Filed by Trevor at 9:05 pm under Activism, Atheism, Religion, Social Issues

The National Day of Prayer is on May 3rd, and Atheist Volunteers are spearheading an alternative campaign; whether theist, pagan, or otherwise, I encourage you to get behind this.

Atheists to Counter “National Day of Prayer” with Blood Donations

Lifesaving Action, Not Passive Prayer, Is the Message

What do you do on May 3, 2007, the “National Day of Prayer,” if you are an atheist, do not believe in prayer and are opposed to the observance of a prayer day being imposed on all American citizens?

While Believers are praying on May 3rd (an act that has been scientifically proven to be ineffective), groups of atheists will go to Blood Banks in scores of U.S. locales to donate their blood and sign up for organ donation programs. It is a nationwide action which we hope will point out that there are alternatives to silently beseeching a deity to perform miracles.

“While religious people are on their knees, we atheists will be on our feet, giving a part of ourselves for the benefit of humanity,” says Kenneth Bronstein, founder of the Center For Atheism, an informational and activist group based in New York City. “We know that prayer does not work — but medical science does.”

How can you join the effort?

1.) Find your local blood bank by accessing www.americasblood.org or http://www.givelife.org, then type in your zip code to find your local blood bank
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.
4.) Visit www.atheistvolunteers.org to log your donation.

Before I say anything else, I feel strongly that the combative tone (primarily in the video) and the implication that only atheists are invited to give blood severely undercuts the effectiveness of this otherwise fantastic social project; it’s as bad as fundamentalists excluding everyone but believers from their activities. Wake up! It’s not Us against Them, and no matter what background you come from, shame on you for propagating this falsehood. I also disagree with the notion that prayer is completely ineffective — but not for religious reasons, mind you. Scientifically effective or not, it undeniably provides hope to many, which is invaluable in times of crisis. I understand this may not be true for some, but it is certainly true for me. It might all just be a delusion, and it might give false hope, but I’ll take that if need be.

These criticisms notwithstanding, I think this is a marvelous idea, particularly since atheists are basically considered non-entities in modern religious discourse, consistently stereotyped as angry, hopeless militants whose sole goal is to erase the Church from modern-day society. Quite the contrary, actually. If anything, they have proven not only to be far more interested in the pursuit of truth than your average believer, but also even more concerned about the state of our world at large; when you believe that this is all there is, it behooves you to take strong measures to ensure the well-being of our society.

Therefore, I amend the Atheist Volunteers proclamation thusly: whatever your religious background may be, whether or not you find prayer useful at all, get off your knees and on your feet and give blood on May 3rd. Let your actions be your prayer.