Freethought-Now

It may be the time of year when many are in vacation mode, but we here at the Freedom From Religion Foundation are nevertheless toiling to defend our Constitution.

We helped organize a major secular event in the nation’s capital. Members of Congress, national secular leaders and advocates joined together in a Capitol Hill reception room Tuesday evening for the third annual Congressional Reason Reception. The reception celebrated the Congressional Freethought Caucus, reason, constitutional democracy — and the growing visibility of nonreligious Americans in public life.

An exciting book offer for you!

One of the attendees was Rep. Jared Huffman, the only openly nonreligious member in Congress and the co-founder of the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Now he shares an insider’s perspective in his much-anticipated book, “No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism.” We are pleased to offer you a chance to get this explosive new book into your hands immediately – even before its official release on Aug. 18! Plus, when you order your book, you’ll get exclusive access to an online one-on-one interview on Saturday, Aug. 15, at noon PDT / 3 p.m. EDT with Rep. Huffman conducted by none other than Ron Reagan, an  “unabashed atheist” and long-time FFRF spokesperson. Order early to help ensure your book arrives before the event.

Our win in Michigan gets media coverage
Our recent victory in Michigan is obtaining some great media attention.

“Fremont Public Schools in Newaygo County has banned two religious groups from operating on campus following a complaint,” says a story on a major Wolverine State news portal. “The Freedom from Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit advocating for the separation of church and state, argued that a series of lunchtime visits by missionaries and an attempt to give away Bibles violate the U.S. Constitution. The foundation said in a news release that it intervened after a concerned parent, who was not named, reported that one ministry group visiting Fremont Middle School students during lunch periods.”

We stopped a Kentucky sheriff’s office from proselytizing

We also convinced the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky to remove social media posts promoting Christianity after we raised constitutional concerns.

“FFRF takes these kinds of violations very seriously,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “When members of law enforcement use their position to push their own religious beliefs, community members who do not adhere to those same beliefs undoubtedly feel less safe.”

Trump’s white Christian nationalist history rewrite
We have castigated the Trump administration’s latest move in its white Christian nationalist campaign to rewrite America’s past. The overnight removal of exhibits detailing the lives of the nine people enslaved by George Washington while he lived in Philadelphia follows President Trump’s 2025 executive order directing federal historic sites to avoid materials that “disparage Americans” and instead emphasize the nation’s “greatness.” This is part of an ongoing White House campaign to reshape public education, museums and historical institutions around an idealized narrative of America that elevates a preferred religious vision.

A regressive DOJ guidance

We criticized the U.S. Department of Justice’s newly issued guidance on religious liberty. While the guidance purports to protect “religious liberty,” it overwhelmingly emphasizes a favorable interpretation of the rights of religious believers and organizations while giving little attention to the constitutional rights of those who do not share those beliefs.

Texas comptroller will judge employees on their Christian beliefs
We are demanding that incoming Texas Comptroller Don Huffines immediately disavow reported plans to judge state employees based on their beliefs. FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler sent a letter to Huffines asking that he immediately rescind any such policy and make clear to employees that there are no religious requirements for serving in the Office of the Comptroller. If he is unwilling to do so, he should decline the appointment.

Sheriff’s office cannot baptize inmates

We are insisting to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in Florida that a recent event where it baptized inmates was a grave constitutional violation and are demanding that it immediately put a stop to this unconstitutional promotion of religion. “By organizing and hosting inmate baptisms, the sheriff’s office is unconstitutionally favoring religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes to the sheriff.

Charlie Kirk-inspired bills are whitewashing history

We have some multimedia showpieces for you. This week, our “Secular Spotlight” YouTube series welcomes a special guest for an episode examining the role of Christian nationalism in whitewashing American history by using the name of the late Charlie Kirk. FFRF’s Ryan Jayne and Mickey Dollens are joined by retired Professor Warren Throckmorton to fact-check the myths behind these bills named in honor of Kirk, expose the influence of Christian nationalist “historian” David Barton and explain why historical misinformation continues to resonate.

How ‘intelligent design’ was ousted from public schools

The centerpiece of our Freethought Radio episode this week is federal Judge John E. Jones retelling the behind-the-scenes story of the 2005 trial leading to his landmark decision barring “intelligent design” from public school science classes.

Historians association is ‘Secularist of the Week’ for pushback

The FFRF Action Fund, our advocacy affiliate, salutes the American Historical Association for its consistent pushback against the Trump administration’s Christian nationalist rewriting of American history. Its contributions are crucial in the fight against the white Christian nationalist campaign to rewrite America’s past.

Whether it’s focusing on the past or dealing with what’s currently happening around us, we are able to do it all only due to your unswerving support.

The post Weekly Wrap: A congressional reception, a book offer, rewriting history and imposing belief  appeared first on Freethought Now.