Counter "Day of Prayer' with Positive Action

Secular groups nationwide are invited to join In a program to donate blood on the first Thursday in May each year. Life-Saving Action, Not Passive Prayer, Is Our Message. If you decry the so-called "National Day of Prayer" as a forced encroachment of religion into our official calendar, join the Center For Atheism (CFA) in celebrating the supremacy of reason by donating blood on May 4, in a nationwide program. In 2005, CFA sought a way to celebrate the newly renamed (by secularists) "Day of Reason."  CFA wanted to make a public statement about how non-religious people might observe the day and at the same time let America know that there are millions of us who do not pray. They were looking for a positive alternative to prayer, something that would reflect the life-affirming ideas of nonbelievers. Someone suggested the idea of donating blood as a group. It seemed to fit the idea of "positive protest": It is a gift that gives life to others. A group of New York City atheists went to the New York Blood Bank to donate blood and sign up for organ-donor programs. The Blood Bank was delighted to have us and even allowed us to post our Atheist banner as we took pictures. Blood banks nationwide are eager for donations, will accommodate groups and encourage publicizing group donations. Blood donation proved to be a simple way that any secular person can observe the Day of Reason in a positive way. Everyone can take part: There is no marching or picketing, no placards to make or carry, no permit is necessary, there is no confrontation with authorities or the religious community. We called our blood donation program B.L.O.O.D., an acronym for Benefiting Lives Of Others Donations. Do it every year on the Day of Reason. To start your own B.L.O.O.D. program, it's simple. Here's what you do:

1) Find your local blood bank by accessing www.americasblood.org

2) Phone the blood bank to make arrangements for a group donation. You will find them amazingly supportive and accommodating.

3) Notify your local newspaper, TV and other media that your group is doing this and why.

It's simple, it's positive, it's effective. Come on, AGNOSTICS, ATHEISTS, FREETHINKERS, HUMANISTS, NON BELIEVERS, SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE ADVOCATES, join us in our Positive Protest against the Day of Prayer!

Also see: 

FFRF

National Day of Reason

The "National Day of Prayer" falls on the first Thursday of May, according to federal law. That this country should have such a law is shocking enough, but the exploitation of religion by politicians on this day each year is horrendous.