signed a
statement of recognition instead; it acknowledged that the NDP existed,
but did not offer state support for it. Minnesota Family Council
President Tom Prichard criticized Ventura. "I'm perplexed to think the
governor would refuse to issue a prayer proclamation, something
President Clinton and many other governors have proclaimed this year,
but would issue a proclamation for the Rolling Stones [on 1999-FEB-15].
In a time of school shootings and international turmoil, we should be
encouraging prayer all the time. I would think the governor at the very
least would give the same recognition to a day of prayer that he gave to
Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones." There is, of course, no
constitutional requirement for the separation of music and state, as
there is between church and state.

2000:
Texas Metroplex Atheists announced that they would hold a peaceful
demonstration at the NDP event in Bedford TX on 2000-MAY-4. The national
headquarters of the Christian Coalition is located in this city. They
are not protesting prayer itself; they are opposed to the use of tax
money and public property to encourage religious devotion. 18 Similar
demonstrations will be held in Dallas, TX; Orlando, FL; and Detroit, MI.
"In Washington, D.C., NDOP organizers stage a prayer ceremony on capitol
hill, and an afternoon rally on the steps of the capitol building.  The
Nationally Broadcast Concert of Prayer (NBCOP) will air Thursday night
[MAY-4] on radio stations from 8 - 11 p.m. from the Prestonwood Baptist
Church in Dallas, Texas." 20

2001:
The 50th National Day of Prayer was held on MAY-3. Its organizers
estimate that about 2.5 million people attended the approximately 40,000
events across the U.S. Several representatives of American Atheists
protested at Andover, KS, city hall where one event took place. They
objected to the apparent violation of the principle of church and state
which occurred when the religious meeting was held in a government
building. 

Thank you for that link, Mojo.

I skimmed through some of what was posted above and it pissed me off. Where does one man, such as the president, get off telling me, or any body else, when to go and pray. It seems like if you want to be rewarded in life you have to be religious. For example, I'm a student. I will be attending college next fall. While scholarship searching, I noticed that there are all sorts of Religious scholarships and not a single one for atheist. This leads me to believe that what society is trying to say is "If you believe in God, we'll bend over backwards to help you. But if you don't believe in God, well... you're pretty screwed and don't look to me for help"

I agree that the world is tuned for religious people, but the lack of atheist scholarships is the fault of atheists. Anyway, I wouldn't want to be rewarded for what I believe, rather for what I've done or am capable of doing.