A new administration has taken charge of the United States — and we here at the Freedom From Religion Foundation are ready to challenge it.
Newly sworn in President Trump will bulldoze the separation of church and state, FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor predicts in an a column written for The Progressive magazine’s op-ed arm and distributed nationally through the Tribune News Service.
“As the second Trump Administration brazenly bulldozes the vaunted wall of separation between church and state, such destruction will also erode precious individual liberties which depend on keeping dogma out of government,” the op-ed concludes. “Americans who treasure what has truly made our country great—a secular Constitution that keeps religion out of our laws and social policies—must speak up to safeguard democracy for ourselves and future generations.”
Annie Laurie pointed out in a separate blog the many ways in which the Inaugural turned into a Christian coronation. “In short, today’s inauguration theme was that Trump has been divinely ordained to be president,” she wrote, going on to highlight how Trump himself claimed that divine mandate.
Unconscionable blanket pardons
We condemned as unconscionable Trump’s blanket pardon of the nearly 1,600 defendants involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Along with the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, we issued a damning report, “Christian Nationalism and the Jan. 6, 2021, Insurrection,” a couple of years ago documenting the role this ideology played in fomenting the insurrection. The pardon appear to follow an authoritarian playbook that can only encourage white supremacist, Christian nationalist and paramilitary movements.
Christian nationalist Kristi Noem unfit for Homeland Security
We asserted that Christian nationalist Kristi Noem should not be in charge of Homeland Security. She has some of the most extremist religious perspectives of any of Trump’s appointments. Her views and record make her unfit to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Anti-transgender rights EO is religious overreach
We said that the anti-transgender rights executive order Trump signed is religious overreach. It follows the Christian nationalist script that Project 2025 and House Speaker Mike Johnson have laid out. Government decisions, including those affecting gender identity and expression, must remain free from religious influence.
‘What White Christians Have Wrought’
A bevy of scholars have been tracking the Christian nationalist movement that propelled Trump to power, and on our Facebook Live “Ask an Atheist” feature, we have a leading expert on the issue. FFRF’s Scott Knickelbine and Mark Dann speak with Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), about the relationship between race, faith and fascism in America, based on an article Jones wrote for Time magazine in November, “What White Christians Have Wrought.”
Media coverage for our legal challenges
Meanwhile, our ongoing legal efforts are receiving media coverage.
“The Madison atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) last week filed a suit to end tax exemptions for two religiously affiliated student apartment complexes, the Wisconsin State Journal reports,” says a piece in a Madison publication covering business issues. “The suit claims the exemptions are unconstitutional and result in other property owners paying more. The suit names the Presbyterian Student Center Foundation’s 51-unit Pres House and the Madison Catholic Diocese’s 19-unit Lumen House. It also names the city of Madison, which FFRF says should be conducting the tax collections.”
The oral argument stage in a joint lawsuit that we’ve filed along with other secular groups against an unconstitutional Louisiana Ten Commandments law was reported on in a leading state news portal.
“Judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asked pointed questions Thursday about Louisiana’s law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments, as the state appealed a lower court ruling that declared the law unconstitutional,” says NOLA.com. “The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.”
Our persistence pays off
Our persistence convinced a California school board to discontinue prayer. We received complaints from at least 10 Glendora school district community members regarding the prayer. Our dedication prevailed in the end. The district’s attorney emailed back recently: “Please be advised the district has no plans to hold prayer at its meetings.” We are pleased to see our hard work pay off — even if it took a few attempts to get it right.
Welcome news from Tulsa
We were pleased to learn that the Tulsa (Okla.) City Council recently voted to end its divisive practice of starting meetings with prayer. We wrote to the City Council in November urging it to end the practice of opening meetings with religious invocations. Last week, the City Council voted 8-1 to change the format to a “moment of silent prayer or personal reflection.” This move demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and respect for the diverse beliefs of the Tulsa community.
A musical treat on our TV show
Our TV show this week provides a freethinking musical celebration. The talented guest is the well-known indie folk singer and atheist Shelley Segal, whose newest EP is called “Holy.” Segal talks about her music and plays some of her songs on the show. You can already watch the show on our YouTube channel. Or find out where and when to catch it on television Sunday.
The Opus Dei’s nastiness
On our Freethought Radio show this week, we first comment on the overtly religious nature of Trump’s “Christian Coronation.” Then, co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor interview journalist Gareth Gore about his new book on the Opus Dei called “OPUS: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church.” Listen in here.
A secular Tulsa councilor
Our legislative arm, the FFRF Action Fund, has chosen as its “Secularist of the Week” the Tulsa councilor who successfully proposed the rule change regarding invocations at City Council meetings mentioned above. City Councilmember Laura Bellis is the one who brought the issue to the council last week. By establishing a moment of silence, Bellis proved she is committed to inclusivity and respect for individuals of all faiths and those who adhere to no faith.
The theocratic Texas GOP chair
The Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is the Texas Republican Party chair for claiming that state-church separation does not exist. Abraham George asserted this falsehood on the first day of the Texas legislative session, Tuesday, Jan. 14. The Fund will closely monitor the Texas GOP while it continues to fight to protect our secular democracy.
A tribute to Cecile Richards
We’ll miss a stalwart fighter for reproductive rights and secular values. Cecile Richards, the former leader of Planned Parenthood and ardent abortion rights defender, died at age 67 on Monday of glioblastoma. Cecile accepted the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s 2018 Forward Award, which recognizes individuals who have moved society forward. Annie Laurie pays her tribute. “Cecile Richards did absolutely everything she could to help improve and save our democracy,” she writes.
In honor of Cecile, we promise that we’re going to continue fighting the good fight — with your invaluable support.
