Should'nt we all write a letter to Washington, asking that April 1st be made the Official Holiday of Atheists?
469990
Heh. Heh. I didn't know athiests believed in holidays. Oh wait, that's Jehovah's Witnesses. My bad. LOL
1028202
WE?  A Christian should worhip God everyday.\n\nEveryday should be SONday.
714454
Well it would defy the constitution of we didn't and forced a religion on his oath to the US Congress.  \n\nThe LAND OF THE FREE still is the important part to remember.
1083177
I would like more of the faithful to become atheists because I feel that when people let their interpretations of what imaginary beings want intrude on their actions they have made an error in judgment. Now, by and large, it doesn't matter what people believe, but often times the whims of these "gods" intrude on the rights of others.\n\nI have seen, on this very site, people who I am sure are decent, pleasant, respectful people post venomous responses to gay kids looking for advice. They post purely hateful things because they think that their god wants them to do so. This is unacceptable.\n\nI feel that my country is currently engaged in an unjust war. I am afraid that one of the reasons that thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of others have died is because our president believes that it is god's will that he invade these places. Not only is this unacceptable, it is a blight on our reputation as well as an atrocity.\n\nThe point you make is well known by the higher-ups in the world's churches. Their entire business is based on selling the gullible a story. Faith in this country generates billions (with a "b") of dollars of revenue every year. The people who cash those checks are well versed in your theory. However, I feel that the cost for humanity is too high, even though some of us are getting rich in the mean time.
984251
The question should be can you be a Christian and support U.S. policies.
784204
Very good question. I expect to be bashed for it but here it goes anyway.\n\nThere is no plan, no idea, no twinkling idea in our eyes of taking God, Jesus, Vishnu, Buddha, or anything else away from anyone. We only want the government to be neutral towards any religious views. Most of us are religious, and we respect and honor anyone's point of view.\n\nWe have no plan to remove churches, stop anyone from praying, remove bibles, religious displays, etc... on private property. We do object to overt religious displays that only show one religious point of view - on government property.\n\nMany of us are afraid that our personal religious convictions will be swamped in a government that promotes one religion over another, which is why the founders made the wall of separation between church and state. \n\nNow wait. Before you jump to conclusions about this, please consider the reasons the founders did this. At the time it was written, the constitution was designed to prevent the religious wars that had destroyed Europe several times over, because each nation had it's own official religion, and people get very passionate about their religious views, sometimes to the point of craziness. Witness the terrorists today. \n\nThe founders were close to England, some were born there, and most went to school there. The Church of England was the official religion and most of them didn't want the same kind of oppression the English practiced against non-members. It just made sense to them to create a government that wouldn't have those kinds of problems. \n\nSo to tie it all together, we don't hate or dislike any religion. We just want to practice ours, and you practice yours without having to have any problems with each other. It really is no more than that.\n\nThanks for the great question, please don't hesitate to post more like this. We want to clear this up as much as you do.\n\nAdd: I went back and read your question again. Honestly, there is no locomotive. Please don't take it that way. If you feel threatened by us I apologize. We are all americans, and if you've read my posts here you know I feel very strongly about our great country and what it stands for. Freedom. That we share equally, and I want to make sure we agree on that first. We disagree about Iraq, we disagree about how to fight the terrorists. None of us want to see any more american lives lost to them. We just disagree about how to do it. I hope you understand we would fight together with you if anyone came here to destroy or hurt us.\n\nAdd2: We share exactly the same fear. Neither of us want our faiths, or our right to freely practice them disturbed in any way. We both wholeheartedly believe the real danger could come from the government. That is why I hope we agree it should not be in government at all. I think the balance is delicate between the government staying out, but at the same time not disturbing our right to freely practice our faiths. The line is a grey area, and we may occasionally clash over where it is exactly. I sincerely believe it is in both of our best interests to respect that grey area and tread lightly. Agreed?
915523
No it is not.\n\nToday is a Federal Holiday to celebrate our brave heros.
927456
You already know that the phrase does not appear, therefore the provocative "I'm waiting..."  You already know that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment states that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..."  \n\nI'm also sure that you are already aware of the letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists. In that letter, quoting the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, he writes: "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."   You might also want to recall the Treaty of Tripoli, in which it is stated that "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion;..."\n\nObviously, if the founders wished to create a government in which religion would hold sway, or have a formal say in civil law or liberties, they could have easily done so.  They did not create a theocracy, but a democratic republic.  All of the above has been primarily interpreted to support separation of church and state, and the Supreme Court has upheld this "notion" time and time again.  It never fails to amaze me how some people persist in believing the founders intended this country to be based on religious (Christian) tenets.  They weren't idiots - if they wished that to be the case they could have clearly laid it out as such.  Their personal writings and letters reflect controversy of feeling over the matter, and quotes can be found to reflect both positions.  The proof in the pudding is that they chose to erect that wall, and did not choose to install a government run by religious leaders, and made sure those would be leaders had no power to do so.  Considering that the founders had widely differing religious leanings and knew the pitfalls of a government led by the "church," it probably wasn't a hard decision to reach.  The difficulty most likely lay in the language to be used.  There were religious leaders of that day who wished for nothing more than a theocracy to be created.  The founders had to reach a consensus on how to word the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to please everybody, and that included the theocratists.  They did such a good job that we are still arguing over it today.  We trust our Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, and they have done so time and time again, in favor of the wall.  It's an integral part of our government, this wall, and if it weren't the Pat Robertsons and Fred Phelps of our nation would be dictating our laws and civil rights.  A scary thought, that.
729149
no mail on federal holidays.\n\nwww.firstgov.gov
389077
I'm British so maybe shouldn't get involved with your countrys politics, but as a believer, no I don't think atheists should be persecuted, or anyone for their beliefs. Most of my friends and family are not Christians and we respect each other's beliefs.
1068094
For some stupid PC reason it might offend immigrants (many of whom probably wouldn't mind joining in!).  I always go to bonfire night, I wear a daffodil on St Davids Day (I'm Welsh not English) but wish my fiance Happy St Georges Day (he is English) and would encourage him to celebrate it.  Christmas and Easter are Christian not English celebrations.  Today is the first Veterans day in Britain, in America they get the day off, over here nobody has heard of it!\n\nI think it is the fault of the extreme PC brigade personally.  We do Rememberance very well though it has to be said and Guy Fawkes Night is good too.
691572
2006 Federal Holidays"\n\nMonday, January 2* New Year's Day. The main calendar of western civilization turns from one year to a next and federal employees get a day off\n\nMonday, January 16 Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. This day is celebrated some time near the ACTUAL day of MLKs birthday, but federal employees prefer three day weekends.\n\nMonday, February 20** Washington's Birthday. Again, this is not the actual birthday of our first president, but federal employees get a three day weekend\n\nMonday, May 29 Memorial Day. This is a three day weekend to remember dead people and for federal employees to get a day off\n\nTuesday, July 4 Independence Day. This day is known as the fourth of July, and so it is actually celebrated on the day of the 4th, and not the nearest Monday. It's a uniquely American fire holiday celebrating the United State's declaration of independence from the British Empire, and federal employees get a day off.\n\nMonday, September 4 Labor Day. Not to be confused with International Labor Day on May first, the anniversary of a huge labour riot in Chicago. The American Day is based on an arbitrary date, and federal employees get a three day weekend\n\nMonday, October 9 Columbus Day. A day celebrating Columbus discovering America and openning it up for European conquest, and federal emploees get a three day weekend\n\nFriday, November 10*** Veterans Day. Remember those who fought for America, and get a three day weekend\n\nThursday, November 23 Thanksgiving Day. This one often gets a 4 day weekend. This celebrates a time when Native Americans saved the early colonists from starving. If they had it to do over again, I wonder ...\n\nMonday, December 25 Christmas Day. This is the day which the ancient Pagans celebrated as the Winter Solstice when they celebrated the God of light. Early Christians then used the day to celebrate their God of Light,one of only two birthdays celebrated in Christendom, with John the Baptist on the old day of the Summer Solstice. All other saint days are death-days. This Pagan holiday is celebrated with the decorating of an evergreen tree and the exchanging of gifts for the children. (historically, it was celebrated with orgies by the adults, so the things you hear about happenning at Christmas parties have historical presedence)
795851
Yes! As a Navy verteran, I was a speaker at the Atheists in Foxholes rally last year in Washington DC. Please check out the link for details. You can see some pics of me speaking at the National Press Club, taken by Timothy Dicks.
930500
Letter to a Christian Nation
20319
No.  It's a federal holiday.
289670
It's a terrible idea.  The founding fathers had not intentions of there being a nationally endorsed religion.  It would seriously trample the rights of others.  Look at what happened in Iraq, they have a national religion of Islam and a guy was going to be killed for converting to Christianity.  It also is a violation of the first amendment.\n\nQuotes from sources below:\n\n"When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some." Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun in the Lee v. Weisman ruling, 1992.\n\n"Thomas Jefferson, as president, wrote a letter to the  Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut  on 1802-JAN-1. It contains the first known reference to the "wall of separation". The essay states in part:\n\n    "...I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State..."\n\nDuring the 1810's, President James Madison wrote an essay titled "Monopolies" which also refers to the importance of church-state separation. He stated in part:\n\n    "Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and Government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history."\n\nThe US Supreme Court has interpreted the First Amendment as if it requires this "wall of separation" between church and state. It not only prohibits any government from adopting a particular denomination or religion as official, but requires government to avoid excessive involvement in religion."
660997
im all about that first amendment,\n\nbut get their god(s) out of the science classroom please,\nthank you\n\nand this idea of theocracy is insane, no gay marriage cause of "gods law", this is bunk,\n\nabortion - an atheist can find abortion immorral and ask his govt to make it illegal and is not imposing his religion, \n\nbut to say we want gods laws to be the laws of america, and thus we want gay marriage wrong,\nthis im anti-