We at the Freedom From Religion Foundation have had so much to reflect on recently: from our huge victory in Congress and awful Super Bowl ads to the Arkansas governor’s terrible recent rebuttal speech and the illogic of Christianity.
FFRF Director of Governmental Affairs Mark Dann justifiably exulted about our recent win in Congress that will enable a Thomas Paine memorial to be built in Washington, D.C. Take a look at his exciting account about how we managed to do that.
Jesus “He Gets Us” ads will interrupt your Super Bowl fun
Exciting is a descriptive you would think more apt for the Super Bowl this Sunday. Alas, as FFRF Attorney Chris Line writes, those watching the game will have to sit through deceptive Jesus-y ads, too. Read Chris’ exposé of the stealth ad campaign — and the Christian nationalist folks behind it.
FFRF attorney’s life journey
On a personal note, Chris made the front page of FFRF’s hometown newspaper for his incredible life journey. FFRF received a shout-out, too!
An investigation into the National Prayer Breakfast
Chris Line talked about his life journey (as well as why “Jesus Doesn’t Get Us”) on Freethought Radio with co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, following which they interviewed Jonathan Larsen, managing editor of The Young Turks, about his groundbreaking investigation into the theocratic and quasi-official National Prayer Breakfast.
FFRF’s India adventures discussed on radio show
Speaking of radio, Dan and I are on Madison’s community radio station to discuss our recent India travels that we undertook to see how rationalism and freethought are surviving in that country in the face of a Hindu nationalist government. Tune in at this link Sunday, Feb. 12, at 5:30 p.m. Central to find out.
Gov. Huckabee Sanders’ terrible rebuttal speech
A slightly less big TV event than the Super Bowl is the State of the Union speech. Hopefully, not too many folks saw on Tuesday Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ awful rebuttal — though FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor suffered through her rantings about a supposed left-wing cultural war so you didn’t have to.
“Sanders and her Christian nationalist friends are not the victims of a culture war,” Annie Laurie concludes. “They are instead the perpetrators of one intent on using the force of law to inflict fundamentalist Christian doctrines on the rest of us. It’s crazy — and it’s wrong.”
Christianity has no logic
We all know how illogical Christianity is, but it’s still great to observe veteran freethinker and writer Jim Haught demonstrate how logic pulls out the rug from under the religion. “What’s wrong with humanity that billions of people swallow a magic tale and think it to be real?” he asks.
Let’s support the EACH Act
FFRF Contributing Writer Barbara Alvarez keeps up her focus on abortion rights, dissecting this week the deleterious Hyde Amendment, which forbids Medicaid funding for abortions. Barbara asks us all to marshall support for the pending EACH Act in Congress, which would repeal the Amendment. “Let’s make our secular voices heard and make abortion accessible for all,” she exhorts.
A brave secular city councilor on our Sunday TV show
Our TV show this week has as its guest a city councilor who has received death threats after asking her board to drop opening prayer. Emily Olson is a new member of the City Council in the town of Owosso, Mich. In late November, Olson politely asked the council to reconsider its practice of opening with prayer. And then the fireworks began. You can already watch the show on our YouTube channel. Or find out where you can catch it on Sunday.
Our Ron Reagan ad is on Colbert’s show
We returned to Stephen Colbert’s CBS show following the State of the Union address with our famous Ron “not afraid of burning in hell” Reagan ad. The spot will reair on the show Feb. 14-Feb. 16. “We warmly thank Ron Reagan once more for lending his inimitable endorsement to FFRF’s purposes to educate the public about nontheists and to get religion out of government,” says Dan.
Why churches should be taxed
Our “Ask an Atheist” Facebook Live show this week is a rerun on a subject that’s perennially popular with our members and viewers: Why churches should be taxed. Annie Laurie and FFRF Attorney Ryan Jayne interview University of Tampa Professor Ryan T. Cragun, a sociologist of religion who makes a convincing case.
We’re listed as an official supporting organization for a Supreme Court reform bill
We are proud to be listed as an official supporting organization in the congressional reintroduction this week of an important Supreme Court reform bill. “The Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of justice in our country, and it’s essential that its justices maintain the highest ethical standards,” Annie Laurie remarks. We would like to thank Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., who introduced the bill, for his commitment to preserving the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and for being a stalwart member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.
No discriminatory coercive prayer!
Immediately cease coercive and discriminatory school board prayers, we are urging an Ohio school district. A board member and pastor has been using his position to regularly open school board meetings with prayer, and gave a sermon targeting an individual second-grader. “It is beyond the scope of a public school board to schedule or conduct prayer as part of its meetings, and for a board member to preach at meetings while serving in his official capacity at that meeting,” FFRF Equal Justice Works Fellow Kat Grant writes to the board president.
Americans reject Christian nationalism
We welcomed a new study showing that Americans strongly reject Christian nationalism. The findings of the just-released PRRI/Brokking Christian Nationalism Survey are generally reassuring news for secularism, even if they also show the extremist views of those who sympathize with or are considered adherents of Christian nationalism. By the way, the survey shows that we “Nones” form the solid core of Christian nationalist resisters. As FFRF’s motto says: Freedom depends on freethinkers.
That’s why we spend so much energy fighting Christian nationalism and to spread secular ideas — all made possible by your unstinting support.
