The National Day of Reason exists as a counterpoint to the National Day of Prayer, which was suggested in the 1950's by Billy Graham, and then fixed to the first Thursday in May by Ronald Reagan in 1988.

As freethinkers, we know that there is no evidence that prayer to any deity has any external effect, beyond the calming and focusing effect it may have on one's own psychology, much as meditation provides. But as a strategy to effect real outcomes in the world around us generally, and America specifically, prayer always fails.

It's also worth noting that a government endorsement of prayer is a transgression of the separation of church and state that is a part of our Constitution. As Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association notes: "Secular Americans understandably get exasperated each May when the federal government exhibits a complete disregard for the separation of church and state with its many National Day of Prayer observances. The National Day of Reason is the nontheist's response to this annual abuse of the U.S. Constitution. It's for all those who value reason over dogma and expect their government to do the same."

Curtis Severns is a member of the North Texas Church of Freethought who was convicted in 2006 of an arson that none who know him believe that he committed. New evidence shows that the testimony used to convict him is contradicted by forensic science. Dr. Gerald Hurst, a forensic investigator, is working to bring this injustice to light and to return Curtis to his friends and family. The ongoing story is being told in the Texas Observer, written by journalist Dave Mann:

The Metroplex Atheists have taken the initiative, in a partnership with the Dallas-Plano Atheists Meetup group, to sponsor a local billboard this month, with the purpose of making secular residents of Dallas and Fort Worth aware that they are not alone:

Executive Director Zachary Moore posing in front of the Dallas billboard at the intersection of I-35 (Stemmons) and Loop 12 (Northwest Highway).

From the press release on the DFW Coalition of Reason website:

"The primary goal of billboards like these is to let nontheistic people--such as atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and humanists--know they aren't alone," explained Fred Edwords, communications director for the United Coalition of Reason. "The message is particularly necessary in a part of the country that, for many, has become identified with Protestant evangelicalism. Area nontheists may be unaware that there's a thriving community for them."

Although not a target of the billboard campaign, local organizers say that religious believers can learn something too. “We want people to know that atheists and agnostics are as essential a part of our community as the faithful are.” said Terry McDonald, coordinator of the DFW Coalition of Reason. We have the same compassionate values and, in most other ways, are just like them. We are hard-working, tax-paying moral citizens who care deeply about family, community, state and nation.”

The establishment of a DFW Coalition of Reason is a significant step forward for secular and non-theistic people here in North Texas, and the NTCOF is pleased to be included in this dynamic group- stay on the lookout for many more exciting developments as we begin to work together!