American Atheists -- Ohio

AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.               http://www.atheists.org
http://www.americanatheist.org

For more information, please contact:

Ellen Johnson, President (973) 625-6900
Dave Silverman, Communications Director (732) 648-9333

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2005


THURSDAY NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER USING RELIGION TO ADVANCE POLITICAL AGENDA,
CHARGE ATHEISTS

The National Day of Prayer slated for this Thursday, May 5, 2005 is "a
political wolf in religious sheep's clothing," charged an Atheist civil
rights and First Amendment watch dog group.

Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists said that the nationwide event
is being organized to meld evangelical Christianity and government, and thus
endanger the constitutional separation of church and state.  She pointed to
links on the National Day of Prayer web site
(http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org) to various religious right advocacy
groups, including extremist preacher Pat Robertson's American Center for Law
Justice.  The Center, along with other organizations working with NDOP, "are
leading the charge to eviscerate an independent judiciary in hopes of
'packing the courts' with right wing judges," said Johnson.

Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists noted that the
NDOP's event is urging evangelicals to flock to state capitols, municipal
buildings and other government venues.  "We're not talking about private
prayer or prayer in churches," said Silverman.  "The Day of Prayer is really
an effort to identify sectarian Christianity with government."  Silverman
also said that state governors and other public officials who have issued
proclamations supporting the NDOP are "using the power of the government to
tell Americans that they should pray."

"The decision to pray or not pray should be a personal decision, not a
government decree," said Silverman.  He suggested that NDOP leaders and
supporters follow the advice attributed to Jesus in the Book of Matthew,
6:5, where Christians are told not to be "hypocrites" flaunting their prayer
in public, but instead pray in closets.


American Atheists is a nationwide movement which defends the civil rights of
nonbelievers, works for the separation of church and state, and addresses
issues of First Amendment public policy.

American Atheists, Inc. P. O. Box 5733 Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733 Tel: (908)
276-7300 Fax: (973) 625-6901