http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ en katie.s@ffrf.org Copyright 2012 2012-02-08T22:55:27+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/read-all-about-it-freethought-today-back-issues-for-sale/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/read-all-about-it-freethought-today-back-issues-for-sale/#When:22:55:27Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation is pleased to announce back issues of Freethought Today are now available for purchase. Now you can browse your favorite freethought columns from the comfort of your easy chair. Keeping tabs on the past has never been easier! Many of the earlier issues are not available online, and no issues are fully online. The Freethought Today archives are dated as early as 1985. The newspaper debuted in 1983 and launched fully in 1984. FFRF has 18 complete year sets and many other single issues. Back issues can be purchased at FFRF's website. Back Issue Details There are a very limited number (only 1 set of each) of complete issues (full-year, 10 issues) available for the years: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2008. Random issues are available for the years: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Cost Full years may be purchased for $20 per year plus $6 postage. Random issues at $3 each including postage are available. If you order 10 random issues going to the same address, FFRF can offer a discount of $2 each ($20-$6 postage). Order/Payment To reserve your copies, visit the FFRF shop for details.   2012-02-08T22:55:27+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/catholic-bishops-go-after-womens-right-to-contraception/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/catholic-bishops-go-after-womens-right-to-contraception/#When:17:47:35Z During church services on the last Sunday in January, Catholic hierarchy read what CBS News called a "blistering letter," assailing the Obama administration for an "assault on religious liberty." (Read a version of the bishops' letter proclaimed in every Catholic Church, urging Catholic congregants to contact Congress members.) The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops has been gunning for President Obama, since the welcome decree on Jan. 20 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared that most health insurance plans must cover contraception with no co-pay. Secretary of HHS Kathleen Sebelius formally announced: "Women will not have to forego these services because of expensive co-pays or deductibles, or because an insurance plan doesn’t include contraceptive services."   The Administration specifically exempted churches themselves, along with any other employer who is explicitly focused on offering a religious message and primarily employs those who believe in that message. HHS additionally is giving religious groups more time to comply with the rule, to generally take effect on Aug. 1. Catholic and other religious hospitals, schools and universities are substantial beneficiaries of all kinds of public funding, including but not limited to Pell grants. This new rule will ensure that a student going to a student health center at a Catholic-affiliated college will not find herself out in the cold when needing a birth control prescription, as currently happens at places like Fordham University. Rape victims in communities served only by Catholic hospitals (receiving huge federal infusions) are being denied the morning after pill.  Working class women struggling to pay bills who must contribute to workplace health care premiums are being double-billed, forced to shell out as much as $100 a month for birth control pills that should already be covered. Without such protection, women in one of the wealthiest countries in the world are reduced to reproductive rights paupers. Women are either denied benefits or are penalized for choosing birth control. The Catholic Church is wrong. Requiring birth control coverage as part of health care is not a blow to Catholic religious liberty. No one is forced to use birth control, much less the church's professional celibates. Employees are ensured that dogma does not interfere with their private conscience and personal health needs and choices. The Catholic Church, the largest single denomination in the United States, claims, in a clear threat: "The federal government . . . has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people— the Catholic population." Yet studies show that 98 percent of Roman Catholic women have used birth control! It is hypocritical for the church to claim that this is a "heavy blow" to "the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful." Those "millions more" who are not Catholics are being denied health care on the grounds of religion, in a manner which disproportionately denies reproductive freedom and health care to women. Denial of contraceptive coverage is sex discrimination. We have only to look at the vindictive response of the Roman Catholic reaction in Rhode Island toward appealing high school student and state/church plaintiff Jessica Alhquist, to be reminded that if the Roman Catholic church is permitted to dictate theology into our secular laws, the candles lit during the Enlightenment would be blown out. The Roman Catholic hierarchy, which is committed to denying all women worldwide contraception and abortion whether or not the women are Catholic adherents, has not successfully dictated its anti-contraception policies to its own female members. It must not be allowed to deny birth control to other women. Unfortunately, in an election year, this correct decision by the Obama administration may be used to pillory him, not just by Catholics but by many anti-women evangelicals who are increasingly joining that church and working against contraception. The public backlash against the Susan G. Komen for the Cure cut-off of funding to Planned Parenthood should give public officials some reassurance. But that kind of public opinion needs to be harnessed now in support of the HHS rules. Please take a moment to send quick thanks to the Obama Administration for not caving into Catholic bishops, for choosing women's health needs over dogma. Now is the time to influence public opinion via letters to the editor and posting pro-birth control comments at online news sources. Talking Points Cut and paste if you like: President Obama:  The matter of whether or not to utilize family planning options is a private decision for individuals – not employers, priests, pastors, or other evangelists. Please hold firm and ensure that women employed by religious hospitals and universities have the same right to contraceptive choices and health care coverage as other women. Contact President Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Phone: (202) 456-1414 Phone White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111 Fax: (202) 456-2461 Email contact form: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments Thank you for your help! As always, we are pleased to receive "blind" ("BCC") copies of your messages and correspondence by email at action@ffrf.org. Action Alert 2012-02-08T17:47:35+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-challenges-catholic-shrine-on-big-mountain/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-challenges-catholic-shrine-on-big-mountain/#When:15:39:44Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a state/church watchdog and the nation's largest association of atheists and agnostics, has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Montana, challenging the Forest Service's decision to renew a special permit to maintain a Jesus shrine on federal property in the Rockies. The case was filed late yesterday on behalf of FFRF's 17,500 members, including more than 100 in Montana and those "who have had direct and unwanted exposure to the shrine" on Big Mountain near Whitefish Mountain's Resort Chair Two in Flathead National Forest. FFRF seeks a declaration that the "continued presence of a six-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ in the Flathead National Forest, on a 25-by-25-foot plot owned and administered by the United States Forest Service, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States." The Knights of Columbus, an ultra-conservative Roman Catholic men's organization, applied for a permit for the express religious purpose of erecting "a Statue of our Lord Jesus Christ" in 1953. The shrine, which was first placed in 1954, is similar to Jesus shrines the Knights of Columbus places "on its own extensive real estate holdings." The Knights of Columbus has never paid any money for the privilege of appropriating a prominent parcel of federal land for their proselytizing symbol. The Forest Service has continued to "sanction the looming presence" of the shrine overlooking Big Mountain ski run, until the most recent lease ran out in late 2010. Chip Weber, Flathead National Forest Supervisor, determined last year, after a complaint by FFRF, that the statue's presence was inappropriate. On Aug. 24, 2011, Weber noted in a formal statement that a shrine on federal land conflicted with Supreme Court decisions and established case law, and that it would be removed no later than Oct. 31, 2012. U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, who is campaigning for the Senate, publicly denounced the decision and started a website, vetsforjesus.com, which takes visitors to his Congressional website and a pitch to retain the shrine. Weber capitulated in an Oct. 21 announcement, withdrawing the earlier decision, and calling for a public comment period. Weber's letter referred to "new information" that the Jesus statue is supposedly eligible for listing on the National Historic Register — a suggestion the Forest Service itself made to the Montana Historic Preservation Office. Religious monuments and properties are not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. As part of the "public comment" period, FFRF shared samples of the vicious hate mail it has received from shrine supporters. FFRF's legal complaint notes that the shrine's presence on federal property amounts to governmental endorsement of Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in particular. The Forest Service's actions "diminish the civil and political standing of non-religious and non-Christian Americans." FFRF is asking the court to enjoin the defendant from continuing to approve the shrine for federal property and ordering Weber to direct the Knights of Columbus to remove it. The case is filed on FFRF's behalf by attorney Richard L. Bolton and local counsel Martin S. King. FFRF v. Weber is FFRF's second lawsuit in Montana. In October 2004, FFRF, in a case brought by Bolton, won a federal challenge finding unconstitutional a "faith-health cooperative" run by the Montana Office of Rural Health in cooperation with the Montana Association of Churches.  2012-02-08T15:39:44+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/why-presidents-should-boycott-prayer-breakfasts/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/why-presidents-should-boycott-prayer-breakfasts/#When:18:23:23Z Statement by Annie Laurie Gaylor FFRF Co-President President Barack Obama’s 2,562-word speech to the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday was an exercise in pure unadulterated political pandering. Blithely ignoring FFRF’s formal requests that he not participate, he’s given similar talks the past two years at the National Prayer Breakfast — a private event with a public name organized by the shadowy Christian-right Fellowship Foundation. Many other presidents, Cabinet members and high-ranking politicians since the 1950s have “taken a knee” at this event. Yet seeing and reading Obama’s speech on Thursday (view video here and transcript here) was still a shock, even to this veteran separationist. Obama did throw a few bones to unbelievers, Jews and Muslims (sometimes almost humorously). Whole paragraphs are basically secular generalities. Obama can’t quite put aside his law professor pedigree, fortunately. He observes: “We know that part of living in a pluralistic society means that our personal religious beliefs alone can’t dictate our response to every challenge we face.” He admits caring for the poor is espoused “among many believers and among many nonbelievers.” When he quotes the Golden Rule, he correctly adds it is “found in every major religion and every set of beliefs” (although he left out Confucius). Obama mentions growing up “in a household that wasn’t particularly religious . . . before finding Christ.” But he plays his part as the pious politician with disturbing gusto, schmoozing with theocrats, establishing his daily routine of prayer, indulging in a little “only God is perfect” self-deprecation and reveling in having a literal “holier than thou” pulpit on which to campaign. A quick recital of the parade of piety: “I wake up each morning and I say a brief prayer, and I spend a little time in scripture and devotion. And from time to time, friends of mine . . . like Joel Hunter or T.D. Jakes, will come by the Oval Office . . . and we pray together.” (“Bishop” J.D. Jakes is one of those unsavory prosperity preachers. He’s the pastor at The Potter’s House, a Dallas megachurch claiming 30,000 members.) Obama alludes to being inspired by seeing “thousands of young Christians filling the Georgia Dome at the Passion Conference.” He identifies several times as a Christian. He makes an irritating generality by crediting “faith” when lauding reformers such as “Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Jane Addams, Martin Luther King., Jr., Dorothy Day, Abraham Heschel.” Obama claims that “the majority of great reformers in American history did their work not just because it was sound policy, . . . but because their faith and their values dictated it.” Douglass famously noted that when he prayed for liberation as a slave, his prayers weren’t answered until he “prayed with my legs.” Lincoln was a Deist but not an orthodox Christian. Jane Addams, whose Hull House sadly was just closed in Chicago, ran a secular settlement complex because, as she observed in Twenty Years at Hull-House: “A wise man has told us that ‘men are once for all so made that they prefer a rational word to believe in and live in.’ ” In fact, most major reforms in our nation have been kindled by those willing to speak truth and rationality to orthodoxy, and have been opposed by the organized church lobbies, including abolition, the fight against corporal punishment/capital punishment; humane treatment of the mentally ill; women’s rights including the right to vote, to birth control and abortion, and equality for gays. Obama’s long anecdote about how honored he was to be prayed for by that presidential parasite, Billy Graham, was just too much. Graham’s political influence was not in fact “kind and gentle,” but interfering and hawkish. Obama concluded the speech with shameless posturing: “I have fallen on my knees with great regularity. . .  asking God for guidance not just in my personal life and my Christian walk, but in the life of this nation. . . I know that He will guide us. He always has, and He always will.” As if all of this was not enough to solidify his evangelical base, Obama then rah-rah’ed for Bush’s faith-based initiative: “Since we’ve expanded and strengthened the White House faith-based initiative, we’ve partnered with Catholic Charities to help Americans who are struggling with poverty; worked with organizations like World Vision and American Jewish World Service and Islamic Relief to bring hope to those suffering around the world. . . From promoting responsible fatherhood to strengthening adoption, from helping people find jobs to serving our veterans, we’re linking arms with faith-based groups all across the country.” This is a dishonest characterization. U.S., state, and many local governments for years had contracted for services with various religion-identified groups, such as Catholic Charities. Religious charities receiving huge infusions of taxpayer funds to deliver services often got the credit, while taxpayers got the bill, but at least there was oversight. What Bush changed was the clear delineation between the religious arm of such charities, and what was once their secular arm. Prior to Bush, religious entities vying to be providers of public services had to create secular arms, separate the bookkeeping and take down their crosses, clearly agreeing not to proselytize while delivering those public services. Our country never “discriminated” against a bonafide social service agency that was religion-identified. We simply required them to toe the constitutional line, and to account for themselves. Now that check on the public giveaway of tax dollars to religion is gone. The line between religion and government is hopelessly blurred. It was already a constitutional tragedy that today’s presidential candidates are expected to wear religion on their sleeves, to campaign on their personal religious views, and in short are submitted to the very religious test for public office our Constitution precludes. But it is a positively insidious that candidates and public officials are now additionally expected to court votes by throwing public money at and “linking arms with faith-based groups all across the country.” 2012-02-03T18:23:23+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-asks-west-point-to-soul-search-over-prayer-breakfast/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-asks-west-point-to-soul-search-over-prayer-breakfast/#When:20:08:54Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation has written a Jan. 31 letter to the U.S. Military Academy calling for it to do some "soul searching" over West Point's annual so-called "National Prayer Breakfast," after a controversy about Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin's invitation to speak. FFRF is a national state/church watchdog with over 17,500 members nationwide, including 24 percent who are active duty military and veterans. Boykin has been a polarizing figure, known for giving pro-Christian, anti-Muslim speeches in churches ("my God was bigger than his"). FFRF said Boykin's reckless statements have consequences for National Security and he should never have been invited. Although Boykin withdrew yesterday from the Feb. 8 event, FFRF pointed out that this debacle is part of a larger problem: military endorsement of religion. "We request that you cancel these 'National Prayer Breakfasts' and issue a statement repudiating Boykin’s comments. Boykin’s divisiveness has shone a light on this annual National Prayer Breakfast, which goes beyond the proper role of the Office of Chaplains. The message is received loud and clear by cadets: the Academy prefers and endorses one religion. We need military leaders who are willing to protect the rights of conscience of all," charged FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. FFRF wrote: "Boykin was invited to speak by the academy despite his record of fundamentalist and bigoted statements made during speaking engagements. Boykin consistently attacks Islam, criticizes a secular view of government, and couches such statements with references to a religious war. The Academy’s invite was appalling. We are glad to learn that he will no longer be speaking." FFRF's letter noted that Boykin's decision to withdraw "does not go far enough." His appearance at the breakfast would draw a clear link between the fundamentalist Christian message and the U.S. military, something that George W. Bush would not and did not condone. "It is appalling, given this history of incendiary and unprofessional comments, that the U.S. Military Academy would honor Boykin by inviting him to provide an address at a West Point event. His views are off-the-wall, conspiratorial, and advance a tired 'persecuted' Christian theme that seeks to pit Christians of his persuasion against everyone else," wrote FFRF.  2012-02-01T20:08:54+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-protests-misuse-of-federal-presidential-seals-by-national-prayer-/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-protests-misuse-of-federal-presidential-seals-by-national-prayer-/#When:17:53:43Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation has contacted four federal agencies over what appears to be egregious violations of federal law by publicizers of the National Prayer Breakfast, who are appropriating the Presidential, Congressional and Great Seals of the United States to promote the breakfast. The misuse gives the false impression that the infamous National Prayer Breakfast, which takes place tomorrow in Washington, D.C., is sponsored and approved by multiple layers of the federal government. FFRF has already asked President Barack Obama to boycott the annual theo-political event, where he is once again scheduled to appear and speak. FFRF, a Madison, Wis.-based state/church watchdog, wrote on behalf of its 17,500 nonreligious members nationwide. In separate letters to Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson and Clerk of the U.S. House Karen Lehman Haas, FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert noted that the appearance of these seals “give the false and misleading appearance” that the National Prayer Breakfast sponsors have “close ties to the U.S. government.” FFRF notes the private prayer breakfast costs attendants $650 per person. The 2010 990 Form for the hosting organization, The Fellowship Foundation, reveals it raked in $1,053.468 in 2009. The National Prayer Breakfast is put on by the notorious and shadowy Fellowship Foundation, aka The Family, which does not have its own website. The National Prayer Breakfast event is promoted at the website of the Leadership Development Seminars (LDS), an organization that works to further “Jesus centered leadership.” The LDS website is peppered with images of the Presidential, Congressional, and Great Seals of the United States. The United States Code (18 USC § 713) prohibits the unauthorized use “of the great seal of the United States, or of the seals of the President or the Vice President of the United States, or the seal of the United States Senate, or the seal of the United States House of Representatives, or the seal of the United States Congress, or any facsimile thereof,” to give “a false impression of sponsorship or approval. . .” Violators of this criminal statute “shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.” FFRF attempted to ascertain whether LDS has written permission to use the seals as required by law, and it does not appear that it has. It is also a violation of Washington state law, where LDS is registered and headquartered, to use the Washington State Seal without permission. FFRF has alerted Washington State authorities to apparently unauthorized use of the state seal at the same website. FFRF wrote LDS cataloging their misuse of Federal Seals last year and sent another follow-up today. The LDS uses the seals on various parts of their website in the following ways: • Keynote Speakers Tab: 6 Great Seals.  • National Prayer Breakfast Tab: 1 US Congress Seal.  • Prayer Breakfast ‘History': Faith, Prayer, and Leadership Tab: 1 Great Seal; 1 Congressional Seal.  FFRF contacted the U.S. Department of State last year, as well as LDS, to complain about misuse of the Presidential seal at the LDS website. Although that image disappeared from a more prominent place at the website this year, photos up at the website from previous prayer breakfast events still picture the Presidential Seal on the official National Prayer Breakfast podium. “It’s past time for federal officials to go after the chronic misappropriation of the symbols of the Office of the President and federal government by these religious organizations seeking to unite religion and government. Let’s see some enforcement of the law!” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. GET INVOLVED The Attorney General can stop the use of any of the Seals on the LDS website and is especially responsible for the Great Seal: The Honorable Eric H. Holder Jr. Attorney General of the United States U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 The Secretary of State is the custodian of the Great Seal and although not technically responsible for its enforcement, can discourage its use: The Honorable Hillary Clinton Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 The Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate are jointly responsible for the Congressional Seal: The Honorable Karen Lehman Haas Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Capitol, Room H154 Washington, DC 20515–6601 The Honorable Nancy Erickson Secretary of the Senate United States Senate Washington, DC 20515 The White House Comment Line Phone: 202-456-1111 Fax: 202-456-2461 Email form: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments Thank you for your help!  As always, we are pleased to receive "blind" ("BCC") copies of your messages and correspondence by email at action@ffrf.org. 2012-02-01T17:53:43+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-hails-long-overdue-alaska-airlines-announcement/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-hails-long-overdue-alaska-airlines-announcement/#When:15:27:01Z Statement by Annie Laurie Gaylor FFRF Co-President Today, at long last, Alaska Airlines will cease a much-protested-by-us practice of distributing “prayer cards” to its airline customers. Late last week Alaska Airlines announced it has been providing those cards for “more than 30 years,” but has finally reconsidered. A statement signed by Bill Ayer, Chair and CEO, Alaska Air Group, and Brad Tilden, President, Alaska Airlines, announced that they believe eliminating the cards is “the right thing to do in order to respect the diverse religious beliefs and cultural attitudes of all our customers and employees.” (Practicalities also intervened — Alaska Airlines stopped providing the cards to coach six years ago, when meal tray service ended.)  May I say “Hallelujah?” It took 30 years, but Alaska Airlines finally listened! As long as Alaska Airlines has been providing the prayer cards, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has been receiving complaints about them, and acting on those complaints. Pre-Internet, starting back in the mid-1980s, I used to head our “Target List,” whereby we would send out monthly or periodic lists of people, columnists or corporations who needed to be educated. A loyal group of highly articulate members participated and it was always a joy to read copies of their replies. Honestly, I feel our cumulative letters (sent, in those slow-paced days by mail, sometimes arriving weeks after the fact) can take credit for turning at least one religious-right columnist into an agnostic, helping to wean an editorial cartoonist (who shall not be named) away from religion, and affecting some major state/church turn-arounds. Every year or two, after receiving yet another shocked member complaint about the airline practice, I would crank up our habitual consumer complaint against them. Freethought Today’s “Letterbox” also published many articulate complaints from our members. Elaine Van S. Carmichael, in 1990, wrote the then-president of Alaska Airlines a letter so good we reproduced it in full. She wrote of her astonishment to find the in-flight snack adorned with a prayer card. Elaine asked, among other questions: “Don’t you realize that many customers may find this offensive, while no one would find its absence inappropriate?” Clara Carlson, one of FFRF’s best-beloved and long-time Washington State members, who died recently at age 102, shared her “open letter to Alaska airlines” in a 1991 letter. Clara, who due to her location often had to rely on Alaska Airlines, wrote acidly: “The notion that it is necessary to pray, while flying with your line, is disquieting. It seems to indicate that one cannot have confidence in your pilots and mechanics.” As FFRF turned to online Action Alerts, we kept up the pressure over the years. Our last action alert on this issue was written by a member request in 2009, and noted: “Members have complained over the past 30 years about Alaska Airlines offending non-Christians and nonbelievers with Christian paraphernalia during flights. Over the years, FFRF has sent letters of complaint and urged members to act as well. “Please help educate Alaska Airlines about the fact that many of its paying customers are not religious, or prefer other religious teachings, and are greatly offended at being forced to see these Christian prayer cards when they are paying exorbitant fees to travel on the airline. If travelers want to pray, they can do so without the behest of a commercial airline! In fact, it does not inspire confidence that airline officials feel the need to pray during flights!” Say "thank You"  Please take a moment to send a quick “Thank you.” Please let Alaska Airlines know you appreciate the announcement, the attention to respecting diversity, and that this welcome change will make a lot of freethinkers feel much better about patronizing Alaska Airlines. (It IS important to thank them, given Sarah Palin’s Facebook fight insisting the airlines must return to the prayers.) Contact Online Contact Form: http://www.alaskaair.com/www2/help/email.aspx?lid=footer:contactUs P.S. To those of you, and there are many, who have been faithfully responding to “faithless” action alerts for 30 years, including those targeting Alaska Airlines, a warm thank you! As we always say around here: It pays to complain! Thank you for your help!   As always, we are pleased to receive "blind" ("BCC") copies of your messages and correspondence by email at action@ffrf.org. 2012-02-01T15:27:01+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-to-sue-over-catholic-shrine-on-federal-land/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-to-sue-over-catholic-shrine-on-federal-land/#When:22:09:38Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation will be suing the U.S. Forest Service over the unconstitutional presence of a Knights of Columbus shrine to Jesus in Flathead National Forest in Montana. FFRF has readied a legal complaint and plans to file it shortly in federal court in Montana. In an official memo released today by the US Forest Service, it announced it will reauthorize a special use permit for the Knights of Columbus to maintain a Jesus shrine in Flathead National Forest for the next decade. The Knights of Columbus first applied for a permit for the purpose of erecting "a Statue of our Lord Jesus Christ" on the public mountain in 1953. It has sanctioned the looming presence of the six-foot statue of Jesus overlooking Big Mountain ski run since 1954. Chip Weber, Flathead National Forest Supervisor, determined last year after complaints from FFRF and others that the religious shrine was inappropriate. But after a backlash led by U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., who is campaigning for Senate, the Forest Service began back-pedaling. The Forest Service announced a "public comment" period, which ran through Dec. 8, 2011, on whether to continue the unconstitutional lease. "A federal agency should not hold a vote on whether to obey the Constitution!" said Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. "The U.S. Forest Service has unlawfully misused federal land owned by all of us to further Christianity in general, and Roman Catholicism in particular. This diminishes the civil and political standing of nonreligious and nonChristian Americans, and shows flagrant governmental preference for religion and Christianity." 2012-01-31T22:09:38+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/prayer-breakfast-serves-up-an-unlawful-mixture-of-state-church/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/prayer-breakfast-serves-up-an-unlawful-mixture-of-state-church/#When:22:29:43Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a cautionary letter to President Barack Obama asking him to once again disassociate the Oval Office from the so-called annual "National Prayer Breakfast" taking place on Thursday, Feb. 2. Obama is scheduled to once again participate.  "The National Day of Prayer Breakfast lends the unmistakable appearance that the White House itself is cosponsoring the event, working hand in glove with the ultra-right-wing Christian group, The Fellowship Foundation, also known as 'the Family.' This group, apparently originated the breakfast to mix religion and state in the early 1950s," wrote FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. FFRF noted the event sends a message that the president prefers and endorses the Christian faith. These actions exclude and offend the significant portion of the population that is non-Christian (24 percent) including nonreligious (15 percent). "The inclusion of other faiths at the government-promoted or sponsored National Prayer Breakfast still excludes those of us with no religious faith — the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population by religious identification," noted FFRF. FFRF maintains that the entanglement of the Office of the President with the National Prayer Breakfast is inappropriate and unnecessary. "We request that you honor the oath you took to uphold our godless Constitution, leaving religion to the private sphere, and cancel your plan to 'bless' this sectarian event," wrote FFRF. The Foundation has taken issue with the president's appearance at this event for years. After writing a series of letters last year, FFRF Staff Attorney Stephanie Schmitt can claim success. So far there is no presidential seal on the National Prayer Breakfast website. FFRF will be addressing the unconstitutional congressional seal that currently adorns the page.  To add your voice in complaint over this unseemly mix of religion and government, contact: The White House Comment Line Phone: 202-456-1111 Fax: 202-456-2461 Email form: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments Thank you for your support! Consider making this the focus of a short letter to the editor of periodicals, including your local newspaper. Blind copies of your emails or letters may be shared with action@ffrf.org.  2012-01-30T22:29:43+00:00 http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/pennsylvania-bible-resolution-is-sinful/ http://www.ffrf.org/news/releases/pennsylvania-bible-resolution-is-sinful/#When:16:53:01Z The Freedom From Religion Foundation is protesting an unconstitutional resolution naming 2012 the "Year of the Bible," unanimously passed (193-0) in the Pennsylvania General Assembly this week. House Resolution 535 arrogantly exhorts citizens to "study and apply the teachings of the holy scriptures.” What a discredit to the legacy of William Penn, one of the earliest champions of freedom of conscience, FFRF charges in a joint letter to Speaker of the House Samuel Smith and House Minority Leader Frank Dermody. The Pennsylvania Assembly is strictly prohibited by the Pennsylvania Constitution from controlling or interfering with "the limits of conscience," or showing any preference "by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship." "It is no more permissible for members of the Assembly to 'bless' the bible than it would be for them to endorse the koran," wrote FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. Pennsylvania legislators have no right to endorse the bible as "the word of God," much less to direct state and national citizens to study and apply it. Most perniciously, the resolution implies our nation was founded on the bible, when in fact our nation is founded on an entirely secular and godless constitution, whose only references to religion are exclusionary, such as there shall be no religious test for public office. "Our constitution grants sovereignty not to a deity or a 'holy book,' but to 'We, the People.' There is no reference to God, the bible, the Ten Commandments or Jesus in the U.S. Constitution, just as there are no references to 'consent of the governed,' 'civil liberties' or 'democracy' in the bible. Those who have truly studied the bible realize that it is a moral quagmire, a behavioral grab bag, which has been used to justify automatic rule, tyranny, slavery, the degradation of women and gays, child abuse, war, atrocity and mayhem," noted FFRF. FFRF's letter quoted a historic 19th century judge, warning: “There is no such source and cause of strife, quarrel, fights, malignant opposition, persecution, and war, and all evil in the state, as religion. Let it once enter our civil affairs, our government would soon be destroyed.” FFRF's message to electioneering politicians in Pennsylvania and everywhere: "The economy is in shambles, many Americans are jobless and homeless. Get off your knees and get to work! FFRF NEEDS YOUR HELP! Send a strongly worded note of protest to the Speaker of the House and the House Minority Leader. If you live in Pennsylvania, you may also wish to phone or email your State Representative (see contact details below) and send a heads up to your State Senator about why to vote "no" if it comes up for vote in the Senate. They need to know that this bill is unconstitutional and offensive to those of us who know 2012 should be 'the Year of the Constitution.' Contact Speaker of the House Sam Smith 139 Main Capitol Building  PO Box 202066 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2066 Email: shsmith@pahousegop.com Phone: (717) 787-3845  House Minority Leader Frank Dermody Hon. Frank Dermody 423 Main Capitol Building PO Box 202033 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2033 Email (this is a webpage contact form, not an address): http://www.pahouse.com/dermody/contact.asp Phone: (717) 787-3566  Find your Pennsylvania State Representative here.  Find your Pennsylvania State Senator here.  Talking Points View FFRF's letter here for suggested language.  Thank you for your support! We are pleased to receive "blind" ("BCC") copies of your messages and correspondence by e-mail at action@ffrf.org.  2012-01-27T16:53:01+00:00