Ohio county's plan ends over faith-based services

FFRF has stopped an Ohio county's attempt to divert public dollars to exclusively religious organizations.

In August, it was brought to FFRF's attention that Cuyahoga County had issued a "request for proposal" so that it could offer outreach services limited to faith-based organizations or coalitions of faith-based organizations. The request was intended to seek "proposals from faith-based organizations interested in providing outreach and referral activities to drive enrollment in Cuyahoga County's Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program."

In a letter to the county administration, FFRF Legal Fellow Chris Line warned the county against the violation of the First Amendment.
The county responded that it would comply with constitutional requirements to be entirely neutral on matters of religion.

FFRF nixes religion from state event

FFRF has ensured that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services will not entangle itself with religion when sponsoring events.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Southwest Wisconsin (ADRC) sponsored a dementia workshop on June 15 exclusively for faith community leaders. Religion was advertised in a flyer of the workshop, which indicated that Pastor Carolyn Kennedy led the 15-minute opening worship and that it was held in the United Church of Christ in Barneveld.

In a letter sent to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne requested assurance that future Aging and Disability Resource Center events would not include religious rituals. FFRF also asked that any future events the center sponsors be open to all community leaders, not just clergy.

The Department of Health Services responded on July 26, agreeing that resource centers should not prohibit any interested community leader from attending its informational events.
Wisconsin school ends religious ties

FFRF has snipped the ties between a Wisconsin elementary school and a religious financial firm.

It was brought to the attention of FFRF that Bristol Elementary School in Bristol, Wis., had partnered with Thrivent Financial, a Christian financial services firm that openly discriminates based on religion.

FFRF's Elaine and Eric Stone Legal Fellow Ryan Jayne sent a letter to the Bristol School District asking that it investigate Establishment Clause concerns.

The school and financial firm had collaborated on a "Feed My Starving Children" event. Feed My Starving Children is a Christian nonprofit with a mission to nourish "God's starving children hungry in body and spirit." After the students packed food, they were invited to participate in a Christian prayer over the food. In exchange for the funding, Thrivent transported students to the event. Students all wore T-shirts with the religious firm's logo that includes a Christian cross.

Bristol School District #1 Administrator Michael Juech informed FFRF in an email that the district had contacted Thrivent Financial to let the group know that no future partnerships would take place. Additionally, the school district has taken steps to remove social media posts from the Bristol School District pages highlighting the relationship with Thrivent Financial.

Christian message replaced in Md. school

Thanks to FFRF, an elementary school in Frederick, Md., has agreed to expunge a proselytizing message to its students.

A concerned local resident informed FFRF that Lincoln Elementary had been displaying a religious sculpture in its foyer that had been donated by a Rotary Club. The sculpture was in the shape of a key and included printed advice to students to "be good Christians." FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott sent a letter on June 21 to the Frederick County Public Schools superintendent objecting to the overt promotion of Christianity on behalf of the school and asking that the sculpture be modified to remove the message.

A representative of the school district responded on July 11 informing FFRF that the principal of Lincoln Elementary school had been advised to remove the word "Christians" from the message. It now contains a secular message to "be good."

FFRF seals up victory in Florida post office

A U.S. post office in Miami, Fla., will no longer be unconstitutionally promoting religion after receiving a letter from FFRF.

FFRF was informed that a poster reading, "To all South Florida District Employees who have been called to serve, our thoughts and prayers are with you. God Bless America" had been on display at the Quail Heights Post Office. On Nov. 4, 2016, FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote a letter warning the post office that U.S. postal regulations prohibit the display of nearly all religious materials and that the First Amendment prohibits government sponsorship of religion.

Ziegler asked that the post office comply with the constitution and remove the sign. The Quail Heights Post Office district manager responded on July 20, informing FFRF that the sign had been immediately removed following the reception of the warning letter.

Indoctrination removed from hunter training

Due to the FFRF, there won't be any Christian indoctrination permitted during official hunter training in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department facilitates hunter safety classes throughout New Hampshire. A person who contacted FFRF attended a class on April 6-8 hosted by the Heritage Free Will Baptist Church in Laconia, N.H. The complainant reported that everyone who attended the class received religious flyers with prayers and information about church services. A pastor taught this class. The religious materials were enclosed with all of the official hunter's safety documents and study packets.

FFRF learned that the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will make certain that future classes co-sponsored by the department do not involve the distribution of such religious materials.

FFRF has religion fished out from Illinois contest

An Illinois statewide fishing competition will not be angling for religion, thanks to FFRF.

A concerned Illinois resident informed FFRF that the Illinois High School Association, in conjunction with the Fishing League Worldwide, started this year's 2017 IHSA Bass Fishing State Finals for member Illinois schools with a Christian prayer that included "Thanks for your son Jesus."

This sectarian prayer was inappropriate and unconstitutional, FFRF Legal Fellow Ryan Jayne told the association.

The Illinois High School Association responded quickly by ending the prayers.

California post office tosses prayers

A U.S. post office plant in Richmond, Calif., has agreed to end government-endorsed prayers after receiving a letter from FFRF.

At a potluck held by the post office plant in December 2016, a pre-meal prayer was led "in Jesus' name." At a luncheon four days after, the plant manager asked for an employee to lead a prayer. FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler wrote to the plant manager, Severo Garza, on April 3, warning that the prayer practices had violated the constitutional separation of church and state by imposing prayer on employees and endorsing religion on behalf of the government.

Garza responded in a letter to FFRF on July 21 agreeing that the post office would be in compliance with the First Amendment in the future.

Kansas school agrees to be religiously inclusive

A Kansas school district superintendent has agreed to restrain himself from praying with his employees at school functions.

A concerned employee informed FFRF that at an awards meeting for retiring staff, Independence Unified School District Superintendent Rusty Arnold asked the audience to join him in prayer and to bow their heads. FFRF Legal Fellow Christopher Line sent a letter to Arnold on July 7 warning the school district that imposing prayer on employees at a district-sponsored event violates constitutional limits on government religious endorsement. Furthermore, Line explained to Arnold that such prayers inappropriately alienate non-religious employees, or those who practice a minority religion.

On July 20, Arnold assured FFRF in a letter that he did not want to alienate staff members and would no longer be praying with his employees during school events.
University of Florida program sets it right

FFRF has ensured that a program at the University of Florida in Gainesville will remain neutral regarding religion.

FFRF contacted the university over a mandatory program it planned to implement for all undergraduate students called "UF Quest," which contained aspects that appeared to advance or favor religion. The university's associate provost of undergraduate affairs explained that all students in the program would be encouraged to meditate on their spiritual tradition — which she equated with prayer.

In a letter sent on June 6, FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel spotlighted the constitutional state-church concerns with the program and requested that all program curriculum be approached from a secular standpoint. FFRF also asked that the program include all students by representing the nearly 35 percent of millennials who do not identify with religion. The university's attorney responded on July 14, assuring FFRF that the program would not promote religion and that the university would work with FFRF to find humanist or atheist representatives if necessary in the future.

FFRF fixes up Texas school's religion policy

A Texas high school will no longer be using graduation events to unconstitutionally promote Christianity after FFRF contacted the school district over several state/church violations.
FFRF was informed that the graduation events at Big Sandy High School were laced with religion. During a senior banquet prior to the school's graduation ceremony, the principal led a Christian prayer in which he made multiple references to the bible and "warned" about Satan. On the day of graduation, a faculty member gave students a copy of the Christian book "God's Promises for Graduates." The graduation ceremony itself began with a Christian invocation and concluded with the principal asking everyone to stand up to join hands and recite the Lord's Prayer. Moreover, a local religious group was invited onto school property before the ceremony to distribute bibles to students.

FFRF Associate Counsel Sam Grover wrote to the school district's superintendent, Jay Ratcliff, on June 22 to remind the district of its duty to remain religiously neutral and protect the rights of conscience of students. Public school graduations, Grover pointed out, are not the place to preach personal religious beliefs. Ratcliff responded on July 27 agreeing that the district would comply with its legal obligation to keep religion out of its schools.

School bus advertising Jesus hits roadblock

A public school bus rolling through Tennessee will no longer be doubling as Christian propaganda on wheels. A concerned resident informed FFRF that a school bus for the Bedford County School District in Shelbyville, Tenn., was showcasing a large bumper sticker that read, "Easter is all about JESUS!" The district violated the constitution by allowing its resources to display religious messages and promote religion. FFRF sent a letter to the district superintendent on May 12 requesting that the bumper sticker be removed.

The school district responded on July 24 that it had immediately complied with FFRF's request and that an in-service training would be provided for drivers to address the violation.
Bible banished from view at Virginia college

The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine has removed a religious text from a display after receiving a warning letter from FFRF.

An employee reached out to FFRF over a bible being displayed on the table outside the office of the director of the teaching hospital. The bible was placed next to the seating for visitors. FFRF Legal Director Rebecca Markert sent a letter on July 21 to the university's dean explaining that displaying the bible to visitors of the director's office sends the message that the college endorses the religious text, which is a constitutional violation. A legal representative of the university informed FFRF in a letter sent on July 25 that the bible had been removed from public view.

Michigan town ends school-endorsed prayer

FFRF has taken action to ensure that students in Breitung Township Schools in Kingsford, Mich., will no longer be socially pressured into participating in religious rituals.

This past spring, the district's Eighth-Grade Dinner Dance included a prayer that students were instructed to recite before a meal. The prayer had been organized by Mrs. Hofer, a teacher in the district, who had pressured and shamed students at the event to join in the religious ritual by saying that refusing to do so would be poor manners. FFRF Legal Director Rebecca Markert wrote to Superintendent Craig Allen on May 25, warning that it is a constitutional violation for public school teachers to involve themselves in prayer.
Allen responded on July 28 that the incident had been discussed with the violator.

FFRF removes dogma from Missouri school

The Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Mo., will not be be teaching misleading, faith-based curriculum in the future after FFRF raised constitutional and health concerns.

A local faith-based organization, Thrive St. Louis, has been teaching sex education in district schools. The group operates "crisis pregnancy centers," which label themselves as general-purpose medical clinics for pregnant women, but in reality spew fallacious advice and provide services that further a religious agenda. Thrive's sex education lessons, called "Best Choice," is made up of scare and shaming tactics to discourage students from using contraception, choosing to have sex or having an abortion — all of which crisis pregnancy centers oppose for purely religious reasons. The group's employment policy clearly aims to spread Christian dogma.

"It would be inappropriate and irresponsible for a public school district to encourage students to visit a crisis pregnancy center, much less invite such a group to teach sex education," wrote FFRF Legal Fellow Ryan Jayne in a letter to the Parkway School District on April 7.

On July 31, the district superintendent responded that beginning with the 2017-18 school year, all sexual health instruction would be delivered by the district's certified health educators.

Pennsylvania manor gets secular makeover

The Palmyra Interfaith Manor in Lebanon, Penn., has removed a large collection of Christian iconography that had decorated its common areas.

A resident of the manor reported to FFRF that Latin crosses, angels and depictions of Mary, Joseph and Jesus decorated the lobby and community room, making the resident feel alienated in her own home. Because the manor is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the religious displays raised constitutional concerns. FFRF Legal Fellow Christopher Line sent a letter on June 29 asking that the decorations be removed from the common areas of the residency to avoid the promotion of Christianity.
The housing authority responded on Aug. 1 informing FFRF that the religious items had been removed.

Missouri school steps away from religion

A community member contacted FFRF over a promotion of religion at Cole Camp High School in Missouri during the school's Senior Awards Night, and FFRF promptly took action. A school staff member had promoted a religious baccalaureate service scheduled immediately after the school-sponsored award ceremony.

FFRF Associate Counsel Sam Grover wrote to Cole Camp School District administration to ensure that religious services were not being organized or promoted by the district and reminding the public school district of its constitutional obligation to remain neutral toward religion.

Superintendent Tim Rolling responded on Aug. 9 to inform FFRF that the district would review all policies and practices to ensure that the school district employees would not promote any religious activity.

Banners removed from Georgia school

The Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., will not be promoting an evangelical group or displaying Christian symbols in its cafeteria after FFRF sent a letter over a constitutional violation.

FFRF was informed by a troubled parent that two large, seemingly permanent banners showcasing Christian iconography and ideology were affixed to either side of the stage in the school cafeteria. The banners were for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' Southeast Georgia Chapter, which includes a prominent Latin cross in its logo. The group's mission is to give coaches and athletes "the challenge and adventure of receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church." FFRF Associate Counsel Elizabeth Cavell wrote to a representative of Lowndes County Schools on June 19, warning the district that displaying religious symbols or promoting religious organizations with a clear evangelical mission is a constitutional violation.

FFRF was informed on July 31 that the school had complied with its request that the banners be removed.

FFRF turns off Georgia school's Christian music

FFRF has ensured that a teacher at Whitewater Middle School in Gainesville, Ga., has changed his tune and will keep religion out of his classroom.

A parent of a student attending the middle school informed FFRF that an eighth-grade science teacher, Matthew Mundock, was playing Christian music in his classroom during his examinations. When the student informed Mundock that the music was distracting, he suggested the student go to the library. FFRF Staff Attorney Madeline Ziegler sent a letter to Fayette County Public Schools on June 30 warning that it is illegal for public school employees to promote Christianity by playing religious music in classrooms. FFRF requested that Mundock be directed to cease exposing students to Christian music.

On Aug. 3, the school district responded that Mundock had been made to understand that playing Christian music unconstitutionally endorsed religious messages and that he would only play secular instrumental music going forward.

FFRF ends prayers at Michigan school

After learning of a state/church violation that occurred at Delton Kellogg Schools in Michigan, FFRF took action to ensure religious rituals are kept out of school events.
FFRF was informed that the district held a Veterans Day concert in November 2016 at Delton Kellogg High School. The event included a prayer led by a middle school student. In a letter sent on Nov. 22, 2016, FFRF Legal Director Rebecca Markert wrote that while it was laudable for the school to honor veterans, it is unconstitutional to allow a religious message or prayer to be a part of a school-sponsored event. FFRF asked for confirmation that future school assemblies would not include prayer.

A legal representative of the school district responded on Aug. 3 that the district would comply with the law going forward.

Idaho school district complies with FFRF

FFRF has ensured that a school district in Twin Falls, Idaho, will keep religion out of its assemblies.

A district parent reported to FFRF that in February all district secondary schools in the Twin Falls School District held a mandatory student assembly featuring a guest inspirational speaker who referenced God and prayer as her source of support. Her presentation to students included a slide with a bible verse, Philippians 4:13. While FFRF Associate Counsel Elizabeth Cavell lauded the school district's goal of motivating students, she reminded the district in a letter sent July 26 of its First Amendment obligations to neither advance nor promote religion as the speaker did.

The district assured FFRF that it would comply with the First Amendment and refrain from sponsoring assemblies with religious content in the future.

Christian radio station on bus gets turned off

FFRF commends a Wisconsin school district for turning off a Christian broadcasting station on a school bus.

Early in the spring, FFRF Legal Fellow Ryan Jayne sent a letter to the Stevens Point Area Public School District due to concerns over a bus driver who was incessantly playing devotional Christian music on a bus taking students to P.J. Jacobs Junior High School.

The school district responded with a brief, but laudable, response: "The practice has ceased."
Correction
In the August issue in the FFRF Victories section, there were two instances in which a state was erroneously identified. The FFRF victories occurred in Elkins, Ark., and Harrison, Ark.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to announce the 17 winners of the 2017 William Schultz High School Essay Contest.

FFRF has offered essay competitions to college students since 1979, high school students since 1994 and graduate students since 2010.

High school seniors were asked to write a personal persuasive essay about what they would like to tell a believer in their life about why they chose freethought (atheism, agnosticism).

After carefully reviewing more than 170 essays, FFRF awarded six top prizes and 11 honorable mentions.

Winners are listed below and include the award amount and the college or university they will be attending. FFRF has paid out a total of $10,150 in award money for this contest this year.

First place
Zakaria Sharif, Stanford ($3,000)

Second place
Allison Wheeler, Centre College ($2,000)

Third place
Daniel Vogler, Princeton ($1,000)

Fourth place
Evan Muskopf, Rochester Institute of Technology ($750)

Fifth place
Ian Garvie, University of Northern British Columbia ($500)

Sixth place
Quinn Freidl, undeclared ($400)

Honorable mentions ($200 each)

• Donald Fasce, Franklin and Marshall
• Audrey Godwin, Vassar College
• Phoebe Greene, University of North
• Carolina-Wilmington
• Alisha Griffin, Bucknell University
• Hannah Hanson, Berklee College of Music
• Alexander Hernandez, undeclared
• Aya Keller, University of California-Berkeley
• Lindsay Philcox, Brandeis University
• Tori Roberts, California State University-Stanislaus
• Taryn Waite, Colby College

The high school contest is named for the late William J. Schultz, a Wisconsin member who died at 57. He was a mechanical engineer and cared deeply about FFRF's work, leaving a bequest that funds the award.

FFRF also thanks Dean and Dorea Schramm of Florida for providing a $100 bonus to students who are members of a secular student club or the Secular Student Alliance. The total of $10,150 reflects those bonuses.

The college student essay winners will be announced in the October issue and the grad student essays will be announced in the November issue.

FFRF awarded Zakaria $3,000.

By Zakaria Sharif

Mom, it is not because you raised me wrong. Dad, it is not because you did not take me to the mosque enough as a child. For the first time, this is all on me.

My father is a Muslim immigrant from Bangladesh, and for him, religion is a lifestyle. In my father's eyes, the spicy scent of curries roasting in the oven and the romantic hymns of South Asian music meld together with the stories of Noah's Ark and the parting of the Red Sea. His cultural identity, his very being, is tied in with his religious belief. Without Islam, my father is not himself.

My mother is a small-town African-American woman raised in the pews of the church. She attended Christian school until high school, did not wear pants until she was 16, and had to sneak over to her friend's house if she wanted to watch television. My mother is the most honest and humble person I have ever met. With every movement, she espouses her morality, never satisfied to pay lip service if her actions will not follow suit. For her, God is the source of all goodness. Without God, there is no morality, no reason. My mother defines righteousness by the bible she reads.

Growing up, I learned that my already complex identity was inextricably linked to religion. I was Zakaria, of course, but that meant that I was both black and Asian, both Muslim and Christian. I navigate the treacherous terrain with great care, sure to never offend one part of my being as I tiptoe across the tightrope of identity. However, my balance always wobbled. The truth is, I cannot define myself by an imaginary force. I cannot envision life based upon preordination by some unknown power. I had to step off the tightrope and allow my true beliefs to be displayed for the world to see.

Dad, I no longer believe in God, but I have not lost touch with our history. My culture, my Asian pride, is located in my bloodstream, in my very DNA. I do not need to justify my heritage by subscribing to a doctrine that does not fit me. Mom, I am a good person, or at least I try my hardest to be. That is not because I fear God or Satan, it is because I fear failing myself. You taught me to always be my best, to treat others with respect and demand nothing less in return. Those ideals did not come from an otherworldly being; they came from you.

I love working on being the best version of me possible. That will never change. Mom and Dad, I love you, too, but for once I have to make a choice for me, and I choose to not believe. I choose instead to embrace who I am and reject any masks that obfuscate my real self. It is nothing you did wrong; it is everything you did right. And for that, I thank you.
Zakaria, 18, graduated from Pickerington High School in Pickerington, Ohio. He was president of the student council, captain of the mock trial team, founder and president of Youth in Government and president of the school's JSA chapter. Zakaria graduated first in his class and was a National Merit Finalist. He will be a freshman at Stanford University.

FFRF awarded Allison $2,000.

By Allison Wheeler

When I was younger, I was enrolled in a Christian academy. My first years of schooling were filled with stories of Moses, Noah's Ark and Jonah. I learned that God was the default answer to any question I did not know the answer to. Who loves me? God. Why am I here? God. What is my purpose? God.

I continued my half-hearted relationship with Christianity for the next 10 years until, on May 23, 2015, I helplessly watched two of my friends get pulled under by a current in the Umpqua River. I called 911, and realizing the authorities wouldn't get there in time, I did the only other thing I was taught to do — I began praying. I appealed to God, promising to devote the rest of my life to him if only my friends could resurface and swim to shore. For the next two hours, I watched the water for any sign of them, but it was all for naught.

I began to comprehend something important that day. Instead of wasting my time begging for salvation from an unproven supernatural entity, I could have been helping my friends. This tragic event acted as a catalyst for a greater sense of understanding.

I began to take notice of problems in the world and how many of them were caused by religious beliefs. In all of human history, more wars have been waged because of religion than anything else. More than 50,000 "witches" have been burned at the stake in the name of God by people preaching messages such as "love one another" and "thou shalt not kill." The ancient Aztecs pulled beating hearts from their people as a ceremony to the gods.

The time of sacrificing our own people is over. Religion and government have been entwined for far too long, and in order to tackle domestic and foreign issues, we must approach them with the best interests of the people in mind, not with the appeasement of a deity.

Every day people spend countless minutes worshipping various alleged deities, begging for forgiveness, a sense of fulfillment, or even a promotion at work. I am not certain if God exists in the same way that I am not sure God doesn't exist, but I am certain that my time can be better spent helping a friend, making someone smile, or cherishing the time I have with the ones I love. If I could say one thing to all the believers in my life, it would be that, as a nonbeliever, I'm not unsympathetic or lacking morals, but rather I value human beings over religious doctrine.

Allison, 18, graduated as valedictorian from Roseburg High School in Roseburg, Ore. She was active in theater as a performer and technician, and served as four-time chapter officer in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. She is attending Centre College in Danville, Ky., and plans to study foreign languages, and international studies and is expecting to spend the 2019 school year in Segovia, Spain.

FFRF awarded Ian $500.

By Ian Garvie

"Thanks! I know I'm going to hell and I'll be in good company!"

I've been told I am going to hell throughout my life, even by some of my kindergarten peers. I never understood the gravity of this statement until middle school, when I realized I am an atheist.

Whenever friends, peers or teachers asked if I believed in God or went to church, I simply said, "No," only to have them turn against me in disapproval. I was befuddled and disheartened that people I knew so well would easily spurn me over what seemed irrelevant. I am not sure how many friends I have lost due to my outspoken atheism.

Looking back, I should have asked them a simple, "Why?" Why is their way of life so much more important or better than mine? Was it really that different? Why does believing in God make you better if we live our lives almost the same way? And by the way, doesn't your God say he will be the judge? And what about those other religions whose "false" god or gods don't look like yours?

Though raised in a secular family, my parents intentionally exposed my brother and me to many religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. I rejected them all. Being more interested in science, none of them passed the evidentiary test and I wasn't buying the "you have to have faith" argument.

Back to being told I was going to hell . . . I always thought this was such an odd threat. It seemed my believer friends wanted to scare me with "going to hell" to make me want to join their club, or would they sadistically want me to burn and suffer for all eternity? Thus, the next question is, "Do you really want me to suffer in pain and agony forever, and if so, why?" Nothing like loving your neighbor by wishing the most painful thing imaginable upon them.

My endless barrage of questions would continue: Even if there was any scientific evidence for the existence of God or a supernatural Jesus, which there clearly isn't, why would you choose to follow and support them? Have you actually read the bible — both testaments? What kind of loving and benevolent creator would make a realm of intense suffering for those who don't worship him, and still have the audacity to claim the moral high ground?

But no. I haven't raised these questions outwardly with many of my Christian friends. I believe it would be pretty futile, as most of them are so ingrained it wouldn't make a difference and would probably alienate us even further on the topic. Instead, I chose a different path. I started a Secular Student Alliance club at my high school, the first in Northern California, to support students like me. By our presence and example, we want our believer friends to know, "We are here. We are good people."

Ian, 18, graduated from Laguna Creek High School in Elk Grove, Calif. As founder of his school's SSA, he helped host Darwin Day events, screenings of the Chris Johnson movie, "A Better Life," and had a table at Freethought Days at the California Capitol. Ian's activism has earned him several prestigious awards and scholarships. He will be attending the University of Northern British Columbia.

FFRF awarded Quinn $400.

By Quinn Friedl

The room was a repurposed play area, whitewashed and generally abandoned. A table separated me from the five adults who formed my Eagle board. Seven years of camping, studying and leadership as a member of the Boy Scouts of America had brought me to this point. I had completed all other requirements, and this final obstacle to the greatest success of my life was quickly falling away, despite my fears. I was just beginning to breathe easy when the dreaded final question was asked.

"Do you believe you deserve to be an Eagle?"

Taken aback, I paused. Every question before this I had answered with complete honesty, as an Eagle candidate was expected to do. I remembered the hours of community service, the stresses of leading a troop, the endless frustrations of an ineffectual bureaucracy. Through it all, I had prevailed. So why did I know hesitate to answer this simple inquiry?
As each member stared at me thoughtfully, it suddenly dawned upon me why I had such difficulty answering — I did not share their faith.

Every Boy Scout — be he a Catholic, Jew or Muslim — must demonstrate some sort of faith in a god. I realized suddenly that the years of previously inexplicable mistrust I experienced toward my fellows, and dislike of the program as a whole, stemmed from this simple truth. Now I understood why I felt the need to keep my head held high during grace. Now I understood why I never wished to engage in discussions of faith with my fellow scouts.

Now I understood what it was to be alone.

I raised my head. I took a breath, and prepared to say the word that would render my work meaningless.
No.

It never came out. Before I could speak, my mind flashed back and forth, to memories of success and failure, joy and sorrow, camaraderie and competition. I remembered racing down a sodden, ruined trail in the middle of a snowstorm. I felt the compass in my hand, as I guided my troop through a dense thicket. I recalled the happiness of sitting round the fire with friends, sharing jokes and watching the stars in the dark sky. I had another revelation, perhaps more powerful than the first — what it was to be an Eagle.

Grinning subtly at this truth, I looked up, and with complete confidence, said "yes."

To be a freethinker is a privilege and a burden, especially in this terrifying day and age. Those that choose to not believe must constantly fight against those that would remove freedom of thought from this country. The faith does not make the man— it is the man that makes the faith, in more ways than one. To place the future of humankind in the hands of "God" is to absolve oneself of all responsibility toward one's fellows. If there was one thing I was taught to do in the Boy Scouts, it is to take responsibility.

Quinn, 18, graduated from Lane Technical High School in Chicago. He enjoys writing and co-creates works of fiction daily. He has earned his Eagle Scout badge and will be attending Wright Community College.

FFRF selected 11 essays from the high school students essay contest it deemed worthy of honorable mention status. Each of the following students received $200 from FFRF. Here are edited excerpts from each of them.

Fear holds you back

By Tori Roberts

If I could say one thing to my family members who are still strong believers in Christianity, it would be that their fear of the unknown is what holds them back. I am not a Christian despite being raised in the middle of the "Bible Belt" under strong Baptist beliefs. Most of my family remains in this religion and follows it closely and, as a result, our relationship has become strained. Politically, we cannot agree, as they will elect whichever candidate is the biggest Christian, with little regard for their actual beliefs or stances on any issue. They will not accept the fact that I am both an atheist as well as gay, and refuse to speak to me over these issues. It is almost pathetic that someone would allow religion to take oveR their family, but the devotion is too strong for some people and they cannot break free from it.

Religion is the result of fear of the unknown. Homophobia is the result of fear, voting with little care is the result of fear, cutting family off is the result of fear. They are terrified of losing their "salvation," and having to face the fact that perhaps we just die. Instead of facing this and learning to accept it, they choose to stay locked in their religion and oppose anything that challenges it. Fear holds you back, and that is the one thing I wish my family would truly understand.

Tori, 18, graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Fremont, Calif. She will be attending California State University-Stanislaus and hopes to have a career in science in research or forensics.

Religion is not innately good

By Alexander Hernandez

Religion has long claimed that it is not only helpful, but needed for social and moral progress. This of course is easily disputed by the persecution of "sinful" people who had done nothing wrong besides believing in another religion. The most famous example of this behavior is the Crusades in the 11th to 13th centuries.

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced as an agnostic atheist is to explain to believers that religion is not inherently good or required for morality. Taking orders on morality from a 2,000-year-old book is absurd. Society has changed significantly since then, in spite of religion, not because of it. Religious texts have not changed in the last 2,000 years for the most part, yet our societies have exhibited tremendous social and moral progress. This includes the abolition of slavery, the acceptance of homosexual people, the equality of races, and the equality of the sexes. All of this has happened despite religion's attempts to maintain the status quo that keeps them in power.

The advances of science and technology have thankfully helped the development of freethinkers grow exponentially. Thanks to organizations such as FFRF, religious control in our governments and society will diminish over time and disappear. I am proud to be a freethinker and on the right side of history as people everywhere learn to look past religion's lies and move to acceptance and celebration of all people regardless of race, sex or sexual orientation.

Alexander, 18, graduated from high school in Coral Springs, Fla. He plans to study political science in college and become part of the solution against religious control of our government.

There's a clear divide

By Hannah Hanson

I remember trying to pray, but never understanding what I was praying to, only that everyone else did it and it was something I was supposed to do to go to heaven. People told me that I needed a relationship with God if I wanted to be happy, fulfilled and have a purpose. They told me that I would be going to hell, especially after I came out as gay. They were a constant reminder that some people hated me for what I was. I decided, after a long time of not knowing where I stood with God, that I wasn't going to worship anything or anyone.

Rejecting religion has made me see things clearer and helped me come to terms with myself, in terms of who I am. I find it so much easier to rationalize and make sense of the world without it. I listen to facts and what I feel, not what I am told by a religious leader.

Personally, I feel like religion does a better job dividing us as people rather than uniting us. I find that it's hate that gets amplified the most.

All I ever saw was a bunch of people praying to something that may not exist and shaming others for being different. Religion has never given me anything good; it has only made me hate myself. It creates a divide and if you're not on the right side, you're in danger.

Hannah, 18, graduated from Lawrence High School in Fairfield, Maine. She will be attending Berklee College of Music in pursuit of a vocal performance and music education double major.

Freethought bolsters progress

By Aya Keller

This past summer, I worked at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a research intern. Throughout my stay, there was not a single meeting in which I presented my research proposal without rounds of questions, doubts and unconvinced faces. I learned to accept these challenges and use them to my advantage, constantly rethinking, reorganizing, reinventing ideas until a solid scientific question had been posed. Had I become defensive and dismissed my skeptical colleagues, as many fundamentalists do, I would not have made the progress that I made.

Just like science, participation in society requires an open mind. As the president of my school's Secular Student Alliance, I often receive comments from believers questioning the purpose of our club. At each event where we advertise, I embrace any person who seeks to poke holes in my foundation because they permit me to answer questions about my beliefs and ultimately reach an even more meaningful conclusion.

To me, uncertainty paves the way to exploration and knowledge. When we close our minds off to doubt, we trap ourselves in a dark cave of ignorance. Religion exemplifies the effects of firmly held convictions; as the world changes in a wonderful progression of scientific breakthroughs, the ancient notions stay deeply rooted in people's minds. How can we delve into our individual moral philosophies, thus embarking on the quest to ultimately understand our existence?

Aya, 18, graduated from Foothill High School in Pleasanton, Calif. She co-founded the Foothill Secular Student Alliance and has been president for the past two years. She will be attending the University of California-Berkeley to pursue a degree in neurobiology.

To admire the view

By Phoebe Greene

My mom is a Southern Baptist born and raised, and she raised me the same way.

As I grew, I began to explore other religions and branches of thought. I eventually told my mom that I did not believe in the Christian God, but she couldn't accept it. I still don't think she has.

I struggle to explain my views to her. It is like we are both looking at a sunset, but we can't let each other admire it in our own way. Mom has to explain to me where it came from and why it is beautiful and what it means. I try to tell her that I can enjoy the majesty of it without knowing how it relates to its creation, just as I can enjoy my life without knowing exactly why I exist.

If her belief gives her some peace, I don't begrudge her of it. Belief is a powerful thing. I choose to believe in the innate good of humanity, in the beauty and chaos of life, and above all, the pursuit of happiness.

There are many things I wish I could say to my mom, but in the end, I know they would only cause her pain and worry. I can only continue to hope that some day she can let herself see how happy I am to look at the sunset, not because of a God behind it, but because of the woman I love and admire who sits beside me.
Phoebe, 18, graduated from Caldwell Early College High School in Hudson, N.C. She will be attending the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where she plans to continue her involvement in film-making, theater, writing and music-making.

Do not think I am inhuman, immoral

By Alisha Griffin

Do not think that because I am a nonbeliever that I am inhuman. My identity as a human being has not changed simply because I lack faith. I am no less of a person than you because it is vacant in my thoughts.

Do not think that because I am a nonbeliever that I am immoral. I treat people with more respect than I sometimes think they deserve. In a conversation, I make sure everyone has a chance to voice their opinions and thoughts. I humor people, even if I think they are ridiculous, just to see people smile.

Do not think that because I am a nonbeliever that I have been swayed by devils and demons. My lack of faith came as a result of my broad studies and interests. I am fascinated with foreign cultures and religions and ideas and philosophies and traditions and beliefs. Human beings are not swayed by demonic things, but our own wants and needs and thoughts.

Do not think that because I am a nonbeliever that I lack beliefs. I've learned that in one way or another, everyone's beliefs are truth and in one way or another, everyone's beliefs are fiction. I've learned that I can never completely understand another person. In that way, I have gained a sense of respect for others.
I am still kind. I am human, same as any of you. Nothing will change that.

Alisha, 18, graduated from Rahway High School in Rahway, N.J. She enjoys writing fan fiction, original short stories and short plays, and plays video games, reads, and makes and watches YouTube videos. She will be attending Bucknell University and plans on double majoring in animal behavior and anthropology.

Questions answered

By Audrey Godwin

I was raised in a devout Christian family. The doctrines under which I was brought up were not simply the best option, but the only option. I learned atheism was a dirty word. When, after years of internal conflict regarding my own beliefs, I revealed my own lack of belief in a higher power, I was met with scorn. My religious identity is not discussed or acknowledged by my family.

I have been ever the inquisitor from a young age, but when it came to religion, I was discouraged from asking questions. It felt as though in this area of my life I was being encouraged not to expand my knowledge of the universe, to suspend my own disbelief, to put aside all factual evidence and remain willfully blind to the glaring inconsistencies in logic.

In my experience, religion encourages individuals to think within the established lines of a group rather than form their own opinions; this enables complacency and closed-minded traditionalism. Additionally, it opposes change and progress, both of which are crucial to the improvement of society.

I resent that I was placed into a metaphorical box before I possessed the intellectual maturity to even comprehend what was happening, and I resent that I was subject to such disdain for breaking out of that mold once I did. However, these experiences have only served to strengthen my convictions, and I have emerged from this journey a proud atheist.

Audrey, 18, graduated from Kent Place School in Summit, N.J. She is interested in politics, philosophy and economics. She writes poetry and prose, creates visual art and sings in a music groups. She qualified for the Chinese National Honor Society. Audrey will be attending Vassar College.

Love to love

By Donald Fasce

Being raised in rural upstate New York, I know that skeptical and agnostic thought is a rare virtue among the local population. Just about everybody is a Catholic or Protestant, with maybe a single percent of the community being "other." To the massive majority, this group of "others" is made up of freaks and geeks, the lambs led astray. To them, a Sikh, Muslim and atheist will all burn in the same hell.

My dad was the main believer in our family. After he and my mom divorced, I opened myself to different and new information.

My mother was the first person to find out about my beliefs. She was accepting, yet apprehensive. My father believes it's a childhood phase. Similarly, my extended family members are just straight appalled or in denial. They can't believe a boy who did so well in school could have done it without faith. They think that I can't possibly have morals if I don't have a book to tell me what to do.

I've learned that morals are beyond belief. I've learned those who have to be told to act based on a book rather than on their respect for others are missing the point. My extended family preaches about their charity and compassion, but judges and hate anybody who believes anything slightly different. I hope that one day they will learn to love others for the sake of loving others, not just because their god told them to.

Donald, 18, graduated from Livonia High School in Livonia, N.Y. He is a longtime volunteer and computer aide in his community and helped set up a recycling drive and robotics competition at his school. Donald will be attending Franklin and Marshall College and plans to study and eventually teach astrophysics.

I do not need your God

By Lindsay Philcox

I tried to be religious for a long time. I went to church on Sundays and sang hymns next to my grandmother. But there was always something within me that doubted what I was trying to believe. I took more interest in doodling on the prayer request cards in the pews than I did the Sunday sermons. Yet, even through my doubt, I desperately wanted to be religious. I wanted to fit in. I wanted God to be a safety net for me. But he never was.

To the believers, I say, I do not need your God. Go right on believing. I don't mind. You do not offend me with your belief as I offend you with my lack of it. I have discovered a world of freethought, outside of the walls of the church. I have found my own set of beliefs, which do not revolve around an all-knowing man in the empty sky, looking down upon me with judgment and a predestined map of my life's course. I believe in energy — a positive, soulful energy — within us that neither has, nor needs, any name. I believe my life will go where I direct it, based on each and every individual choice that I make, and that no one has already decided those choices for me. I believe in myself, and my own power to bring change and good into the world, more than I ever did when I believed in your God.

Lindsay, 18, graduated from Ponte Vedra High School in Ponte Vedra, Fla. She works at a family-owned eatery. During high school, she was involved in several theater productions. Lindsay will be attending Brandeis University, where she plans to study psychology and theater arts.

Living in the present

By Taryn Waite

I woke up with a start and opened my eyes. I fumbled around in the tent until I found the zipper, then stepped out. A faint glow enveloped the ridge around me, so I looked up and abruptly forgot all about my full bladder. The sky was speckled with millions of sparkling pinpricks of light, forming a blanket that extended as far as I could see in every direction. It swallowed me up in its quiet grandeur. I was floating, suspended in this moment of time, on this mountain ridge at midnight, under the stars, far from all that had ever bothered me.

To some, this experience would stir a spiritual or religious response, strengthening their belief in God and heaven. For me, however, it meant something entirely different. In that moment, I existed entirely in the present. All that mattered as I looked up at the night sky was the here and now, and all at once I felt calm, invincible, and truly free.

When people ask me why I don't believe in God, my answer is simple. While I'm alive, I don't want to worry about what happens after death. Instead, I want to work on living life to its fullest while I am here. I don't need something after death to live for. I just need myself, the people I love and the beautiful world around me.

Taryn, 18, graduated from Lexington High School in Lexington, Mass. She swam competitively throughout her youth and plans to continue swimming in college. She enjoys hiking, skiing, traveling, origami and teaching swimming lessons. Taryn will be attending Colby College, where she plans to study neuroscience.

Here's another sampling of the less-than-pleasant mail FFRF received in the past several weeks, presented to you unedited. Note: Some of the language used is offensive.

Fish and Game mailer: You should just ignor the material like everyone does with flyers for hearing aids or political ads. People like you need to get a lfe and stop wasting tax payer money on stupid things. No one is telling you to read the material. I am not at all religeous but I am fiscally responsbile and it burns my ass to see morons like you waste my tax payer dollars on things that can easily be ingored. You really shouold get a fucking life. — Mark B.

Stay away: Please stay out of our state. Churches host these events for free. Unless you're willing to pony up the money to rent out a place to hold these classes, then please kindly piss off. I'm not even religious, but it's groups of assholes like you that ruin shit for everyone else. Go be an activist elsewhere in your own state. Stay out of ours. Thanks. — John D.

Fuck you: You are a bunch of sick fuckers. I hope that all of you die a terrible death. — Bob P.

Losers: Suck my ass, you heartless creeps. You are not happy unless you are in some bodies business — Kathy R.

Disgusting!: You people disgust me with your separation of church and state. Get a real job and stop causing problems. If you dont like Jesus and his word go to a different country. — Terry J.

go away: Please stop, this site and what it stands for is absolutely disgusting-please leave this country - this country was founded on God and if you dont like that go else where ....but there is another place youll go if responsible for this crap of which i pray is bnot the case and you see the error of your ways — Derek B.

Get a life: Following your rules, I can't honor the dead anywhere in public because it's all "government" property. Well guess what, the government doesn't get to say what goes on the land because they want to. They can't own the land. The people own the land. If that cross gets removed, I'll put 10 up in its place, and 10 up by your headquarters. Get a life losers. — Nick P.

You suck: When you die, I hope people piss on your grave. Worry about our schools and homeless. Disgusting so called American. Trump has a line of people wanting to build his wall, get in it. That's where you belong. — Tasha D.

God is good: God is on the throne. He is the king of King and The Lord of lords and one day every knee will bow and profess him as God. Satan is at work in these last days to remove God from every facet of life. But I know, God is good. Good will reign forever. — Starr L.

LAKE OF FIRE: YOU WILL WEEP AND BEG AND MOAN AND BEG AND WEEP AND BEG AND MOAN AND CRY AND WEEP AND BEG AND YOU WILL NEVER EVER GET OUT OF THE LAKE OF FIRE YOU WILL CRY AND MOAN AND BEG AND CRY AND MOAN AND WEEP AND GHNASH YOUR TEETH AND BEG AND THEN ETERNITY HAS JUST STARTED FOR YOU = UNLESS YOU REPENT AND STOP WORKING AGAINST ME YOU ARE GOING TO BE SORRY = I AM THE LORD AND THERE IS NO OTHER AND YOU ARE WORKING AGAINST ME AND IVE HAD ENOUGH AND UNLESS YOU REPENT YOU WILL BE SORRY FOREVER IVE HAD ENOUGH REPENT — Chris Acheson
FFRF: Fuck your ass motherfucker im not a christian but this website is a fucking pot of steaming shit — Jesse P.

Cross: How can u force ur thoughts and believes on us but we don't have the same rights you are hypocrites wouldn't want to face your judgment on judgment day — Troy G.

Complaint: What a waste of time,money,and breath. — George M.

FFRF: Why can you not leave some things alone. Are you really so insecure that you must try to tell all of us free people how to live. Why do you feel so entitled to determine what all others must think? You have gone a step too far. We are Americans... a free people who have the right to see things as we see them and draw our own conclusions. We do not need a watch-guard to tell us how to think, act and grieve. This is insulting. We do not need you to tell us how to live. — Paul P.

GOD IS GOOD: You will get your freedom for a 3 and a half y.then GOD will show Himself and your plaques begin.Hardened sinners are all SELFISH people.Gays are all SELFISH people.Atheists are all SELFISH people.People like you hate anyone to tell them and point out to you that you are taking things from others. This GOD who gave the 10 Commandment ,HE gave them to HIS PEOPLE not you.Why are they bothering you if you are so good? You are not good and you want this world to destroy all good people so that you can enjoy fully every sin there is. Well,you are already doing that and GOD has allowed you to live because when HE takes your life away you will never live again. GOD IS GOOD isn't HE?:) — Natalie H.

You will be sued!: You do not have to listen to church you do not have to go to church you do not have to listen to church music. If you don't believe you have the right to not believe but you do not have the right to stop me from having the right to do those things. And whenever you and infringe upon my rights as a Christian then you will be sued. You are nothing more than traitors to this country and the American people. You are forcing your atheist beliefs on me and I will not stand for it. FFRF EXPECT TO BE SUED!!! — Michelle W.

Actor John de Lancie gave these remarks at FFRF's pre-dedication dinner in Chattanooga, Tenn., on July 13, the night before the unveiling ceremony for the statue of Clarence Darrow outside the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tenn., site of the 1925 Scopes trial.

By John de Lancie

About 10 years ago, I had the unusual experience of touring our country with a show about the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. Ed Asner played William Jennings Bryan and I played Clarence Darrow. This was not "Inherit the Wind" — it was from the actual trial transcripts. It was one of the most interesting theatrical experiences of my life. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

During rehearsals, we concentrated on the legal details — the maneuverings of the lawyers and the judge. Our job was to give the audience the "experience" of the trial, while at the same time arriving at the same conclusions we held — that this was all an intellectual exercise: a historical/pastoral curiosity which took place long ago and far away. That is, until our first performance, when a man abruptly stood up and screamed at the top of his lungs that we were damned and going to hell. We froze. The show came to a screeching stop as we stared into the audience, wide-eyed and dumbstruck. Suddenly, we weren't in Kansas anymore — although, actually, we were!

That performance was my first, full-throated encounter with the realization that some people take this stuff seriously. And so, as we moved from town to town, and each performance brought out new and more vocal outbursts, I began to listen more closely to what was being said. Not what I was saying — I was in complete agreement with Darrow's words — but to what Bryan was saying. And after a time, I began to "hear" his argument and to understand in a more visceral way that both of these men were talking across a great gulf.

Darrow's reasoned, rational approach was having no effect whatsoever on Bryan. Nor would it ever. I'm going to read a few paragraphs of Darrow's text and then I'm going to read Bryan's rebuttal. Listen to the ideas and the buzz words that are still in play today.

Darrow's words

Darrow said: "I am going to argue this law as if it were serious and as if it were a death struggle between two civilizations. What we find here today is as brazen and bold an attempt to destroy learning as was ever made in the Middle Ages. The only difference is we have not provided that Mr. Scopes shall be burned at the stake.

"The people of Tennessee adopted a piece of legislation that says you shan't teach any theory on the origin of man, except the divine account contained in the bible.

"Now I ask you; what is the bible? It is a book primarily of religion and morals. It is not a book of science — never was and never was meant to be. There is nothing prescribed that would tell you how to build a railroad, or a steamboat, or how to make anything that would advance civilization.

"It is not a book on biology — they knew nothing about it. They thought the Earth was created 4,004 years before the Christian era. We know better. They want the bible to be the yardstick to measure every man's intellect; to measure every man's intelligence; and to measure every man's learning.

"Every bit of knowledge that the mind has must be submitted to a religious test, and that is a travesty of justice and of the Constitution. If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools and then at the hustings or in church.

"At the next session, you may ban books and newspapers. If you can do one, you can do the other, and after a while it is the setting of man against man, and creed against creed, until with flying banners and beating drums, we are marching backwards to the 16th century when bigots burned the men who dared to bring any intelligence, enlightenment, and culture to the human mind."

Bryan's response fascinated me. It drew a clear, concise line in the sand. And as I sat there, night after night, I began to realize that no level of "exquisite detailing" about fossils or, in later years, DNA or carbon dating was or would have convinced Bryan to change his narrative — his fantasy.

While Darrow argued law, intelligence and enlightenment, Bryan talked magic.

And when your audience is primed for a magic show (as invariably a religious audience is), you're not going to get very far with lessons on biology.

Bryan's rebuttal

Here is Bryan's rebuttal: "Mr. Scopes tells the children to copy this diagram on evolution, which effectively detaches the children from the throne of God and links their ancestors with the jungle.

"And then if these children believe it, they go back home to scoff at the religion of their parents! But these parents have a right to say that no teacher paid by them shall rob their children of faith in God and send them back to their houses skeptical infidels, agnostics, or atheists!

"Atheists think life is a mystery that nobody can explain. Not one word about God. They want to come in with their little padded up evolution that commences with nothing and ends nowhere.

"They do not explain the great riddle of the universe; they do not deal with the problems of life; they do not teach how to live. There is no place for miracles.

"They eliminate everything supernatural from the Old Testament and the New.

"They don't tell us where man became endowed with the hope of immortality. They believe that man has been rising all the time; that he never fell from grace and that when the savior came, there was no reason for his coming, and that he was born of Joseph and that he lives in his grave.

"Evolution is a doctrine that not only destroys their belief in God, but takes from them every moral standard that the bible gives us.

"This issue, between believer and unbeliever, is bigger than any court and we are not going to settle that issue here.

"The bible is the word of God. The bible is the only expression of man's hope. The bible is not going to be driven out of this court by 'experts' who have come hundreds of miles to testify that they can reconcile evolution and its ancestor in the jungle, with a man made by God in his image and put here for the purpose of a divine plan."

There you have it — Bryan's argument: "Stay away from our beliefs . . . stay away from our children . . . your 'education' turns them against us . . . our beliefs are non-negotiable . . . our sacred text is literal . . . and we have the answers to all the questions you will ever need to ask."

Sound familiar? The chasm between us is as stark today as it was then — maybe more so. Red/blue; urban/rural; guns/no guns, life/choice; a closed vs. open world are all embodied in the subtext of that speech.

Add the "fear of God" into this fundamentalist mindset and you've got a system that will never change.

'Death of wisdom'

As Darrow said, "The fear of God is the death of wisdom." Educated arguments supported with facts are now suspect, if not dismissed out of hand. And so today we are forced to live in a world of "alternate facts," a world of conspiracies and nonsense.

A world were critical thinking and healthy skepticism are vehemently attacked. Where the notion that kidnapped children living on Mars is no longer the silly scribbling of some comic book writer but finds traction in a voting population that brought us our latest occupant of the White House.

And let's not forget the self-righteous VP, that bible-thumping sidekick who gives hypocritical lip service to, as Bryan said, the "bible's moral standards" while stripping the poor of their dignity and health care. These two posers are more aligned with the vengeful persona of the Old Testament than with the enlightened founders of our nation, or the men and women who got us to the moon, or who deciphered the human genome.
We are in for a bumpy ride, but we will figure it out. We are up to the challenge. Don't forget, over the long run we've been winning all along. After the Dark Ages came the Enlightenment. Through the Civil War came emancipation and then suffrage and civil rights. After Dayton came Dover.

Some people are afraid of knowledge. But Darrow believed in the amazing, astounding and extraordinary power of the human mind.

And so do I, Clarence. So do I.

By James A. Haught

This is a heady era for freethinkers — we nonconformists who doubt supernatural gods, devils, heavens, hells, miracles, angels, demons, prophecies, apparitions and other magical claims of religion.

Finally, after thousands of years of church domination, the cultural tide of Western civilization is flowing our direction. Religion is losing its grip on democratic societies. The Secular Age is blossoming rapidly. Doubters no longer need to conceal their mental honesty.

Ever since ancient Greece, some scientific thinkers questioned supernatural dogmas. But it was risky. The priesthood wielded great power, and killed nonconformists. During many periods, you could be executed for questioning invisible deities. Skeptics and other misfits were burned at the stake for a dozen centuries. After burnings ceased, you still could be thrown in prison for "blasphemy." Even today, people are killed in some Islamic lands for questioning holy dogmas.
Making progress
However, Western civilization began to evolve away from religious control after The Enlightenment fostered scientific logic and reason. Ever since, in halting steps, gradual progress has been made toward intellectual inquiry. A breakthrough erupted in the 1850s when Charles Darwin postulated that all living things, including humans, evolved from simpler life forms. This jolted the church and triggered strong freethought in the late 1800s.

Regardless, religion kept an iron clutch on much of the culture. When I came of age in the 1950s in Appalachia's Bible Belt, church taboos ruled. It was a crime for stores to open on the Sabbath. It was a crime to buy a cocktail — or a lottery ticket — or look at the equivalent of a Playboy magazine or an R-rated movie, or even read about sex. Our Republican mayor in Charleston once sent police to raid bookstores selling "Peyton Place."

It was a crime for an unmarried couple to share a bedroom. It was a felony for a desperate girl to end a pregnancy. In some states, even birth control was illegal. School classes began with mandatory prayer. Jews weren't allowed into Christian-only country clubs.

Divorce was hush-hush. Back then, anyone who didn't belong to a proper, respectable church was held in contempt.

Gradually, the right to doubt and elude church suppression crept into daily life. The Supreme Court banned government-ordered school prayer in 1962 and mandatory classroom bible-reading in 1963. It allowed married couples to practice birth control in 1965 — and unwed couples to do so in 1972. A long series of rulings halted bluenose censorship of sexy books, magazines and movies. And religious displays on government property have been partly banned.

All those Bible Belt strictures of my youth slowly slipped away — thanks partly to the sexual revolution. Liquor clubs and lotteries became legal. Sexy magazines and movies were allowed. Sunday shopping blossomed. Unwed couples began living together. Abortion became legal. Church taboos simply evaporated.

Post-war secular surge

A secular surge swept Europe after World War II. Church attendance plummeted. Nations that had spent centuries killing people over religion — in Crusades, Inquisitions, witch hunts, pogroms, Reformation wars, persecutions, holy wars and massacres — decided that religion was inconsequential. Europe's transformation spread to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other advanced democracies.

At first, it seemed that America was an exception, a place where religion remained strong. But, in recent decades, America rapidly caught up with the Western world. Religion lost its grip on the country.

Church decline started in the 1960s when tall-steeple mainline denominations began losing members, then the erosion spread to evangelicals and Catholics. The Southern Baptist Church has lost 1 million members in the past decade. And so many white followers left Catholicism that one-tenth of U.S. adults now are ex-Catholics.

The number of Americans who say their faith is "none" soared remarkably since 1990. Now the "Nones" are America's largest group, almost 25 percent of the adult population — outnumbering Catholics (21 percent) and white evangelicals (16 percent).

Barack Obama was the first president to welcome skeptic groups to the White House and cite "those who have no religion" in his speeches. The Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage was a crippling blow to hidebound Christianity.

Abruptly, almost overnight, the Secular Age has hit America like a tsunami. We who crusade for the scientific mentality, opposing supernaturalism, are winning the culture war, month after month, year after year. New studies find that skeptics have higher IQ than believers.

Sociologist Phil Zuckerman says Scandinavia has progressed until the populace generally assumes that only small children believe in invisible spirits, while intelligent adults are expected to outgrow this infantilism. I think America is creeping in that direction. Someday, I hope, it will be embarrassing for any American in educated circles to avow supernatural religion.

In his landmark book, The End of White Christian America, Robert P. Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute states that young Americans who say their religion is "none" generally are socially liberal, supporting gay rights, universal health care, women's right to choose, and the like. But they hardly vote. Apparently they shun politics as much as they shun religion. This gives white evangelicals — although fading — an advantage. White evangelicals turned out overwhelmingly in 2016 to put Donald Trump into the White House.

In a New York Times commentary, Jones wrote: "The waning number of white Christians in the country today may not have time on their side, but as the sun is slowly setting on the cultural world of white Christian America, they've managed, at least in this election, to rage against the dying of the light."

In an updated paperback of his book, Jones said white evangelicals abandoned their morality to support an uncouth, twice-divorced, gambling billionaire who boasts of grabbing women's genitals. He said the 2016 election may be the "death rattle" of fundamentalism in America.

I certainly hope so — and I hope secularism keeps snowballing until we scientific-minded freethinkers stand proud as the intelligent majority in this country.

James A. Haught is editor emeritus of West Virginia's largest newspaper, The Charleston Gazette-Mail. This essay — a talk he delivered to the Pittsburgh Freethought Community — expands upon his 2014 book, Religion is Dying.

The following is a statement by FFRF on climate change.

FFRF is dismayed at the executive order President Trump has signed to roll back vital regulations to curb climate change and his backing out of the Paris accord.

Trump has directed the Environmental Protection Agency to revoke the Clean Power Plan. The Obama administration program was poised to close existing coal-fired power plants and freeze construction of new ones, replacing them with wind and solar farms.

Trump has appointed an active climate change denialist, religionist Scott Pruitt, to head the EPA. The New York Times documents in an article boldly titled "Denialists in Charge" how federal posts are now filled with officials "who have a record of openly denying the established science of human-caused climate change." These include the fundamentalist Christian Rick Perry, our secretary of energy, known for mocking climate science.

Denying anthropogenic climate change is based on the rejection of facts and reality in favor of blind faith, wishful thinking or willful denial. Many of the climate denialists in politics, such as Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. James Inhofe and former Senators Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, deny climate change for explicitly religious reasons.

There seems to be a correlation between religiosity and climate denial. While other factors, such as political party affiliation, race and ethnicity are stronger predictors of views about climate change, Pew Research found "it is the religiously unaffiliated, not those who identify with a religious tradition, who are particularly likely to say the Earth is warming due to human activity. . . White evangelical Protestants stand out as least likely to have this view."

Sen. Inhofe, R-Okla., cited Genesis to bolster his denial of reality: "My point is, God's still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous." Inhofe, who wrote a 2012 book, The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future, serves on the Senate's standing committee on science. That's outrageous.

A few months ago, the conservative Christian radio host Bryan Fischer tweeted, "Jesus would be for whatever is best for the poor. A warmer climate — if it's even happening — is better for the poor."

And who can forget the infamous moment in 2009 when Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., invoked the bible in his attempt to refute the scientific data proving anthropogenic climate change. Reading from Genesis 8, the story of Noah and the ark, Shimkus said: "The Earth will end only when God declares it's time to be over. Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a flood . . .

I do believe God's word is infallible, unchanging, perfect."

It's not just that more zealous believers deny climate change; their religious blinders prevent them from viewing reality. Those following literalist strains of religion are particularly primed to reject clear facts, such as the fact of evolution, the fact that virgins don't give birth, that human beings don't resurrect themselves. Many believers are perfectly willing to reject claims without evidence — or even in spite of the evidence.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," says Hebrews 11:6. Proverbs 3 urges: "Lean not on your own understanding." Martin Luther counseled, "Whoever wants to be a Christian should tear the eyes out of his reason." Mark Twain skewered such denial when he quipped, "Faith is believing what you know ain't so."
It's not just the casual denial of reality that impacts views on climate change, but also the influence of apocalyptic religiosity. The virulent strain of evangelicalism that tends to infect our current government welcomes the end of this world as a fulfillment of prophecy and "the second coming." Ken Ham built an entire ark park to revere worldwide destruction. The danger of belief in an afterlife is that believers are often indoctrinated to consider this world, our only world, as far less important than an unprovable "hereafter."

The only afterlife we ought to care about is leaving our descendants and our planet a secure and pleasant future. Systems that deny facts and reality must not be used to dictate public policy.

We have a duty to our children and grandchildren, to posterity, to the other species we share our planet with, to ensure our world is habitable for the future.

SUE KOCHER is President and a founding member of Triangle Freethought Society in North Carolina. She works at a large software company by day, and she occupies her off-hours with passions which include: vegetable gardening, cooking, working as a professional dog trainer, and of course, activism. Sue believes that the separation of church and state is essential for a true democracy, and that the replacement of supernatural beliefs with reason is essential for the survival of Homo sapiens. And for being worthy of that name.

A Freedom From Religion Foundation tutorial on the Pledge of Allegiance was so persuasive that an Indiana school district agreed to modify an incorrect display.

A concerned John Glenn School Corporation community member contacted FFRF to report that a North Liberty Elementary third-grade teacher had a Pledge of Allegiance poster on her classroom wall that featured, above the American flag and the entire Pledge, the words "one nation UNDER GOD." The emphasis on this phrase sent a clear religious message, especially with the phrase "UNDER GOD" in all caps while the phrase "one nation" was in lower case.

Public schools may not promote religion, FFRF reminded the school district. FFRF stressed that it did not object to the display of the Pledge of Allegiance, but only to the display's emphasis on a religious phrase apart from the Pledge itself.

The phrase "under God" was added very belatedly to the pledge in the mid-1950s, FFRF informed the district. The addition of the phrase "under God" unfortunately turned a secular pledge into a prayer-like religious ritual. The phrase also ironically divided the original unifying phrase: "One nation indivisible."

"Emphasizing the phrase 'under God' sends a message to students that their school not only endorses a belief in a deity, but also views this belief as the most important concept of the Pledge," FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne wrote to John Glenn School Corporation Superintendent Richard Reese. The person in question "may not use her position as a public school teacher to promote these inherently religious views on behalf of the district." 

This display also excluded the school district's nonreligious students — nearly one quarter of young Americans today are nonreligious — many of whom do not believe in the existence of any deity. The message that the teacher put up was particularly impermissible, since it was presented to such young and impressionable students.

The school district found FFRF's lesson quite instructive.

"I appreciate you bringing this poster to our attention," Reese replied. "As a public school, we do not want to promote any kind of religious message. The poster in question has been altered to remove the words 'UNDER GOD.'"

FFRF is always pleased to edify.

"A lot of people do not know the Pledge's secular beginnings and how it has been altered over time," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "We feel it our civic duty to bring this history to public attention."

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 29,000 nonreligious members across the country, including 400-plus in Indiana. FFRF's purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

A federal judge has sided with the Freedom From Religion Foundation and its local members in declaring unconstitutional a Latin cross on a Pennsylvania county seal and flag.

U.S. District Judge Edward Smith's decision against Lehigh County, Pa., can only be described as begrudging. But he concedes that "a reasonable observer would perceive the county seal as endorsing Christianity." Smith noted that the yellow Christian cross, which both parties agree is "the preeminent symbol of Christianity," dwarfs other symbols on the seal and therefore shows unconstitutional county endorsement. Also see the order. 

Adds the judge: "The undisputed facts demonstrate that the county's original purpose for including a cross on the seal is not secular. The county's stated reason for retaining the seal in 2015 was to honor its original settlers who were Christian, and the county clarified that it based this reasoning on an interpretation of Commissioner [Harry] Hertzog's statements."

The federal lawsuit was filed in August 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, naming Lehigh County as sole defendant. FFRF's co-plaintiffs are four of its local members who've objected to encountering the religious symbol on county property. The seal is on documents, letterhead, many official county forms and reports, the county's website, in a display in the Board of Commissioners meeting room and even on flags displayed prominently at the entrance of county buildings.

The board adopted the imagery that appears on the seal in 1944. Allentown, the third-largest city in Pennsylvania, is located in Lehigh County, with a population of about 350,000. Local institutions include the Catholic DeSales University.

After FFRF complained, creating a minor firestorm, the Board of Commissioners sent a reply averring: "The cross, one of more than a dozen elements, was included to honor the original settlers of Lehigh County, who were Christian."

Smith granted FFRF's motion for summary judgment and requested that the plaintiffs provide a proposed injunction within 14 days.

FFRF warmly thanks its four local plaintiffs who made the lawsuit possible: John Berry, Stephen Meholic, David Simpson, and Candace Winkler.

"This welcome ruling should settle the matter and get the seal redesigned to be inclusive, to ensure that it does not continue to send a message that only Christian citizens are represented or welcome," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.
The litigation is being handled by Marcus B. Schneider of Pittsburgh, with assistance from FFRF Staff Attorneys Patrick Elliott and Elizabeth Cavell.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national organization dedicated to the separation of state and church, with more than 29,000 nonreligious members and chapters all over the country, including more than 880 and a chapter in Pennsylvania.