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Post details: 5/1 National Day of Helping People - NY

04/28/08

03:27:29 pm, Categories: Announcements [A], 451 words

5/1 National Day of Helping People - NY

For Immediate Release
Web: nyc-atheists.org
Press Contact 212-879-2687

What Are You Doing on the “National Day of Prayer?”

We Have a Better Idea: Donate Blood!

-----------------------

NEW YORK, April 27, 2008—It comes around every May, the so-called “National Day of Prayer,” to the consternation of many nonbelievers, secularists, atheists, agnostics and others. What do we do on this day when we’re supposed to be on our knees exalting a deity we don’t believe in?

New York City Atheists (NYCA) says, don’t get on your knees, friends. Get on your feet, get down to the Blood Bank and donate a pint of blood to humanity. While the faithheads are praying for a miracle, you will be giving the “miracle” of life to someone who needs it.

What better way to show the contrast between their way and our way? While they are mumbling words to a nonexistent deity, perhaps beseeching “Him” to help a loved one, we will be on our feet, taking an action that will positively help someone’s loved one. They beg, we act!

“We know that prayer does not work, but medical science does,” says Kenneth Bronstein, president of NYCA.

It has become an Atheist custom in New York City, and around the nation, to donate blood on the so-called National Day of Prayer, which we have renamed The National Gift-of-Life Day.

For four years now, a group of Atheists have arrived together to donate their life-giving blood to a Blood Bank on the National Gift-of-Life Day and then celebrated together in a small anteroom with coffee, juice and light refreshment supplied by the Blood Bank.

“We have 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.

This year, we are going to the New York Blood Bank on the Lower Level of the
Citigroup Center on East 54th Street, from 4 to 7 P.M. No reservations are needed, come any time during that period and join your fellow Atheists in donating blood and celebrating the Atheists’ Gift-of-Life day! We will be there waiting for you.

EVENT SUMMARY

WHAT: Individual blood donations by Atheists to celebrate the National
Gift of Life Day and illustrate to the world that our actions
speak louder than prayers.

WHEN: Thursday, May 1th, 2008, from 4 to 7 P.M.

WHERE: New York Blood Bank
Citigroup Center
Lower Level
Entrance is on 54th St., 100 feet west of 3rd Ave.
Go straight to Down escalator
New York Blood Bank straight ahead

RSVP? Reservations not needed but Ken Bronstein
would appreciate knowing how many are coming.
Email him at firebell1@aol.com or phone 212-535-7425 or
Jane Everhart at 212-879-2687.

26 comments

Comments:

Comment from: Rusty Shackleford [Member]

Excellent. I needed to set aside a time to donate anyway, and this will be a good way to remember.

04/28/08 @ 15:37

Comment from: phreedm [Member]

It has become an Atheist custom in New York City, and around the nation, to donate blood on the so-called National Day of Prayer, which we have renamed The National Gift-of-Life Day.

This is great!!! So nice of you to support the National Day of Prayer...

I note that you did not have a "National Gift-of-Life Day" until the National Day of Prayer became so popular...

“We know that prayer does not work, but medical science does,” says Kenneth Bronstein, president of NYCA.

Tell that to the parents who were praying for a miracle and it was your gift that saved their childs life...

04/28/08 @ 17:43

Comment from: phreedm [Member]

I needed to set aside a time to donate anyway, and this will be a good way to remember.

RS...so nice of you to also support the National Day of Prayer...

You can rename it or call it anything you want...bottom line...it's the catalist that will give so many non-believers the desire to serve...

04/28/08 @ 17:46

Comment from: Rusty Shackleford [Member]

Poor 4-F... so intellectually challenged...

I guess if I give blood on Yom Kippur that makes me a Jew...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

04/28/08 @ 19:35

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

I would encourage everyone who gives blood to make it known that you object to the ban on gay men as donors. Even better, donate money to a non profit organisation in lieu of blood.

04/28/08 @ 19:49

Comment from: quantum_flux [Member]

Freedom says:

“We know that prayer does not work, but medical science does,” says Kenneth Bronstein, president of NYCA.

Tell that to the parents who were praying for a miracle and it was your gift that saved their childs life...

Okay, we will tell them that prayer doesn't do anything, but they should know that already.

QF's blog: http://irrationaltheorist.blogspot.com/

04/28/08 @ 19:56

Comment from: GodFree&Glad [Member]

OT:

Sunday morning the CBS "Sunday Morning" news 'magazine' featured a piece on xianity being pushed in the military. Jeremy Hall was interviewed.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/27/sunday/main4048492.shtml

04/28/08 @ 20:28

Comment from: quantum_flux [Member]

If people were denied recieving blood because they were gay, it would be an outrage. So, I see it also as being an outrage that they can't give blood.

Although, isn't there a statistic where gays have a much higher rate of HIV than the rest of us, or is that just plane bigotry perpetrated by the fundies!?

QF's blog: http://irrationaltheorist.blogspot.com/

04/28/08 @ 21:03

Comment from: alexatheist [Member]

Yes gay men in the USA are a higher risk group than straight men but stright black women are also a very high risk group yet they are not denied making donations. This is pure bigotry. The newer and quicker HIV testing combined with triple checking the donations from high risk groups makes the risk of infection statistically zero.

04/28/08 @ 21:29

Comment from: What [Member]

So nice of Phreek to support the pagan celebration of the winter solstice.

04/28/08 @ 23:03

Comment from: Augustine [Member]

Ah, phreeko, will he ever learn?
I personally know someone whose parents left him at the hospital because he recieved a blood transfusion, and Jehovah witnesses consider him "dead". What person leaves a six-year old at the hospital who was just in a car wreck? We have an obligation to oppose whatever religion threatens innocent children, whether its pedophilic priests, snakehandlers, or christian scientists. Prayer warriors can just fuck off!

04/28/08 @ 23:09

Comment from: rna2dna [Member]

Last night on MSNBS, I think it was an installment of the Lockup documentary series. John Seigenthaler the commentator says "There are plenty of atheists in prison", while the video shows a bunch of christians studying the bible. I know for me, one is plenty of christians, so whatever John.

04/28/08 @ 23:25

Comment from: bernarda [Member]

Didn't you know that prayer can solve all sorts of crises, like gasoline prices?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/26/BUCN10C1KR.DTL

"Rocky Twyman has a radical solution for surging gasoline prices: prayer.

Twyman - a community organizer, church choir director and public relations consultant from the Washington, D.C., suburbs - staged a pray-in at a San Francisco Chevron station on Friday, asking God for cheaper gas. He did the same thing in the nation's Capitol on Wednesday, with volunteers from a soup kitchen joining in. Today he will lead members of an Oakland church in prayer.

Yes, it's come to that.

"God is the only one we can turn to at this point," said Twyman, 59. "Our leaders don't seem to be able to do anything about it. The prices keep soaring and soaring.""

04/29/08 @ 06:24

Comment from: (: tom :) [Member] · http://www.funnyfarmonline.org/

Happy holidays, phreakshow. Hope you enjoy your public expression of religious insanity.

Tell that to the parents who were praying for a miracle and it was your gift that saved their childs life...

This is how far your basic religiously insane phreakshow has sunk, ladies and gentlemen. It's a miracle that atheists have been inspired to counter protest the National Day of Public Expression of
Religious Insanity! It must have been the same miracle that has caused me to stop donating to the Red Cross due to their kowtowing to the religiously insane...

04/29/08 @ 09:04

Comment from: Seeker ☺ [Member] · http://www.peteseeker.com/

Phreedm wrote:

I note that you did not have a "National Gift-of-Life Day" until the National Day of Prayer became so popular...

Note the Christians "borrowed " a holiday honoring the pagan goddess Ishtar to denote the resurrection story. They changed Ishtar to Easter. We still remember the fertility goddess, however, with symbols of fertility: The egg (Easter egg) and rapid multiplying rabbit (Easter bunny.)

Earth Day may eventually preempt East.

Winter Solstice was once a pagan holiday but was preempted by Christians who decided to use the same day to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Though four days late, December 25th became the annual holiday.

Though not a holy day, Christians retain pagan names for days of the week.

Wednesday may be the most notable. It's named for Woden (or Odin). The old English name was Wēdnes dæg. meaning the day of the god Woden. Woden was a Norse god

04/29/08 @ 09:26

Comment from: TXatheist [Member] · http://txatheist.blogspot.com

Don't feed the troll, he's not hear to converse but agitate.

Alex, I still mention gays being a good option to allow more donors when I donate. I forgot about May 1 and donated a couple of weeks ago.

04/29/08 @ 09:33

Comment from: (: tom :) [Member] · http://www.funnyfarmonline.org/

Also, seeker, don't forget Monday (named after Mani, the German moon god), Tuesday (named after Tiu, the German war god), Thursday (named after Thor, the Norse war god), Friday (named after Freya, the Norse fertility god), Saturday (named after Saturn, the father of the Roman pantheon of gods), and Sunday (named after the German goddess of the sun).

They're all from mankind's pagan heritage. Why do all of the monotheistically religiously insane seek to deny their roots?

04/29/08 @ 10:01

Comment from: alatham [Member]

Phreedm,

It's so nice of you to support AA by coming to this site and bringing in advertising revenue.

04/29/08 @ 12:07

Comment from: djpoobah1 [Member]

Phreedm wrote:

Tell that to the parents who were praying for a miracle and it was your gift that saved their childs life...

Please do not confuse coincidence for miracles. The fact that a person donates blood today and it is able to be used by a person in need tomorrow does not denote divine intervention.

04/29/08 @ 13:11

Comment from: rna2dna [Member]

Thanks bernarda for reminding us about the most important reason for prayer, which is to turn the christians away from placing blame on the christian shrub and the oil profiteers.

The True power of Prayer keeps the subjects from rebellion against the corrupt government-conglomerate regime. The cycle is; pray, wait for imaginary god-idea...pray, wait for imaginary god-idea. Which leaves the governemt-conglomerate in the rather envious position of having no pressure while deciding if it chooses to answer the christian prayers: Makes government-conglomerate very happy.

Wakeup little christians, you are being manipulated by fear and fantasy which is the true power of prayer.

NO actual god involved or needed. Much less wanted by those with the ability to think.

Suck it, jesus christ!

04/29/08 @ 13:25

Comment from: phreedm [Member]

Comment from: djpoobah1

Please do not confuse coincidence for miracles.

I don't...but I'm sure you do.

Let's see...Last November the Governor of Georgia stood on the state capital steps and along with the state lawmakers, prayed for rain...within 3 days the weather patterns changed. And guess what...it's been raining off and on ever since...

04/29/08 @ 19:04

Comment from: phreedm [Member]

Comment from: bernarda

"God is the only one we can turn to at this point," said Twyman, 59. "Our leaders don't seem to be able to do anything about it. The prices keep soaring and soaring.""

More important...our economy fell apart in the fall of 2006...

Let's see...now who took power in Washington?

Oh yeah...the Dems. And for the life of me, I can't think of a single major accomplishment...

I'm sure the weak minded will claim the simpleton in the White House keeps out smarting them...

04/29/08 @ 19:18

Comment from: What [Member]

Too funny! Phreek thinks the unregulated housing ponzi scheme was the fault of the dems. Can he possibly look more stupid to Mr. and Mrs. American. Even junior and sis America are laughing at this dolt. Too too funny!

04/29/08 @ 21:08

Comment from: Augustine [Member]

The rain dance did nothing: The weather pattern was already changing, we still have not recieved enough rain to get us out of the drought yet, It was ALREADY raining in west georgia when he did his little chant and the weather pattern is from west to east here, he could have conserved much more water by addressing metro growth around Atlanta, and is unable to confront any issue (see georgia SAT). You are unaware of the facts, to say the least.

04/29/08 @ 22:55

Comment from: bernarda [Member]

A French catholic organization did a poll of Europeans and Americans about their knowledge and use of the bible.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualites/2008/04/29/01001-20080429ARTFIG00019-la-france-mauvaise-eleve-pour-la-connaissance-de-la-bible-.php

partial translation,

"France is the country most affected by the disappearance of religion in the public forum, and by consequence in private life."

"Contrary to a lot of other countries, religion is not a part of culture in France. It is very marginal."

49% of the French said they never prayed. In the U.S., 87% said they prayed and 63% said they prayed every day. In France, less than 50% of the people had a bible at home, while in the U.S. only seven percent didn't have one.

The U.S. has a long way to go before becoming a rational country.

04/30/08 @ 05:09

Comment from: (: tom :) [Member] · http://www.funnyfarmonline.org/

Comment from: phreedm

More important...our economy fell apart in the fall of 2006...

Let's see...now who took power in Washington?

Let's see... when exactly did they take power? Oh, yeah - that's right - well after the economy fell apart.

Aside from the fact that it fell apart in May 2001, right after a certain illegally installed drunken cokeheaded deserter was installed by coup into the White House, and hasn't recovered since, and the fact that phreakshow got the all facts completely wrong again, the analysis here was spot-on.

Which of course, has exactly what to do with the topic at hand? Oh, that's right - nothing. As usual, phreakshow tries to deflect the topic of the post and insert some of his religiously insane propaganda into the discussion.

And here I thought that the jeebus phreaks were supposed to be honest and morally upstanding...

Ban the lying sack of kimchee that can't help but inject his off-topic religiously insane hypocritical rants, please...

05/01/08 @ 07:33

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