It feels empowering at the Freedom From Religion Foundation to be engaging in our work defending the constitutional wall of separation — and it’s even better when it is noticed in the mainstream.
Politico includes our secular perspective
Politico, one of the foremost political reporting sites in the country, quotes us in a long story about state officials around the country imposing religion on public school students, such as Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters’ efforts to foist the bible on his hapless students.
“‘Superintendent Walters has no authority whatsoever to dictate curriculum to school districts and individual teachers under state law,’ said Annie Laurie Gaylor, a co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that is pushing to obtain records about the bible mandate with a group of other organizations,” the story goes. “‘His memo is reckless grandstanding that school boards should ignore.’”
Milwaukee publication quotes us extensively
We were pleased when a media outlet from the biggest city in our home state extensively cited our legal director’s expert opinion on an ongoing imbroglio.
“The dispute over Wisconsin unemployment tax exemptions is the first of its kind, said Patrick Elliott, an attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation,” states the Milwaukee Independent. “But challenges to religious property tax exemptions have been fairly common, with most judges finding that the organizations must use the land for religious purposes, not just own it, to qualify for exemptions.”
The publication goes on to further quote Patrick.
Utah media outlet notices us
A prominent Utah media site noted our objection to the Utah governor’s prayerful proclamations.
“After Lee declared a month of prayer and fasting in Tennessee the Freedom From Religion Foundation opposed the declaration contending it sounded ‘more like a Christian sermon, not a governmental proclamation, replete with religious phrases,’” reports Townlift.
Tenn. paper really likes us
A newspaper in Tennessee actually reprinted verbatim a recent press release of ours. It seems to do that ever so often. Not that we mind.
A Tenn. victory regarding prayer
The paper will possibly also feature a recent victory of ours in the state in which we stopped prayer at school district meetings. FFRF Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow Hirsh M. Joshi had sent a complaint letter about a principal at Broadview Elementary School in Winchester, Tenn., who concluded a parents, teachers and students meeting on Aug. 2 with Christian prayer. The school district heard FFRF’s concerns — and worked to address them quickly. FFRF is glad to prod yet another school district into fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities. “If you see something, say something,” comments Joshi.
A welcome Fla. appeals court decision
We welcomed an appeals court decision in a Florida case that we had filed an amicus brief in. Cambridge Christian School had sought to coerce the Florida High School Athletic Association into broadcasting prayers over the public-address system at championship competitions hosted by the association. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a judgment in concordance with FFRF’s arguments. Annie Laurie comments, “This is not about the right to be Christian or to worship Jesus but about imposing that worship on others. The appeals court properly recognized that in its decision.”
We’ve awarded almost $20,000 in high school essay prizes
We proudly announced $19,850 in scholarship money to the winners of the 2024 William Schulz High School Essay Contest. College-bound high-school seniors were asked to write a personal persuasive essay based on this prompt: “How can young ‘Nones’ help transform the United States with their secular values, such as by voting?” The high school contest is named for the late William J. Schulz, a Wisconsin member and lifelong learner who died at 57 and left a generous bequest to FFRF.
Christian arrogance propels lawsuit against IRS
A group of Christian broadcasters wants to mix religion and politics so badly that they have sued the IRS, hoping a federal judge will permit them to ignore a law they don’t like. The law at issue here is the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits (both secular and religious) from engaging in electoral activity. FFRF successfully sued then-President Trump in 2017 after he signed an executive order that he claimed had “gotten rid of the Johnson Amendment.” FFRF Co-President Dan Barker says: “The hubris of these plaintiffs is incredible. They insist their religious beliefs give them a free pass to ignore laws they don’t like and that the rest of us tax-exempt organizations must follow.”
Thomas’ scandal necessitates Supreme Court reform law
FFRF Action Fund, FFRF’s advocacy arm, is urging the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to put a crucial Supreme Court reform bill up for a vote in light of yet another disclosure about Ginni Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas. The scandal surrounding Ginni Thomas is just the latest in a series of ethical scandals and conflicts of interest involving the Supreme Court. “We ask you, Sen. Schumer, to bring the SCERT Act up for a vote in the Senate,” FFRF Action Fund President Annie Laurie Gaylor insists in a letter.
Unraveling all the contraductions
On our Freethought Radio show this week, the hosts recap a “Celebrate Dissent” conference in Oslo about ex-Muslims that they attended and then Annie Laurie Gaylor interviews co-host and author Dan Barker about Contraduction, his new book on “the death of the Design Argument.” Listen to the erudite discussion here.
Rep. Huffman skewers Project 2025 on TV show
Our TV show’s new season starts off with a bang, featuring on its first show a prominent member of Congress dissecting a right-wing presidential takeover plan. U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, the only openly nonreligious member of Congress, has announced the formation of a task force to halt Project 2025, an extremist undemocratic presidential playbook. Huffman will be unpeeling the layers of this very important subject on this episode of “Freethought Matters,” which you can already watch on our YouTube channel. Or if you live in the six cities where “Freethought Matters” broadcasts on Sundays, find out its viewing schedule.
From enlightening the general public to informing you as a member, we try to do a lot — and it’s all possible due to your backing and support.
