Freethought-Now

On the heels of our mobilization to oppose a theocratic D.C. jamboree and within the confines of a shortened workweek, we at the Freedom From Religion Foundation still achieved a lot.

Our counterprotest against a Trump administration-organized prayer rally at the National Mall is still making waves. “During the event, opposing demonstrations occurred by groups, such as the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a group that pushes for a complete separation of church and state, and Faithful America, a Christian organization, according to the AP,” said a news summary in the Ohio University publication.

The president of our Maine chapter, Ray Vensel, had an eloquent column in the Portland paper persuasively outlining why the prayer fest was an awful notion.

We are scrutinizing disturbing reports of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s coordinated political activity with pastors at the rally. According to Christian nationalist evangelist David Herzog, Johnson urged the pastors to politically mobilize their congregations in support of the Trump administration’s agenda and Republican midterm election efforts. FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says, “Herzog describes the man who is third in line to be president as essentially promising select Christian churches the fulfillment of their Christian nationalist dreams if they can deliver in the midterms.”

A Ten Commandments courthouse monument

Then there was all our activity at the local level.

We called on Rockwall County, Texas, to remove a newly installed Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of the county courthouse. The monument, rendered in the King James Bible translation, prominently displays explicitly religious commandments, including directives to worship the biblical god exclusively, avoid “graven images” and observe the Sabbath.

Our legislative affiliate, the FFRF Action Fund, names the Rockwall County Commissioners Court as its “Theocrats of the Week” for the commissioners’ unanimous approval of the monument. It reprimands the commissioners and calls on Rockwall County to honor the First Amendment and remove its Christian monument.

A constitutional victory in Illinois
We also obtained some victories. An Illinois school district dropped a middle school graduation prayer after our intervention. We had learned last year that Lisbon Grade School (in Newark, Ill.) included a preplanned invocation and benediction at the eighth-grade graduation ceremony. “We have removed the prayer portion that you are referencing,” the superintendent replied after our complaint. FFRF is proud of its persistence that brought about the necessary change.

A victory in the Hoosier State
And we halted a teacher-led Christian club at an Indiana high school. The superintendent emailed FFRF after the district conducted a review of the matter following our intervention: “Staff members were reminded that any student religious organizations or gatherings on school grounds must be student-initiated and student-led, and that employees may only be present in a nonparticipator supervisory capacity consistent with federal law and district expectations.”

‘Secularist” Congressman battles DHS’ theocracy

The FFRF Action Fund picks Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., as its “Secularist of the Week” for his response to the Department of Homeland Security posting bible verses on its official accounts. This is Levin’s second stint as “Secularist of the Week.” Clearly, the separation of state and church is integral to Levin’s public service, and the Action Fund salutes his dedication to the U.S. Constitution.

An enlightening legislative roundup
Three Action Fund staffers provide an edifying roundup of recent state-level legislative actions around the country in a recent dispatch. “It’s time to assess the damage, celebrate the victories and brace for what Christian nationalist lawmakers have lined up for next year,” they write.

Where are all the atheists hiding?

On this week’s Freethought Radio episode, FFRF State Policy Manager Ryan Dudley initially gives a similar state-level overview and then Harvard student Ash Bu, FFRF’s 2026 Percy B. Shelley Student Activist awardee, talks to co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor about her op-ed in The Crimson newspaper asking, “Where Are All the Atheists Hiding?”

The future of democracy in the world’s most populous country
I interviewed for my global affairs radio show renowned secular activist and author Harsh Mander on how recent state-level elections have tightened the grip on power of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party — and what this means for democracy’s future in the world’s most populous country.

From the local to the global, we are busy at all levels grappling with religious nationalism — and we can only do it due to your support.

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