And they wonder why it pisses us off!

Here is the National Day of Prayer proclamation set out by our illustrious president:

Presidential Proclamation–National Day of Prayer

A PROCLAMATION

Throughout our history, whether in times of great joy and thanksgiving, or in times of great challenge and uncertainty, Americans have turned to prayer.  In prayer, we have expressed gratitude and humility, sought guidance and forgiveness, and received inspiration and assistance, both in good times and in bad.

 On this day, let us give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed upon our Nation.  Let us rejoice for the blessing of freedom both to believe and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and opportunities that bring us together as one Nation.  Let us ask for wisdom, compassion, and discernment of justice as we address the great challenges of our time.

 We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences.  Prayer has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation.

 Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to render aid.  Let us pray for the families of the West Virginia miners, and the people of Poland who so recently and unexpectedly lost many of their beloved leaders.  Let us pray for the safety and success of those who have left home to serve in our Armed Forces, putting their lives at risk in order to make the world a safer place.  As we remember them, let us not forget their families and the substantial sacrifices that they make every day.  Let us remember the unsung heroes who struggle to build their communities, raise their families, and help their neighbors, for they are the wellspring of our greatness.  Finally, let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those people everywhere who join us in the aspiration for a world that is just, peaceful, free, and respectful of the dignity of every human being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer.  I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

True, it is better worded than those that have gone through administrations of the past, but still it amounts to the government telling everyone that it thinks that everyone should pray and what they should pray about.  And of course, the Christians just don’t understand why the atheists are upset about it.  Well, if it’s just peachy for the government to tell everyone to pray, then it should be OK to tell everyone NOT to pray too.  So in this spirit, I give you my edit, creating a National Day of NO Prayer:

Presidential Proclamation–National Day of No Prayer

A PROCLAMATION

Throughout our history, whether in times of great joy and thanksgiving, or in times of great challenge and uncertainty, Americans have turned to prayer, and it unfortunately had no effect.  In prayer, we have expressed gratitude and humility, sought guidance and forgiveness, and yet never received inspiration and assistance, both in good times and in bad.

 On this day, let us cease giving thanks for the many blessings a supposed God has bestowed upon our Nation.  Let us, instead, rejoice for the blessing of freedom both to believe and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and opportunities that bring us together as one Nation.  Let us seek wisdom, compassion, and discernment of justice as we address the great challenges of our time.

 We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences.  Prayer has been a silly way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have deemed it fitting and proper to publicly denounce  the impotence of prayer on this day across the Nation.

 Let us remember in our thoughts those suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to render aid rather than ceasing action in the name of prayer.  Let us comfort the families of the West Virginia miners, and the people of Poland who so recently and unexpectedly lost many of their beloved leaders.  Let us hope for the safety and success of those who have left home to serve in our Armed Forces, putting their lives at risk in order to make the world a safer place.  As we remember them, let us not forget their families and the substantial sacrifices that they make every day.  Let us remember the unsung heroes who struggle to build their communities, raise their families, and help their neighbors, for they are the wellspring of our greatness.  Finally, let us remember in our thoughts those people everywhere who join us in the aspiration for a world that is just, peaceful, free, and respectful of the dignity of every human being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of No Prayer.  I call upon the citizens of our Nation to cease prayer, nor otherwise give thanks to any gods, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for it has done nothing to uphold and support our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in refusing to ask for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection, as this has never helped in the past, and to instead work directly to meet the challenges before us.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of the Common Era two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

You know what?  I bet that the fundies would be FURIOUS about a proclamation like this,even though it is the same as the first one, it just takes things the other direction.  Even sadder, the narrow-minded fuckers probably can’t wrap their minds around the fact that Seperation of Church and State should not only prevent the government from telling me to pray, it would protect them from having the government telling them NOT to pray.

Tags: Atheism, Christianity, Hypocrisy, National Day of Prayer, News, politics, Religion