We at the Freedom From Religion Foundation are pleased whenever we’re the topic of conversation — especially when it’s associated with notable freethinkers.
So, we were thrilled that an eminent Canadian paper recently noted that the legendary writer and screenwriter John Irving has the award we gave him snuggled next to his Academy Award!
“The internationally bestselling novelist was speaking from his Toronto office, where his Oscar (best adapted screenplay for ‘The Cider House Rules’), he said, ‘begrudgingly shares the fireplace mantel with an equally lustrous naked emperor statue’ — one that Irving was amused to receive from the Freedom From Religion Foundation for the 2019 New York Times essay ‘The Long Cruel History of the Anti-Abortion Crusade,’” stated a profile of Irving in the Toronto Star. “‘Oscar thinks the whole mantelpiece should be his,’ he said. ‘Why is that gold man holding what looks like a sword?’”
We’re flattered that Irving has given us such pride of place.
Our hat trick!
Our hard work across the South has also gained attention from a Cleveland publication, even if we didn’t celebrate a victory there.
“The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has achieved three separate legal victories across the Southern United States, following complaints over breaches of the constitutional separation of church and state,” reported the Cleveland American. “The cases — in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas — highlight the organisation’s ongoing campaign to ensure that public institutions maintain religious neutrality.”
Thank you!
Phoenix NPR station spotlighted us
The National Public Radio affiliate in Phoenix spotlighted our intervention in the area on behalf of the Constitution.
“A group that advocates for the First Amendment’s separation of church and state is asking the Fountain Hills Town Council to stop doing religious invocations at meetings,” reports KJZZ. “The request by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which counts more than 1,000 Arizonans as members, was recently made via an email sent to council members.”
We’re always glad to be of constitutional service.
California media outlets love us
Our persuasive abilities in a recent California episode involving the Decalogue have received multiple coverage.
“Several legal and civil liberties groups sent a co-written letter to the Kern County Board of Education on Wednesday, urging the board to reject the public display of the Ten Commandments at its schools,” reported an NBC affiliate. “The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, ACLU National, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation sent the letter to the board, according to ACLU SoCal.”
In fact, the local NPR station interviewed FFRF attorney Chris Line at length about the matter. Take a listen!
Keep the 250th secular!
Such coverage acts as a spur for our strivings. We have called for transparency and accountability following revelations that the Trump administration is planning a series of taxpayer-supported Christian nationalist “revivals” tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We are filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Education and other federal offices — and we are prepared to take further necessary steps to challenge plans to turn the nation’s semiquincentennial commemoration into sectarian events.
A welcome Supreme Court decision
We recently celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject a misguided appeal seeking to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 ruling that guaranteed marriage equality nationwide. The court declined to hear an appeal by former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who was seeking to escape liability for denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of the law and a federal court order back in 2015. The denial brings a welcome end to a long-running effort by Davis and her backers at the Christian nationalist legal outfit, Liberty Counsel, to undo one of the most significant civil rights victories in modern history.
An inclusive Veterans Day
We honored all veterans — including “atheists in foxholes” — on Veterans Day. It’s never been more important to acknowledge nonreligious and non-Christian veterans (even the aforementioned proverbial “atheists”) given the Pentagon’s recent attacks on the constitutional separation between religion and government.
Antisemitism is baked into Christian nationalism
We pointed out how the recent Tucker Carlson–Nick Fuentes controversy reveals the antisemitism embedded in Christian nationalism. The Heritage Foundation, which brought us Project 2025, is deservedly reeling from the backlash over its support for Tucker Carlson’s friendly interview with hatemonger Nick Fuentes.
“The controversy highlights a moral crisis among public figures who continue to blur the line between faith and fanaticism — and it also shows the grave danger of normalizing those who preach bigotry in the name of religion,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “If mainstream conservative leaders can’t draw the line at hobnobbing with Hitler buffs, much less open calls for execution and theocracy, where do they draw the line?”
A principled university donor
The FFRF Action Fund, our legislative arm, recognizes a University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, donor, Andy Kinslow, as its “Secularist of the Week” for withdrawing his scholarships after the institution displayed Ten Commandments posters. The public institutions that are conceding to these unconstitutional laws need to see the discontent they cause among their alums, students and employees.
A bigoted senator
The Action Fund “honored” our “Theocrat of the Week” U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for his recent Islamophobic remarks and fearmongering about Muslim elected officials. Following last week’s Election Day, Tuberville appeared on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast to denigrate Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Tuberville’s scaremongering over Sharia law and demonizing of non-Christian public officials has certainly earned him his second stint as “Theocrat of the Week.”
A call to defend democracy
This week’s episode of Freethought Radio features New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie (who I had the pleasure of introducing) as its centerpiece, advising attendees at the recent FFRF annual convention on how to defend democracy against the threat of Christian nationalism. It’s quite a speech.
An inspirational electoral outcome
FFRF State Policy Manager Ryan Dudley highlights how Texas voters recently rejected a religious takeover in a major school district in a new column.
“Ultimately, this outcome should inspire secular advocates across the nation,” he concludes. “It demonstrates that when communities are informed and engaged, they can stand up to powerful religious networks attempting to capture public institutions.”
We try to always stay inspired — and the support of our members such as you is of tremendous help.
