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| DAY OF
REASON: Rational Day of Thought May 8th As National Day of Prayer began gathering steam, concerned freethought organizations and individuals began discussing the idea for an alternative celebration - one that promoted reason and thought over prayer. The Coalition for the Community of Reason championed this idea by deciding to promote the event within their communities and membership. A Day of Reason offers an alternative holiday to counter National Day of Prayer and to propose the notion within our marketplace of ideas that perhaps a day of thinking would be far more beneficial to society than a day of praying. As history attests, a bit of extra thought can go a long way in solving problems and making the right choices than prayer - a practice that many find futile. As Annie Gaylor, of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, remarked "nothing fails like prayer," and indeed we can show that it has not been prayer that has solved the problems of the world nor contributed to the progress of civilizations from the dawn of time - it has been thought. Our civilizations have celebrated the great thinkers of history for centuries - we often refer to our leaders within various disciplines as Great Minds. Here is evidence to show that thinking is valued by many people and we should continue to champion the practice of thinking and the application of reason to ourselves and our surroundings - forever more! Thinking has proved time and time again to be a much more effective and worthwhile endeavor than prayer. Should we spend our days in prayer or thought? Clearly our goal should be to encourage others to think more and so with this then, human beings around the world are invited to celebrate a Day of Reason, annually on the 8th of May. Activity Suggestions: Get Media Attention There are several ways that you can get a bit of media attention that will help to promote the ideas behind Day of Reason: Rational Day of Thought within a larger audience. Press releases and action alerts can be effective especially if the event is presented as a protest or demonstration against the increasing popularity of Prayer Day. Put on your Thinking Cap You don't have to belong to a group to celebrate a Day of Reason! Check out Godless Creations' Make your own "Thinking Cap" by cutting out the thought bubble on Styrofoam or thick cardboard, connect it to a hair band or hat with a wire and write a caption in such as THINK, I AM THINKING, RATIONAL DAY OF THOUGHT, or DAY OF REASON. The Thinker's Annual Banquet During the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries, thinkers of all sorts would gather together at each other's homes or in coffee shops and meeting halls to discuss the subjects and social issues that were of interest. Ideas were proposed, theories explained, poems and literature recited and a good time was had by all. The overall purpose of the gathering was to provide an intellectually stimulating conversation for all. Have one of your own! Do the Thinker Pose Gather all of your friends together, line them up in a prominent area within your community and do the thinker pose. Invite others to join you as well or to just stop by for a moment of thought. Get a Polaroid and sell pictures of people posing with the line of thinkers in celebration of Rational Day of Thought. For additional publicity opportunities, consider having a "moment of thought" on the hour, every hour where people stop what they're doing and immediately get into the thinker pose for a moment of uninterrupted thought. For the other 59 minutes in the hour, distribute information and take part in other activities. Distribute Thoughts Grab a stack of blank business cards and place a "thought" on each and then distribute them widely within your community. Quotes, discoveries, inventions, philosophical statements and historical lessons make great fodder for the "thought." Also consider "thinker" cards or like the skit from Monty Python "conversation starters" that can be distributed as a part of an activity to stimulate thought between pre-assigned partners or groups. Mind puzzles, riddles, problem-solving and other activities that require thought can also be placed on cards and distributed.
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