A freethinker who escaped America’s possibly most notorious fundamentalist family is interviewed on the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s TV show this Sunday.

Nate Phelps thought his way out of a notorious family cult that you’ve quite certainly heard of: the Westboro Baptist Church founded by his late father Fred Phelps. The church, classifed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, is known for its outrageous and inflammatory slogans, obsessive anti-gay views and picketing of funerals. Nate, who last year received the $10,000 Henry Zumach Freedom From Religious Fundamentalism Award from FFRF, talks on the show about what it was like to grow up in this church and his abusive family and how and why he was able to break away. He tells some pretty shocking stories — and also how he came to embrace freethought despite his upbringing.

“My father believed God was going to, or Christ was going to, return by around the year 2000,” he recounts to “Freethought Matters” co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. “So I had done the math and I figured, ‘OK, I’ve got another 20 some years. I'm going to live my life on my terms, away from the violence.’ It was safer.”

If you don’t live in the quarter-plus of the nation where the show broadcasts on Sunday, you can already catch the interview on FFRF’s YouTube channel. You can also receive notifications when we post new episodes of Freethought Matters by subscribing to FFRF's YouTube channel.

This is the fall/spring season’s 26th episode of “Freethought Matters,” airing in over a dozen cities on Sunday, Feb. 21.This is the fall/spring season’s 26th episode of “Freethought Matters,” airing in over a dozen cities on Sunday, Feb. 21.

Coming shows include interviews with Congressional Freethought Caucus member Rep. Jerry McNerney and Indian actor/activist Sushant Singh.

“Freethought Matters” airs in:

• Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Denver, KWGN-CW (Ch. 2), Sundays at 7 a.m.
• Houston, KUBE-IND (Ch. 57), Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
• Minneapolis, KSTC-IND (Ch. 45), Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
• New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Phoenix, KASW-CW (Ch. 61, or 6 or 1006 for HD), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Portland, Ore., KRCW-CW (Ch. 32), Sundays at 9 a.m. Comcast channel 703 for High Def, or Channel 3.
• Sacramento, KQCA-MY (Ch. 58), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• San Francisco, KICU-IND (Ch. 36), Sundays at 10 a.m.
• Seattle, KONG-IND (Ch. 16 or Ch. 106 on Comcast). Sundays at 8 a.m.
• Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.

Previous guests from the fall season include: pundit Eleanor Clift, whose interview you can watch here, actor and FFRF After-Life Member John de Lancie of “Star Trek” “Q” fame, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Linda Greenhouse, the country’s leading analyst of the U.S. Supreme Court, and legislative stalwart and feminist and civil rights pioneer U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. One of the most eminent public intellectuals in the world, Professor Steven Pinker, was interviewed a few episodes ago talking about his new course on rationality. Legendary TV host, actor and singer John Davidson was the guest in early December. Recently, the show featured Ann Druyan, the co-creator of “Cosmos,” possibly the most acclaimed TV series of all time. A.C. Grayling, a prominent British philosopher and the author of about 30 books, grappled on the show with philosophy and the pandemic, and discussed how he himself dealt as a nonbeliever with a personal tragedy. And a couple of weeks ago, the show interviewed Robert P. Jones, the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute who is an expert on the intersection of religious and racial extremism. 

Watch previous seasons here, including interviews with Ron Reagan, Julia Sweeney and Ed Asner, as well as U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin, co-chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.

Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters.

P.S. Please tune in or record according to the times given above regardless of what is listed in your TV guide (it may be listed simply as “paid programming” or even be misidentified). To set up an automatic weekly recording, try taping manually by time or channel. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers!

The iconic “unabashed atheist” Ron Reagan ad promoting the Freedom From Religion Foundation has aired for the first time on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today, Feb. 16, for a run of two weeks.

The national state/church watchdog thanks FFRF Board Member Jim Zerwick for suggesting the venue and paying the lion’s share for six of the ads appearing on the early morning talk show, which is hosted by Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist.

In the 30-second spot, Reagan, the progressive son of President Ronald and Nancy Reagan, says:

Hi, I’m Ron Reagan, an unabashed atheist, and I’m alarmed by the intrusion of religion into our secular government. That’s why I'm asking you to support the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the nation’s largest and most effective association of atheists and agnostics, working to keep state and church separate, just like our Founding Fathers intended. Please support the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell.

The ad has aired on four networks this month, including late-night shows on Comedy Central, CBS, TBS and MSNBC, and has just finished a two-week run on “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

“We’re delighted to be taking our message to MSNBC’s early-bird viewers now, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our member Jim Zerwick,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president.

Reagan, the son of President Ronald and Nancy Reagan, has received FFRF’s Emperor Has No Clothes Award and addressed FFRF national conventions. He has publicly identified himself for years as an atheist. He was interviewed recently for FFRF’s “Freethought Matters” TV show.

To make possible continued appearances by the ad, which has brought many new members and increased visibility to FFRF, you can earmark a donation to FFRF’s advertising fund.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is trying to ascertain details about a Kentucky city’s reported proposal for a church construction at taxpayers’ expense.

A concerned Versailles resident and taxpayer has alerted FFRF about an official decision to spend city and federal funds to raise a new church building on church property. “The Versailles City Council held a first reading Tuesday of an ordinance that would annex 21.633 acres of land owned by First Baptist Church and sets the stage for a new church and severe weather shelter to be built there,” an article in the local newspaper stated last month.

It is unconstitutional for the city to partner with a church to expend taxpayer funds for constructing a new structure that will be used for worship, FFRF has stressed to local officials.

“We understand the city’s desire to build a severe weather shelter, but this purported secular goal does not excuse the fact that the government is building a new church building that will be used for religious worship, which violates taxpayers’ right to secular use of government funds,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line has written to Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott. “It is also unconstitutional to use federal grant funds for this purpose, given that the severe weather shelter would also serve as the church’s sanctuary, directing federal funds directly to support religious worship.”

In its attempts to find out what exactly is going on, FFRF has asked for records, including those pertaining to any contracts, agreements, communications or grant requests between the city and First Baptist Church regarding this project. Unfortunately, the mayor has replied in a hostile manner, adopting a derisive tone and baselessly denying the existence of a local complainant.

“The Kentucky Constitution states outright that no person may ‘be compelled to attend any place of worship, to contribute to the erection or maintenance of any such place,’” comments FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “This unconstitutional boondoggle must be deep-sixed.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 33,500 members and several chapters across the country, including hundreds of members and a chapter in Kentucky. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

A “Celebrate Darwin Day” ad in the Wisconsin State Journal promoting science-based recommendations for the pandemic takes a dig at the Wisconsin Legislature’s obstructionism.

The full-page ad appearing in the main section, placed by the national Freedom From Religion Foundation based in Madison, invokes Dr. Anthony Fauci’s dictum, “Let the Science Speak.”

It depicts Charles Darwin, born today, Feb. 12, 1809, wearing one of FFRF’s popular face masks declaring, “In Science I Trust,” and advises: “Masks on. Sleeves Up. Stay safe.”

“The Wisconsin state Legislature has failed to heed Dr. Anthony Fauci’s wise counsel to ‘Let the science speak,’” the ad reads. “It has shamefully obstructed science-based proposals to alleviate pandemic-related distress and protect Wisconsin lives.” FFRF instead urges: "Public policy must be based on science, reason, evidence and compassion, especially during a deadly pandemic.”

FFRF’s home state Legislature voted to overturn Gov. Tony Evers’ masking mandate in early February, putting at risk not just Wisconsin health but also ens of millions of dollars a month in federal food assistance that could be withheld if Wisconsin has no emergency order in place. It was just the latest in a series of votes and litigation against the governor’s mandates on social distancing and masking by Republicans, who control both houses of the Legislature and have voted along party lines against the Democratic governor. Their vote to repeal the statewide mask rule on Feb. 4 was the first measure passed by the Legislature in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 10 months.

An hour after the vote, Evers issued a new health emergency order requiring face masks in public indoor places. Litigation against Evers’ mandate is currently before the conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Backing up Evers’ mandate is a recommendation this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on new research showing the effectiveness of double-masking. 

FFRF was one of many Wisconsin groups, medical personnel, businesses and individuals that urged the Legislature to keep the masking mandate in place. No one signed in against the masking mandate.

https://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/item/38419-ffrf-to-wis-assembly-let-the-science-speak-protect-mask-mandate

The Wisconsin Legislature further refused Evers’ request to hold a special session to fix the state’s broken unemployment system, which has imperiled many Wisconsin citizens laid off during the pandemic who are still awaiting checks.

“Our state needs some goodwill and to trust in science,” concludes FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.

The national Freedom From Religion Foundation has just erected a billboard celebrating Darwin Day and scientific recommendations during the pandemic in its hometown of Madison, Wis.

The 10-by-22-foot billboard, located at 2741 University Ave. (above Qdoba Mexican Eats) on view to westbound traffic going to campus, depicts an image of Charles Darwin wearing FFRF’s “In Science I Trust” facemask. The billboard message exhorts: “In Science We Trust: Masks On. Sleeves Up. Stay Safe.” The billboard went up yesterday and will be displayed for a month.

Darwin Day, this Friday, is commemorated around the world on the anniversary of Darwin’s Feb. 12, 1809, birth.

“The pandemic has proven the importance of science to the welfare and future of humanity,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “Irrational resistance to the application of science in the pandemic, including by the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and even the Wisconsin Legislature, has shown the dangers of anti-science viewpoints.”

The arresting image on the display is a photograph taken by FFRF Attorney Chris Line of a life-size, silicone mannequin of Darwin that resides in FFRF’s Joel Landon and Wanda Beers Library in Freethought Hall, FFRF’s office in downtown Madison. (See photo below.)

For now, the life-like mannequin, created by artist Csam Wheatley, can only be viewed at a social distance.

“But we look forward to having Mr. Darwin once again greet visitors and staff at our office, as soon as we can put this pandemic behind us,” Gaylor adds. “That will happen more quickly if Americans will ‘Let the science lead,’ as Dr. Anthony Fauci recommends, and continue to follow the best recommendations of science.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, based in Madison, Wis., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational charity, is the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics), and has been working since 1978 to keep religion and government separate.

Enabled by Donald Trump as president, white nationalists descended on Charlottesville, Va., staged armed anti-mask protests in state capitols, devised a plot to kidnap and murder Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and burned a Black Lives Matter sign at a historically Black church here in D.C. — culminating in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

All of these protests had another element besides white supremacy in common: Christian nationalism.

As Kimberley Ross noted in an op-ed in the conservative Washington Examiner, the environment that created the attack was “a noxious political atmosphere [that] didn't happen overnight. In this case, it has been brewing for quite some time, long before Trump emerged on the scene . . . Christians in the U.S. embraced him [Trump] as an unapologetic fighter and defender of their beliefs. It didn’t matter if Trump was not devout because God would use him to turn the country back to Christianity and right many wrongs.”

The assault on the Capitol made it clear: Christian nationalism is a cataclysmic threat to America.

Hearings on the attack
After this second impeachment is over, Congress is likely to investigate the attack as it did 9/11. We’ll be working with our allies in Congress to include a solid line of investigation that explores how Christian nationalism influenced the attack.

We hope the investigation will shed light on how Christian nationalism influences domestic terror, militia groups, white supremacist groups and law enforcement; how law enforcement needs to be reformed so it can protect against domestic Christian nationalist terror; and how particular members of Congress and the Trump administration stoked Christian nationalist fears and used Christian nationalist rhetoric to incite the insurrection.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has been able to bring together leading voices opposing Christian nationalism. We’ve interviewed Rep. Jared Huffman, who discussed the Jan. 6 attack and what was happening around him; author and journalist Katherine Stewart, who discussed the lies, myths and misinformation that incited the assault; Chrissy Stroop, writer, scholar, ex-evangelical; Robert P. Jones, the founder of Public Religion Research Institute who has authored the new book White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity; Andrew Whitehead and Sam Perry, who wrote a sociological study of Christian nationalism called Taking America Back for God; and FFRF’s own Andrew L. Seidel, who has written The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American, which has been proven prescient by the Capitol assault. We also issued a unique survey of the Christian nationalist views of many, if not most, of the 147 members of Congress who, after the Jan. 6 putsch, went on to side with the insurrectionists by voting to deny the will of the U.S. electorate. Look for Congressional Freethought Caucus member Rep. Jerry McNerney on an upcoming episode of "Freethought Matters." He’ll talk with Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker about being the only member in Congress with a Ph.D. in mathematics and offer his take on the Capitol insurrection and Christian nationalism.

Executive action from the Biden administration
The Biden administration has taken quick executive action that has pushed back against Christian nationalism: repealing the Muslim ban, rejoining the Paris climate change accord, ordering mask-wearing on federal property, advancing a science-minded response to the Covid pandemic, ending the transgender military ban, eliminating the global gag rule on abortion, enhancing scientific integrity, and banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.

We’re working with our secular and religious allies to revoke Trump executive orders EO 13798, Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty and EO 13831, Establishment of a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. These two key executive orders empowered the federal government to pursue excessive religious exemptions and directed that these activities would be coordinated from the White House as a top administration priority. We will lobby for a Biden executive order to clearly define religious freedom and strongly uphold the separation of state and church.

Legislation
Executive orders are strong tools to help to give direction and orient the priorities of the federal government. They outline what the federal government will prioritize and what it will not. However, for real and lasting change that safeguards us against Christian nationalism and theocratic inroads, we will need to pass new legislation. I am proud that in the last Congress, we were able to get the STOP FGM Act, which prohibits Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on minors, signed into law. It passed both houses unanimously and was signed by the president.

We’re looking forward to advancing with you:
• The Do No Harm Act, to ensure that no one can seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and legal rights.  
• The Scientific Integrity Act, which prevents political appointees from meddling in publicly funded scientific research.
• The Equality Act, which adds LGBTQ as a protected class to the Civil Rights Acts and prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
• The Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which prevents discrimination in adoption.
• The No BAN Act, which eliminates the Muslim ban and makes sure it cannot return, limits presidential authority to suspend or restrict immigration and prohibits religious discrimination in immigration-related decisions. 
• The Women’s Health Protection Act, which eliminates barriers to reproductive health.

FFRF has worked with other organizations of the Secular Coalition for America to develop a strategy designed to thwart Christian nationalism. There’s a lot to do and no single organization can cover it all, especially when we’re up against well-funded and organized religious extremists. Out of this common secular agenda, FFRF has developed plans on what it will concentrate on for the 117th Congress.

The next 100 days in Washington are going to be eventful, with impeachment, the Covid package and the Build Back Better plan, which appears to be an infrastructure bill focusing heavily on climate change. It’s up to us to make sure the Hill does not forget Jan. 6 and that those who instigated the attack are held responsible. Only with full accountability can we move forward as a nation.

All the best,

Mark Dann
Director of Governmental Affairs
Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a dismaying order late Friday night overriding “the judgments of experts about how to respond to a raging pandemic,” as dissenting Justice Elena Kagan put it. “In the worst public health crisis in a century,” Kagan writes, “this foray into armchair epidemiology cannot end well.”

The order prohibits California from enforcing some of its Covid-19 regulations against churches, such as prohibitions against indoor worship services in high-risk areas (identified as “Tier 1”). A brief unsigned order blocked the total ban, leaving in place a 25 percent capacity restriction and prohibitions on singing or chanting indoors in Tier 1 areas.

The injunction reinforces a recent shift from the court’s prior decisions, which had held that treating churches in a neutral manner was constitutional. As the dissent from Kagan recognizes, a majority of the court now requires special preference for churches.

“The court is sanctioning the spread of a deadly pandemic because of religion,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “It is deeply troubling that a majority of justices view churches as above the law and subject to their own rules.”

A series of fractured concurrences showed many conservative justices would have gone much further in preferring churches in pandemic health orders. Justice Samuel Alito would have issued an injunction against all of the restrictions. Justice Neil Gorsuch authored an opinion, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Alito, that even argued against California’s indoor 25 percent capacity limitations and singing restrictions in Tier 1 areas. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, agreed with the sweeping analysis by Gorsuch, but sought a further factual record to examine the singing restriction.

Chief Justice John Roberts concurred in issuing the injunction overturning a complete ban on indoor worship gatherings, but otherwise pointed to judicial deference to state officials: “I adhere to the view that the ‘Constitution principally entrusts the safety and the health of the people to the politically accountable officials of the States.’”

Kagan’s dissent was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

“Justices of this court are not scientists,” Kagan wrote. “Nor do we know much about public health policy. Yet today the court displaces the judgments of experts about how to respond to a raging pandemic. The court orders California to weaken its restrictions in public gatherings by making a special exception for worship services. The majority does so, even though the state’s policies treat worship just as favorably as secular activities (including political assemblies) that, according to medical evidence, pose the same risk of Covid transmission.”

Kagan further observed: “Under the court’s injunction, the state must instead treat worship services like secular activities that pose a much lesser danger. That mandate defies our case law, exceeds our judicial role, and risks worsening the pandemic.”

The Supreme Court’s injunction will remain in place while the court awaits a formal petition from California churches seeking a ruling on the merits.

“We clearly see how the extremists on the Supreme Court are weaponing the concept of ‘the free exercise of religion’ to privilege religion, even when such privileging endangers the health and lives of many,” concludes Gaylor. “Kagan is right: This ‘cannot end well.’”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, based in Madison, Wis., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational charity, is the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics), and has been working since 1978 to keep religion and government separate.

A leading chronicler of the rights of non-Christian Americans who is also an ardent humorist is the guest on the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Freethought Matters” TV show this Sunday.

Professor Jay Wexler of the Boston University School of Law and his newest book, Our Non-Christian Nation: How Atheists, Satanists, Pagans and Others Are Demanding Their Rightful Place in Public Life, are featured on the talk show. He embarked on a cross-country adventure (during which he stopped by at the FFRF headquarters in Madison, Wis.) that resulted in a 2009 book called Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/state Wars. Wexler clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and his work focuses on state/church issues and constitutional law. He also was the first to study laughter at the Supreme Court.

“If you just look at the data, the demographics are changing, and these days there are fewer and fewer Christians and more people who identify with minority religions or no religion at all,” Wexler explains to “Freethought Matters” co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor the impetus for his latest book. “But beyond that, I think our Constitution very much makes it clear that we’re not a Christian nation, that we’re in fact, a nation where all religions can be exercised freely, but no particular religion can be supported by the state or be our official religion.”

If you don’t live in the quarter-plus of the nation where the show broadcasts on Sunday, you can already catch the interview on FFRF’s YouTube channel. You can also receive notifications when we post new episodes of Freethought Matters by subscribing to FFRF's YouTube channel.

This is the fall season’s 25th episode of “Freethought Matters,” airing in over a dozen cities on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Coming shows include interviews with Nate Phelps, the freethinking son of the notorious founder of the Westboro Baptist Church Fred Phelps, Congressional Freethought Caucus member Rep. Jerry McNerney and Indian actor/activist Sushant Singh.

“Freethought Matters” airs in:

• Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Denver, KWGN-CW (Ch. 2), Sundays at 7 a.m.
• Houston, KUBE-IND (Ch. 57), Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
• Minneapolis, KSTC-IND (Ch. 45), Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
• New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Phoenix, KASW-CW (Ch. 61, or 6 or 1006 for HD), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Portland, Ore., KRCW-CW (Ch. 32), Sundays at 9 a.m. Comcast channel 703 for High Def, or Channel 3.
• Sacramento, KQCA-MY (Ch. 58), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• San Francisco, KICU-IND (Ch. 36), Sundays at 10 a.m.
• Seattle, KONG-IND (Ch. 16 or Ch. 106 on Comcast). Sundays at 8 a.m.
• Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.

Previous guests from the fall season include: pundit Eleanor Clift, whose interview you can watch here, actor and FFRF After-Life Member John de Lancie of “Star Trek” “Q” fame, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Linda Greenhouse, the country’s leading analyst of the U.S. Supreme Court, and legislative stalwart and feminist and civil rights pioneer U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. One of the most eminent public intellectuals in the world, Professor Steven Pinker, was interviewed a few episodes ago talking about his new course on rationality. Legendary TV host, actor and singer John Davidson was the guest in early December. Recently, the show featured Ann Druyan, the co-creator of “Cosmos,” possibly the most acclaimed TV series of all time. A.C. Grayling, a prominent British philosopher and the author of about 30 books, grappled on the show with philosophy and the pandemic, and discussed how he himself dealt as a nonbeliever with a personal tragedy. And a couple of weeks ago, the show interviewed Robert P. Jones, the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute who is an expert on the intersection of religious and racial extremism. 

Watch previous seasons here, including interviews with Ron Reagan, Julia Sweeney and Ed Asner, as well as U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin, co-chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.

Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters.

P.S. Please tune in or record according to the times given above regardless of what is listed in your TV guide (it may be listed simply as “paid programming” or even be misidentified). To set up an automatic weekly recording, try taping manually by time or channel. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers!

In a misbegotten attempt at bipartisanship, President Biden has continued the lamentable presidential tradition of legitimizing the sectarian annual National Prayer Breakfast.

Biden was in virtual attendance from the White House for the dubious quasi-official prayerfest today (on Thursday, Feb. 4). The president asked for unity and courage and exhorted the country to take on political extremism — all of which he could have done at a secular venue.

Unfortunately, Biden also ventured into religious clichés: “For so many in our nation, this is a dark, dark time,” Biden told those watching the event. “So where do we turn? Faith.”

FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor responds by quoting Mark Twain.

“As Twain said, ‘Faith is believing what you know ain’t so,’” she remarks. “As we’ve seen in this pandemic, science is where we have turned, and faith has often gotten in the way.”

The Fellowship (also known as “The Family”), which puts together the jamboree, is the subject of an acclaimed Netflix series based on an investigative book by journalist Jeff Sharlet, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, who has spoken at FFRF’s annual convention and appeared on its TV show. His work has revealed that the annual breakfast is the outward face of a rather sinister evangelical organization.

And the U.S. government’s role in arranging the get-together has always been less than transparent. Although the National Prayer Breakfast is technically sponsored by the private Fellowship Foundation, which is dedicated to “the teachings and precepts of Jesus,” the nation’s lawmaking body plays a key role. “The U.S. Congress hosts the National Prayer Breakfast, and the Christian organization, The Fellowship Foundation, organizes the event on their behalf,” a website revealed for the 2017 event.

The gathering this year was, of course, upended due to the pandemic, with the official website completely out of date. But that didn’t stop the breakfast from virtually moving forward — and the president of a secular country validating it with their presence.

Sadly, the National Prayer Breakfast has long been bipartisan, and the tradition seems to have continued this year. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., facetiously asserted that the event is “an inclusive and positive” one that “recognizes the teachings of Jesus but is not limited to Christianity.” And the headliner was none other than the nation’s commander in chief — from a party that is supposedly more secular. In addition to marginalizing nonbelievers, FFRF contends, the (virtual) presence of the leaders of our executive branch at a shindig organized by such a cultish organization makes it appear as if the U.S. government approves of a fringe movement within one particular religion. The National Prayer Breakfast makes a mockery of our secular Constitution — and serves to undermine our political system, as well.

“Biden should have chosen to skip the event,” adds Gaylor. “Too bad they chose to endorse a constitutionally suspect occasion organized by a shady organization.”

Others are joining FFRF in criticizing the breakfast, including Norman Solomon, co-founder and national director of the progressive activist group RootsAction, who said: “We don’t need any unity with bigotry. I fear a subtext of this engagement is, ‘Can’t we all get along.’ But that’s not appropriate in this case, given the well-known right-wing and anti-gay background of the event’s sponsors.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national state/church watchdog organization with more than 33,500 nonreligious members and several chapters all over the country.

A former Muslim who has become an ardent secular online activist, podcaster and author is the guest on the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s TV show this Sunday.

Armin Navabi is an Iranian ex-Muslim. In 2012, he founded Atheist Republic, an online community that now has hundreds of branches in several countries around the world and enables nonbelievers to interact with each other in places where criticism of religion is often repressed and criminalized. His book, Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God, was published in 2014. Navabi is also the co-host, with Ali Rizvi, of the podcast “Secular Jihadists for a Muslim Enlightenment.”

“Atheist Republic’s main goal is mostly for atheists to realize that they're not alone, that there’s a community for them, that they’re not isolated,” he tells “Freethought Matters” host Dan Barker. “And also for atheists to understand that not only they shouldn’t feel like they need to hide or that they’re isolated, but also that they don't have to be apologetic about their views.”

If you don’t live in the quarter-plus of the nation where the show broadcasts on Sunday, you can already catch the interview on FFRF’s YouTube channel.

This is the fall season’s 24th episode of “Freethought Matters,” airing in over a dozen cities on Sunday, Feb. 7.

Coming shows include interviews with Nate Phelps, the freethinking son of the notorious founder of the Westboro Baptist Church Fred Phelps, and Law Professor Jay Wexler, whose most recent book is Our Non-Christian Nation.

“Freethought Matters” airs in:

• Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Denver, KWGN-CW (Ch. 2), Sundays at 7 a.m.
• Houston, KUBE-IND (Ch. 57), Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
• Minneapolis, KSTC-IND (Ch. 45), Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
• New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
• Phoenix, KASW-CW (Ch. 61, or 6 or 1006 for HD), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• Portland, Ore., KRCW-CW (Ch. 32), Sundays at 9 a.m. Comcast channel 703 for High Def, or Channel 3.
• Sacramento, KQCA-MY (Ch. 58), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
• San Francisco, KICU-IND (Ch. 36), Sundays at 10 a.m.
• Seattle, KONG-IND (Ch. 16 or Ch. 106 on Comcast). Sundays at 8 a.m.
• Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 8 a.m.

Previous guests from the fall season include: pundit Eleanor Clift, whose interview you can watch here, actor and FFRF After-Life Member John de Lancie of “Star Trek” “Q” fame, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Linda Greenhouse, the country’s leading analyst of the U.S. Supreme Court, and legislative stalwart and feminist and civil rights pioneer U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. One of the most eminent public intellectuals in the world, Professor Steven Pinker, was interviewed a few episodes ago talking about his new course on rationality. Legendary TV host, actor and singer John Davidson was the guest in early December. Recently, the show featured Ann Druyan, the co-creator of “Cosmos,” possibly the most acclaimed TV series of all time. A.C. Grayling, a prominent British philosopher and the author of about 30 books, grappled on the show a couple weeks ago with philosophy and the pandemic, and discussed how he himself dealt as a nonbeliever with a personal tragedy. And just last week, the show interviewed Robert P. Jones, the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute who is an expert on the intersection of religious and racial extremism.

Watch previous seasons here, including interviews with Ron Reagan, Julia Sweeney and Ed Asner, as well as U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin, co-chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.

Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters.

P.S. Please tune in or record according to the times given above regardless of what is listed in your TV guide (it may be listed simply as “paid programming” or even be misidentified). To set up an automatic weekly recording, try taping manually by time or channel. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers!