Can you get up off your knees?/Are you brave enough to see?/Do you wanna change it?

Tomorrow, many members of our nation's Christian majority will "observe" their National Day of Prayer (status as a government holiday in dispute) by doing something their Bible says they should also be doing the other 364 days of the year: dropping to their knees, clasping their hands, and talking to the god they believe is listening.  The NDoP Task Force has even been gracious enough to invite members of all religions to do the same (they do have to pander to the religious left, of course), though their instructions are specifically tailored for praying to Jesus.


Good for them.  Their praying does me no injury, and I would strongly oppose any measure to restrict it.  What I do oppose is having a legislative mandate for the President to lead it.  Obama can lead it if he wants to - that's his right as an American, and he can say whatever he wants to the country when he has a microphone in front of him.  It should be his choice, just as it's his choice to acknowledge other religious holidays throughout the year.

While the judicial battle over this event's status as a government-recognized holiday carries on, many atheist and secular humanist groups throughout the country are organizing "National Day of Reason" events in protest.  Many are dedicating the day to volunteer projects to show that two hands working are worth a hundred million clasped in prayer.  Atheists in New York City are organizing to donate blood, which I would have arranged to do tomorrow had I not just done so last week.


I'll be spending the day on the job, so volunteer work is probably out of the question.  I'll make an effort to use my brain to solve a difficult problem, though that's something I try to do every day.  To be honest, I don't think reason needs a special day, and it shouldn't have to be seen as an antithesis to a federal law.  Here's hoping that the courts rule to privatize prayer and take this silly mandate out of our law books for good.