Today is the National Day of Prayer in a nation that allegedly treasures the separation of church and state. This incongruence motivated a lawsuit by Freedom From Religion Foundation. The federal suit was filed while the Bush Administration was in power, but it continues to be pursued today. Here's the problem in a nutshell:

"Exhortations to pray in official Presidential proclamations do not constitute ceremonial deism solemnizing some other occasion," the Foundation asserts, but "constitute an end in itself intended to promote and endorse religion."

In an article posted today, FFRF explains further:

"Prayer proclamations not only violate the separation between church and state, but offend reality, by suggesting we can suspend of the natural laws of the universe through wishful thinking," notes Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor.

The Foundation and the freethought movement have long suggested a National Day of Reason.

"Congress ought to repeal this law and substitute a National Day of Service," Gaylor added. "That would be constitutional and, equally important, it would be useful! Prayer is a cop-out. If humans want to improve the world, we need to take action, not slavishly beg a supernatural power to do our work for us."

Freethinkers believe in deeds, not creeds, said Barker. Noted 19th century freethinker/attorney Robert Green Ingersoll famously wrote: "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray."

Here is a copy of the Complaint filed by FFRF.