http://www.centerforatheism.com/

For Immediate Release

Atheists to Counter 'National Day of Prayer' with Blood Donations.
Lifesaving Action, Not Passive Prayer, Is the Message


NEW YORK, Feb. 23-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."

This year, CFA will be joined by atheists from The Rational Response Squad,
an activist network (RationalResponders.com) formed in 2005 by
Philadelphia-based Brian Sapient and Rook Hawkins. The Rational Response
Squad has grown from a popular internet radio show into a force of 20,000
members in 15 regional chapters and a youth division.

"We want to make a public statement about how nonreligious people can
observe the so-called National Day of Prayer, which we have renamed Gift of
Life Day," says Sapient. "At the same time, we want to let America know that
there are millions of us who know that praying is nothing more than talking
to yourself. So on that day, we atheists will be engaging in action that we
can prove scientifically has real-life impact on our fellow citizens."

In the past three years, Gift of Life Day has become a tradition among New
York City atheists. Last year, members of NYCA celebrated Gift of Life Day
by giving blood at the New York Blood Bank in upper Manhattan. A group of
atheists arrived together to donate their life-giving blood and then
celebrated together in a small anteroom with coffee, juice and light
refreshment supplied by the Blood Bank. "We found that the Blood Bank was
delighted to have us, cooperated with us in every way and allowed us to post
our atheist banner for the occasion," notes Bronstein.

The Rational Response Squad will focus on logging the effort on one of their
new websites (atheistvolunteers.org) to help make the project an
International success.

If you want to start a Gift of Life Day in your locale, it's simple. Here's
what you do:

1) Find your local blood bank by accessing
http://www.americasblood.org/ or http://www.givelife.org/
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. It's important to alert them long before the
event.

4) Visit http://www.atheistvolunteers.org/ to log your donation.

It's simple, it's positive, it's effective. Come on, Agnostics, Atheists,
Freethinkers, Humanists, Secularists, Nonbelievers, Separation of Church and
State advocates, join us in our humanitarian protest against the Day of
Prayer! Show the world that while religious people are on their knees,
Atheists are on their feet giving of themselves to humanity.

*http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12082681/