We’ve been displaying a lot of persistence here recently at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Take a case that we’ve been a part of in Oklahoma. Just this week itself, we’ve had to engage in multiple interventions.
“The Oklahoma Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Oklahoma State Department of Education from spending taxpayer dollars on Bibles and Bible instructional materials,” a Fox affiliate in the state reports. “The decision comes from a lawsuit filed in October of 2024, Rev. Lori Walke vs. Ryan Walters, the plaintiffs in which are represented by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law & Justice. Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said, ‘Oklahoma families should not have to contend with religious promotion in their children’s public school classrooms. And Oklahomans should not have to watch their tax dollars be used by their state to promote Ryan Walters’ preferred holy book.’”
Even the venerable business publication, Forbes, carried a story on this.
Alas, we had to engage in supplemental action a couple of days later due to Walters’ obstinacy.
“Earlier this week, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dealt a temporary victory to petitioners in a lawsuit against State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ classroom Bible mandate,” reported an Oklahoma TV station. “Now, they’ve asked the court for another pause in a new Bible donation program. … The suit was filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the ACLU and ACLU of Oklahoma Foundation, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.”
Our follow-through got coverage in other media outlets, too.
We’re famous in the Bluegrass State
Our cessation of a Kentucky teacher’s religious imposition on her students has received major media attention in the Bluegrass State.
“A watchdog group that aims to enforce separation of church and state said Wednesday it stopped a public school teacher from assigning religious assignments to students in Kentucky’s Russell County Schools,” the Lexington paper reported. “The Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a news release a community member told the group a first-grade teacher at Salem Elementary School was infusing her own religious beliefs into the classroom. ‘To impose proselytizing assignments upon a captive audience of very young and impressionable students is a very serious misuse of authority by a public school teacher,’ said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation.”
A bunch of TV stations covered our constitutional victory, as did Todd Starnes of ex-Fox News infamy (albeit in a more outraged tone).
A Boise football fracas
Our complaint some days ago about the overt religiosity of the Boise State football coach is still newsworthy.
“Boise State Head Coach Spencer Danielson has addressed the controversy surrounding his comments on faith following the team’s Fiesta Bowl loss,” a TV station in the state capital recently reported. “Danielson’s remarks, which included stating that his team is ‘giving Jesus the glory’ and advising recruits that ‘if people don’t like that — don’t come here,’ have drawn criticism from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The group argues that his statements blur the line between faith and football and could pressure student-athletes into religious participation.”
A $2 million information request
Amusingly, a Freedom of Information Act request of ours got us mentioned in a publication’s round-up of the worst instances over the past year on the governmental transparency front.
“After a church distributed a religious tract at Lessie Moore Elementary School in Pineville, La., young students quickly dubbed its frank discussion of mature themes as ‘the sex book,’” states a piece in the Reno News & Review. “Hirsh M. Joshi from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a lawyer representing a parent, filed a request with the Rapides Parish School District to try to get some basic information. … Joshi was stunned when the school district responded with an initial estimate of $2 million to cover the cost of processing the request. After local media picked up the story and a bit of negotiating, the school ultimately waived the charges and responded with a mere nine pages of responsive material.”
It’s almost funny, isn’t it?
Trump’s impending dismantling of the Education Department
We condemned President Trump’s impending executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, warning that it will pave the way for an explosion of unaccountable religious charter schools, the erosion of science-based curricula, and inequities and civil rights violations in the remaining public schools. We’ll continue to monitor developments and explore legal avenues to challenge unconstitutional actions.
Our student essay contests are open!
On a cheerier note, we announced our five 2025 essay competitions for freethinking students — offering $70,000 (or more) in total scholarships. Please help spread the word!
Media attention for the Fund’s work on Capitol Hill
The work of the FFRF Action Fund (our legislative arm) on Capitol Hill has received media attention. Vermont Business Magazine quoted Fund President Annie Laurie Gaylor expressing appreciation to the legislators responsible for the Stop Comstock Act: “The FFRF Action Fund is grateful to Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Becca Balint, a proud member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, for reintroducing the Stop Comstock Act. The Comstock Act is a dangerous, antiquated law that anti-abortion extremists are eager to weaponize as a key tool of Project 2025 to impose a religious agenda on all Americans. We must repeal this archaic statute to protect reproductive freedom — including access to contraception — and uphold our nation’s secular principles.”
‘Theocrat’ and ‘Secularist’ state reps
The Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is an Oklahoma state representative, Kevin West, who is guiding legislation that seeks to allow medical professionals, most likely Christian, to refuse any procedure or patient care that conflicts with their “ethical, moral, or religious beliefs or principles.” Its “Secularist of the Week” is a Georgia state representative. Karen Lupton, for her insight that a recent anti-trans bill is driven by Christian nationalists seeking to establish a theocracy. The Fund commends Lupton and condemns West.
A discussion of bad bills nationwide
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of terrible legislation out there. On our Facebook Live “Ask an Atheist” feature, FFRF’s Chris Line, Ryan Dudley and Mickey Dollens take a look at the current state of bad church/state bills cropping up across the country. They discuss common trends and highlight some of the most alarming bills currently waiting to be voted on.
The American ideal of religious freedom
Our TV show this week examines the unique collaboration between the two individuals most responsible for the American ideal of religious freedom. The “Freethought Matters” guest, Professor Steven Green, is the author of “The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and the Invention of American Religious Freedom.” You can already watch the discussion on our YouTube channel. Or find out where and when to catch it on television Sunday.
Religion’s attack on transgender rights
The centerpiece of the Freethought Radio show this week is an interview that co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor conduct with attorney Kat Grant, a contributing FFRF writer and host of the “Transing Boundaries” blog, about the sharp increase in religiously motivated attacks on transgender rights.
The global rise of the far right
I’ve been speaking out in various media fora, too. I was part of a global webinar on Monday that focused on the rise of the far right. I focused on Hindu nationalism in India, as embodied in the current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and its connections to Christian nationalism in this country. (I start at 3:42.)
My interview on Mexico
On Madison’s community radio station this Sunday, I’ll be interviewing journalist Carlos Davalos (currently a Ph.D. student at UW-Madison) about Mexico, including the state of its relations with the United States. Listen in at this link Sunday starting at 5:30 p.m. Central!
Wherever and whenever we can, we persist in saying the truth — and we’re able to engage in truth-telling only due to you.
