Freethought-Now

We at the Freedom From Religion Foundation are storming ahead in our work for the First Amendment even with the uncertain weather around all of us.

Our criticism of the Trump administration’s recently announced massive giveaway to religious entities for their work abroad has garnered national attention.

“The Freedom from Religion Foundation called the State Department’s plans ‘outrageous’ and noted that its allocation ‘includes hundreds of millions of dollars for some of the world’s largest evangelical Christian ministries,’” reported Religion News Service, the premier news agency covering belief and nonbelief. “‘The administration is openly restructuring American foreign assistance around religion,’ said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor in a statement. ‘Humanitarian aid should be based on humanitarian need and the ability to provide effective, secular services, not on whether an organization puts “faith in action.” Taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll an administration’s campaign to elevate and subsidize religion.’”

The flagship publication of the libertarian movement, Reason magazine, likewise quoted our critique.

A bayou religious imposition

The state of Louisiana’s brazen continuation of religious imposition via a coerced display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms had a TV station there reach out to us.  

“Sam Grover with the Freedom from Religion Foundation said he is a parent and an advocate opposing the displays. He said his organization is part of a coalition suing Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas over the laws,” reported the CBS affiliate in Shreveport. “‘In Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, we are part of a coalition that’s suing to prevent those states from pushing one specific religious point of view onto other people’s children in a public school setting,’ Grover said. ‘And in all three of those states, those displays go up in every single classroom for every single subject throughout every single public school student’s education. And that’s simply not something that the government should do.’”

Very obvious religious discrimination
And when a free speech expert denounced an obviously discriminatory anti-Muslim move by a Tennessee county commissioner, the Knoxville News Sentinel asked us for our opinion. 

“Sammi Lawrence, an attorney at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, agreed with [Middle Tennessee State University Free Speech Center Director Ken] Paulson’s assessment, calling Fox’s ordinance ‘blatantly hostile toward Muslims,’” said an article in the paper. “The Freedom From Religion Foundation advocates for the separation of state and church, frequently suing to enforce constitutional rights, especially those protected by the First Amendment.”

Our use of a legislative tool is publicized
A legislative tracking tool we use actually showcased our effective use of its AI service.

“When the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) first considered Quorum, its small state policy team was preparing to scale back. Monitoring legislation nationwide seemed impossible, so the team expected to focus on a handful of states and leave the rest uncovered,” states a piece on the Quorum website. “Today, the same three-person team tracks roughly 700 bills across all 50 states. It can triage 100 or more bills in a day, catch committee hearings scheduled with as little as 24 hours’ notice, and mobilize advocates in time to act. With Quincy, Quorum’s AI assistant, the team can access in seconds insights that once depended on a decade of specialist experience.”

A religious publication notes our censure of AG Blanche
And even a religious publication featured our disapproval of Attorney General Todd Blanche’s theocratic language in a neutral way. 

“Secular organizations, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, have sharply criticized Blanche’s comments,” the Christianity Daily stated. “‘Blanche’s words are not those of someone committed to equally serving Americans of every faith — as well as the nearly one-third of U.S. adults who are free from religion,’ said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor in an Aug. 4 statement. ‘They’re the words of a zealot who views the government as a tool to elevate Christianity. The attorney general’s duty is to uphold the Constitution and equal justice under the law, not to put God “front and center.”’”

Do not honor Billy Graham
We’re calling on North Carolina officials to reverse course on a planned monument of the controversial religious figure Rev. Billy Graham Jr. Our freethinking North Carolina membership has been feeling estranged that the leaders of the state have chosen this outsized honor for Graham, especially given his years of advice columns deriding the nonreligious. He isn’t worthy of a spot on the North Carolina Capitol grounds, which must serve and welcome all citizens.

Michigan police department needs to get rid of biblical verse

We are demanding that a Michigan police department take down a Christian bible verse in large lettering from its public waiting room. “Imagine the outcry were a Quranic verse about peace posted at this Police Department. When a police department prominently displays New Testament Scripture, it sends a troubling message about whose beliefs are favored by those entrusted to safeguard citizens and enforce the law,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.

A Hegseth-linked extremist pastor

Our “Secular Spotlight” YouTube series takes on Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson in its latest episode. FFRF’s Nancy Noet and Matt Kenyon speak with Spencer Macnaughton, editor-in-chief of Uncloseted Media, about his revealing interview with Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson, whose extremist views have gained greater visibility through his ties to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Macnaughton says, “I see Doug Wilson as akin to the Ku Klux Klan as it relates to their view on black people. Line up the facts, and tell me where I’m wrong.”

Christopher Hitchens debates the Catholic Church!

We have a treat for you on Freethought Radio this week. You get to hear the brilliant late journalist/intellectual Christopher Hitchens debate an archbishop on the topic “Is the Catholic Church a force for good in the world?” And after co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor survey the latest Christian nationalist affronts of the past week, they interview FFRF Action Fund Regional Governmental Affairs Director Mickey Dollens about what’s wrong with the bible permeating Texas public school curriculum.

Muslim and Hindu nationalism
It’s been busy at the global affairs show I host for Madison’s community radio station. We had an extensive discussion (timely due to the independence day anniversaries being currently observed in the two nations) on the insidious religious theory that formed Pakistan and its echoes across the border in India. (Starts at 26:45 into the episode.) I also interviewed journalist, researcher and educator Sukumar Muralidharan on the recent secular-minded, education- and economy-focused student protests in India that have rocked the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi government.

A terrible chaplain bill
Our legislative affiliate, the FFRF Action Fund, is sounding the alarm over legislation that would dramatically expand the power and legal protections of military chaplains. It is being promoted as a measure to clarify the role of military chaplains and protect their religious freedom. In reality, it would go much further, granting sweeping statutory protections to government-employed clergy. And it could potentially subject service members to prosecution for restricting a chaplain’s religious actions.

‘Secularist’ League of Women Voters chapter puts on stellar panel

The Action Fund has awarded the League of Women Voters of Tarrant County (in Texas) its “Secularist of the Week” plaudit for recently hosting a panel discussion on the threat of Christian nationalism. The group conducted much-needed grassroots education on Christian nationalism — and its effects on public policy and local government.

Rep. Mace is ‘Theocrat’ for awful rants

The Action Fund names Rep. Nancy Mace its “Theocrat of the Week” for her anti-Muslim attacks on social media. Mace has espoused Christian nationalism for years. Her remarks are not rooted in a genuine concern for preserving state/church separation; the congresswoman is attacking Muslim Americans under the guise of defending America’s purported Christian heritage. She amply deserves her second “Theocrat” designation.

Trump’s anti-health decree
FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor penned a blog excoriating a President Trump diktat that will adversely affect Americans.

“President Trump’s recent executive order to space out the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine may seem benign at first glance,” she points out. “But it is only his latest interference with medical vaccination policies that will gravely harm public health.”

NYT writer shouldn’t indulge Texas’ biblical curriculum
FFRF Action Fund Regional Fund Manager Mickey Dollens has been on a roll this week, writing not just one but two blogs. The first takes a New York Times writer to task for his approval of Texas’ new bible-centered public school curriculum.

“As a former public school teacher and a father of elementary-age children in a red state, I share James Traub’s concern in the New York Times about declining literacy. I want my kids to read books that challenge them, to learn about history, and to engage with big ideas,” he states. “None of that requires official promotion of Christianity.”

How we are affecting legislation

Dollens also writes about an important national legislative meet that we recently attended — and hopefully influenced.

“We held one-on-one meetings with 11 lawmakers from nine states, stretching from Alaska and Arizona to Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois and Vermont,” he exults. “We also had numerous conversations with legislative staff from across the country. The response was encouraging.”

We are able to affect policy and bring about change only due to all the support that you send our way.

The post Weekly Wrap: Pete Hegseth, AG Blanche, Billy Graham and Christopher Hitchens appeared first on Freethought Now.