When I returned to the Freedom From Religion Foundation office today after a vacation, I was delighted to discover how busy we have been.
We engaged in a multimedia campaign during the Democratic National Convention this week. We aired our Ron Reagan ad on MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow Show” and CBS’ “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” We also placed a 14-by-48-foot billboard proclaiming “Keep Freedom Alive — Stop Project 2025” on the road from O’Hare Airport to the DNC convention site. We’re doing all that we can to raise public consciousness during this critical time.
Missouri radio station highlights our secular efforts
We asked a Missouri prison facility to stop promoting Christianity — making news in the process.
“The Freedom from Religion Foundation is putting the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri, on notice about what the group alleges to be two constitutional violations isolating non-Christian prisoners,” reports a local radio station. “The Foundation says information was received that a Christian revival group has been granted special access to preach to residents which, among other things, includes playing loud music on a ballfield that general population inmates can hear. The dispute also alleges that the center’s library contains religious material but no materials for atheists, agnostics or freethinkers.”
We stopped religious imposition on Arkansas students
We made certain that young children will be free from future religious art assignments in Arkansas’ Gosnell School District. “If the district turns a blind eye to overt proselytization in its classroom, it becomes complicit in an egregious constitutional violation and breach of trust,” FFRF Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow Hirsh M. Joshi wrote to the district. FFRF received a letter from the school district’s legal counsel stating that “to avoid any ongoing issues, the district art teacher will not assign a project that includes drawing a crucifix in the future.” We should hope so!
We halted religious baccalaureate ceremonies in Texas
We had religious baccalaureate ceremonies stopped in a Texas school district. A concerned community member informed us that Community ISD hosted and promoted a baccalaureate service in the auditorium of Community High School in Nevada, Texas, on May 19. After we sent our letter, action was taken. “Private groups and churches may put on their own religious celebrations of graduating high school seniors, even renting school facilities, but public schools may not promote, pay for, host or otherwise endorse these private events,” comments FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.
We successfully called foul on proselytizing Texas sport official
We seem to be on a scoring spree in Texas. We curbed a middle school sports official there who was continually using Christian messaging in his official communications. This person was displaying favoritism toward religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths, we pointed out. FFRF’s action caught the attention of the district, which worked to correct the violation. Needless to say, we’re pleased at ensuring that religion will stay out of a public school sports program.
We’re demanding that N.C. school remove cross from mascot logo
We are asking a North Carolina school to get rid of a Christian cross from its mascot logo. Multiple district community members have informed us that South Caldwell High School recently added a Latin cross to the spelling of its mascot name on a large display in the gym, with the capital “T” being modified to represent a Christian cross. “The district violates the U.S. Constitution when it allows its schools to display religious symbols or messages,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line has written to the school superintendent. We’re insisting that the district must immediately remove the religious display from the South Caldwell High School gym.
A landmark interview with philosopher Daniel Dennett
After engaging in a round-up of the news, this week’s Freethought Radio episode time travels back to 2006, its initial year of broadcast, to hear its first interview with legendary philosopher Daniel C. Dennett in the year of release of his pivotal work Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon.
An escape from Christian patriarchy
Our Facebook Live “Ask an Atheist” feature this week centers around a fascinating life story. FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell and Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence talk with Tia Levings, author of the new bestselling book, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy. Levings discusses how she broke out of a controlling environment and how she’s helping others flee from church-sanctioned domestic abuse. Watch the compelling discussion here.
Our lobbying arm has been superbusy
Our legislative arm, the FFRF Action Fund, hasn’t exactly been taking the summer off, as FFRF Director of Governmental Affairs Mark Dann reminds us.
“We have fully implemented our Dynamic Scorecard, developed an Express Endorsement Process for candidates who are incumbents or endorsed by key partners, rolled out key endorsements for federal, state, local and school board candidates, elevated and led on critical bills such as the Health Share Transparency Act, judicial reform bills, and repealing the Comstock Act,” Mark writes in his latest dispatch. “We have paved the way for FFRF to underwrite four campaign fellows at critical universities in Wisconsin to focus on voter registration and pledges to vote, celebrated our community and victories by establishing the first Congressional Reason Reception on the Hill with the Congressional Freethought Caucus, and provided support to the founding of the Project 2025 Task Force.”
Wow!
We accomplished a lot within a week, and it was exciting for me to come back to this. I am happily resuming my weekly updates to you on all of what we achieved — with your invaluable support.
