For Immediate Release
 May 4, 1999


 AMERICAN ATHEISTS TO PROTEST
 NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER CELEBRATIONS
 IN REDDING AND SAN JOSE, MAY 6

 American Atheists announced today that it is staging simultaneous
demonstrations against official recognition of the National Day of Prayer by
the cities of Redding and San Jose on Thursday, May 6.

 Annual celebration of this event began back in 1988, when President Reagan
signed a bill that established the first Thursday in May as the National Day
of Prayer.  Since then, official proclamations supporting this event have
been signed every year by the president.  Last year, governors of all 50
states also signed proclamations recognizing the NDP, and thousands of events
were held throughout the country.

 Dave Kong, California Director for American Atheists, stated "While everyone
certainly has the right to pray, the motives of the National Day of Prayer
Task Force are not pure.  Their goal is to obtain government endorsement of
their events by official proclamations such as those issued by the cities of
Redding and San Jose, as well as by the participation of elected officials. 
In addition, NDP events are used to promote the false claim that the United
States was founded upon Christian principles, which is often used as a
justification for bringing prayer back into the public schools.  This mixing
of religion with the powers of government is inappropriate, divisive, and
constitutionally suspect.  It marginalizes minority religions and is
insulting to atheists and other nonbelievers."

 "Atheists reject the notion of prayer," explained Mr. Kong.  "Prayer is the
act of supplicating oneself to a nonexistent god or entity, begging an
imagined being for guidance or intervention.  It is demeaning and an
unproductive use of time.  Government at any level  has no business promoting
prayer, which is strictly a religious ritual.  The National Day of Prayer is
nothing but religious and political grandstanding."

 The demonstration in Redding is co-sponsored by the Shasta Atheists and
Freethinkers, a local group that has protested the city celebration for
several years.  The Redding and San Jose protests will both begin at 11:00
a.m., and will take place in front of the city halls.

 For more information

American Atheists, Inc.  P.O. Box 5733  Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
Tel: (908)276-7300  Fax: (908)276-7402