The National Day of Reason is a

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

celebration for

humanists Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

atheists Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

, secularists, and

freethinkers Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

. The day is celebrated annually on the first Thursday in May, in response to the statutory observance of a

National Day of Prayer The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". The president is required by law () to sign a ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, which many atheist and secular groups deem unconstitutional. The purpose of the National Day of Reason is to "celebrate

reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lang ...

—a concept all Americans can support—and to raise public awareness about the persistent threat to religious liberty posed by government intrusion into the private sphere of worship." The National Day of Reason is also meant to help build community among the non-religious in the United States.

History

The National Day of Reason was created by the

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constituti ...

and the Washington Area Secular Humanists in 2003. In addition to serving as a holiday for constitutionalists and secularists, the National Day of Reason was created in response to the perceived unconstitutionality of the

. According to the organizers of the National Day of Reason, the National Day of Prayer, "violates the

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

because it asks federal,

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, and

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...

entities to set aside tax dollar supported time and space to engage in religious ceremonies". In 2005, the New York City–based Center for Atheism began to strongly advocate for observers of the National Day of Reason to celebrate in a positive manner. They decided to donate blood as a group in order to make a "public statement about the life-affirming ideas of nonbelievers." The National Day of Reason has taken some time to gain popularity, however, over time, more local and state governments have been giving the Day of Reason official recognition. In 2011 and 2012, Representative

Pete Stark Fortney Hillman Stark Jr. (November 11, 1931 – January 24, 2020), known as Pete Stark, was an American businessman and politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 2013. A Democrat from California, S ...

supported a proclamation in support of the National Day of Reason in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. For the first time, a resolution to honor the National Day of Reason was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The resolution, U.S. House Resolution 228, was proposed by Representative

Mike Honda Michael Makoto "Mike" Honda (born June 27, 1941) is an American politician and former educator. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in Congress from 2001 to 2017. Initially involved in education in California, he first became active in ...

on April 29, 2015. Another resolution to designate the National Day of Reason was sponsored by Representative

Jared Huffman Jared William Huffman (born February 18, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 2nd congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2006 to 2012, Huffman w ...

in 2018.

Activities

Several organizations associated with the National Day of Reason have organized food drives and

blood donations A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called fractionation (separation of whole blood components). Donation may be of whole bloo ...

, while other groups have called for an end to prayer invocations at city meetings. Other organizations, such as the Oklahoma Atheists and the

Minnesota Atheists Minnesota Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to promote the positive contributions of atheism and to maintain the separation of state and church and is the largest atheist organization in the state of Minnesota. It is affil ...

, have organized local secular celebrations as alternatives to the

. Additionally, many individuals affiliated with these

atheistic Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

groups choose to protest the

. Some politicians have supported the National Day of Reason. In

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

, Mayor Jean Stothert signed a proclamation supporting the National Day of Reason and urging all citizens to "promote the development and application of reason. Her proclamation never once mentions a non belief in God or Prayer." City governments who affirm the National Day of Prayer have also been asked to consider affirming the National Day of Reason as well.

Notes

External links

* {{official website, nationaldayofreason.org
Secular Week of Action

Day of Reason resolution introduced in US House of Representatives (2021)
May observances Irreligion in the United States Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month) Atheism in the United States Unofficial observances