Freethought-Now
It may be summertime, but we haven’t slackened our momentum at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Our chastisement of Auburn University for the blatant religiosity in its men’s baseball program has made waves in the Alabama media — including our back and forth with a major political figure from the state.
“U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) says the out-of-state atheist group coming after Auburn’s baseball team is one of the ‘woke groups that hate God and America,’” says a piece in a conservative media outlet. “The senator is responding to the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) recent statements against the Auburn University baseball team. The organization is asking the college to stop allowing coach-led prayers on campus and to get rid of baseball uniforms that have Latin crosses on the backs and ‘Jesus Won’ written on the front.”
We have issued a rejoinder pointing out the senator’s absurdities.
Tuberville isn’t the only prominent Alabamian who is peeved with us.
“Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth has weighed in on a controversy this week after the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) made headlines by calling on the Auburn baseball program to stop praying publicly as a team and remove crosses from some versions of the uniforms they wear in witness to their faith,” says a story in the same conservative media entity. “One day after U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville blasted the FFRF by referring to them as one of the ‘woke groups that hate God and America,’ Ainsworth has doubled down and backed up his close friend in head coach Butch Thompson.”
More reputable media outlets have been covering the controversy.
“A church-state watchdog group is demanding Auburn University put an end to religious practices within its baseball program,” stated a story on the NBC affiliated TV station in Birmingham. “The Freedom From Religion Foundation says a concerned family member reached out to them after noticing the team’s new uniforms feature Latin crosses on the back and the phrase ‘Jesus Won’ on the front. According to the nonprofit, the Auburn baseball team’s Facebook page and an official fan group also posted videos and photos showing what appears to be the coach leading the players in prayer.”
The Oklahoman features our objection to an electioneering pastor
Alabama isn’t the only state where we’ve been creating a splash. Oklahoma’s most prestigious publication noticed when we called out a politicking preacher.
“A Tulsa church led by a congressional candidate is being accused of providing support and resources for its pastor’s campaign — in violation of Internal Revenue Service rules for tax-exempt churches,” the Oklahoma City paper has reported. “Now, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has asked the IRS to investigate Sheridan Church where the Rev. Jackson Lahmeyer, a candidate for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, is pastor. The organization is asking the IRS to find out if Sheridan Church’s resources may have been used to support Lahmeyer’s campaign and to take action against any violations found.”
Media spotlights our criticism of coerced baptisms
And a Florida paper has published a piece on our intervention to stop religion being foisted on inmates in Indiana.
“An Indiana sheriff ’s office is being accused of violating the First Amendment after jail leaders appeared to host a Christian devotional event offering baptisms,” states a story in the Palm Beach Post. “The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit promoting the separation of church and state, claims that the sheriff ’s office is unconstitutionally promoting religion and coercing inmates to participate in religious practices.”
We’re getting press coverage in Texas
Texas media outlets are paying attention to our insistence that a Ten Commandments megalith be taken off the premises of a county courthouse.
“Rockwall County officials are rejecting a demand from a national church-state separation group to remove a recently installed Ten Commandments monument from courthouse grounds, responding with a defiant message drawn from Texas history,” reads an article in the Rockwall Herald Banner. “The Freedom From Religion Foundation has called on Rockwall County to remove the monument, arguing that the display violates the First Amendment by promoting religion on government property.”
N.C. paper spotlights our intervention
A North Carolina paper has noticed our admonishment of county officials for their religion-inspired bigotry.
“A group that advocates for the separation of government and religion issued a statement Tuesday calling on members of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners to ‘immediately stop imposing their sectarian religious beliefs on the community,’” stated the Courier-Tribune. “The statement by the Freedom From Religion Foundation referred to the commissioners’ decision in December to dismiss all members of the Randolph Public Library Board of Trustees following controversy over a children’s picture book, ‘Call Me Max,’ about a transgender character.”
That’s a nice amount of media attention.
Our brief backs religious classroom display restrictions
We’ve been up to a lot otherwise, too.
We filed a friend-of-the-court brief defending a Connecticut school district’s ability to prevent teachers from religious classroom displays.“Speech does not cease to be speech simply because its topic concerns religion,” our brief states.
“This is a straightforward case,” says FFRF Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover. “The school district, not the teacher, gets to decide what messages are communicated on classroom walls.”
The latest attack on public education
We assailed the Trump administration’s latest assault on public education. It has announced plans to transfer oversight of special education and the Office for Civil Rights out of the Department of Education. This is not an inconsequential reorganization, but a deliberate dismantling of the civil rights infrastructure designed to protect every student in America’s public schools.
Kennedy’s problematic policies
We are raising concerns after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent touting of an expanded role for faith-based recovery organizations.
“The federal government should not be steering addiction treatment toward religious approaches,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Substance use disorders are medical conditions that require evidence-based interventions, not government-sponsored spirituality.”
A baseless baseball controversy
We are applauding Major League Baseball for reportedly standing firm against politically motivated accusations of religious discrimination. Several San Francisco Giants players were warned recently for writing spiteful bible verse citations on their caps during a Pride Night game.
“Anti-discrimination laws protect employees from adverse treatment because of their religion,” our letter to the MLB commissioner states. “They do not require employers to grant special privileges to religiously motivated expression or exempt religious employees from workplace rules that apply equally to everyone else.”
FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line has written an insightful blog tying the MLB fracas to the broader notion among many Christians in this country of a persecution complex. Read it here.
Our legislative affiliate, the FFRF Action Fund, has chosen Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon as its “Theocrat of the Week” for opening a baseless investigation into this manufactured controversy.
Sen. Cruz ‘Theocrat’ for his new role
The Action Fund named Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, as its “Theocrat of the Week” the previous week for resoundingly joining the National Association of Christian Lawmakers as its U.S. Senate chair. Cruz, with his leadership role in the Christian lawmakers’ association, will further urge Christian lawmakers to prioritize their religious beliefs over our secular democracy. The Action Fund will continue to diligently monitor the situation.
Science Guy Bill Nye is ‘Secularist’ for book blurb
The FFRF Action Fund names Bill Nye the “Science Guy” as its “Secularist of the Week” this week for his affirmation of state/church separation in Rep. Jared Huffman’s new book about the threat of theocracy. The FFRF Action Fund eagerly awaits Huffman’s exposé of Christian nationalism in “No Prophets” and salutes Nye for his commitment to science’s vital role in our secular democracy.
Activist ‘Secularist’ for stellar op-ed
Last week, FFRF Action Fund saluted secular activist David Williamson as its “Secularist of the Week” for his stellar Orlando Sentinel op-ed detailing how “In God We Trust” is an un-American motto. Williamson is a Florida representative for FFRF. The Action Fund warmly thanks him for his commitment to our secular nation and for his work educating the public about true religious liberty.
Podcast tackles attack on nonprofits
We have a bunch of media offerings for you.
A guest from a leading public policy institute joins the hosts of the “We Dissent” podcast to tackle a scary topic: the recent assault by the U.S. government on nonprofit organizations. Brennan Center for Justice’s Rachel Levinson-Waldman speaks with FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Legal Director Rebecca Markert and National Women’s Law Center Director of Nominations & Democracy Alison Gill about the Trump administration and Congress’ weaponization of the government to attack nonprofits and punish speech and viewpoints they don’t like.
The rise of religious influencers
Our “Secular Spotlight” show welcomes back YouTuber Taylor Leigh (The Antibot) for a new episode tracking the rising trend of religious influencers — and how they enrich themselves. Can Christian influencers run ministries, monetize YouTube channels and sell products while still claiming nonprofit, tax-exempt status? FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell and FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence join The Antibot to unpack the legal questions surrounding the rise of faith-based influencer businesses.
Debunking near-death experiences
Neurosurgeon Dr. Vivekanand Palavali appeared on Freethought Radio last week to discuss his new book, which examines how science unravels near-death and out-of-body experiences. Writer Chrissy Stroop talks on this week’s episode about her journey from evangelical schools to leading counternarratives about the Christian right.
Making room for everyone
FFRF Marketing & PR Director Sara Tetzloff has written a recent blog with the persuasive title of “Americans still agree on one thing: Nobody likes being told what to believe.”
“As America becomes more religiously diverse, that principle only becomes more important,” Sara concludes. “Because at the end of the day, a classroom isn’t supposed to be a congregation. It’s a community. And communities work best when there’s room for everyone.”
We here at FFRF strive constantly to fulfill such principles — with your invaluable support.
The post Weekly Wrap: Sen. Cruz, Robert Kennedy Jr., Sen. Tuberville and the Science Guy appeared first on Freethought Now.