PRESS RELEASE
May 1, 2006

Contact: Atheists United Office: 323-666-4258;
Stuart Bechman, Co-President: 805-405-3929

Atheists United (AU) is pleased to announce a new service for religious believers who feel that their church institutions have become overburdened and unresponsive with excessive prayer requests.

This new service will be made available to the public on Thursday, May 4, 2006, in time for the National Day of Prayer.

AU Co-President Stuart Bechman stated: "We are a public-service institution who strives to support the broader community in any way we can. This idea was developed after an article was published in the New York Times that indicated that the Catholic church was so overburdened with prayer requests that they now 'outsource' these prayer requests to affiliated churches in India."

In a 2004 NYT article, it was reported that the US Catholic church was outsourcing US 'intention' prayer requests – prayers made for the benefit of a deceased relative or friend – to Catholic priests in India to help augment their church salaries.

Bechman added: "Rather than being dogmatic, atheists are pragmatic and are open to reason and argument. Once we understood the economic advantages, we were persuaded that even we should pray.

"We also realize that we are in a unique position to offer this service for those who are pressed to have someone deliver their requests to the cosmos in a timely manner. We have quite a bit more time on our hands than our religious brethren typically do: We do not attend weekly church services; We do not spend hours praying for ourselves or reading the bible each day. We expect that clients will appreciate the speed with which we can deliver their prayers to the deity of their choice, without the risk of bureaucratic arguments as to the nature or appropriateness of the prayer request.

"We’re also very patriotic, and are excited to be able to guarantee that our services are provided entirely by Americans. To all religious believers with burning prayer requests, we say: 'Buy American!'"

AU's prayer service is completely non-denominational, allowing the ability to offer their services to any religious believer regardless of their particular faith. And unlike the Catholic church, Atheists United's prayer services come with a 30-day double-your-money-back guarantee if the deceased friend or relative is determined to be dissatisfied with the results of the services provided.

AU’s intention prayer service will be available on-line starting May 4 at: http://www.atheistsunited.org/calendar2/intentions.php/. Atheists United will offer discount coupons of $1 off for first-time customers, available on request through its office or from any of its members.

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