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The “JESUS Welcomes You To Hawkins” (Texas) sign is coming down! An Arizona city stops favoring Christian prayers, and the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department donates sports memorabilia to FFRF. We protest the Pope’s visit to America with full-page ads in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, plus JFK and Ron Reagan ads on TV. We listen to Kennedy’s 1960 Houston speech in favor of a secular government, and then hear philosopher Daniel Dennett read his Foreword to Dan Barker’s book Life Driven Purpose.
Many victories to report this week, including the successful FFRF lawsuit removing the Ten Commandments from a Pennsylvania school, Florida municipal prayer stopped, HS football-field baptism declared improper, Jesus painting removed, secular HS club finally allowed, city money withdrawn from Florida churches, football prayer discontinued. After “welcoming” the visit of Pope Francis to America with our “Stay Away Pope Polka,” we talk with Carlos Mendoza of the Guatemalan Secular Humanists about being booed and booted from Congress while testifying against a bill to introduce mandatory bible reading in the schools.
Gov. Huckabee says Kentucky clerk Kim Davis (who defied gay-marriage orders) is “God.” In the News: more “Pray to Play” coverage, Indiana high-school live-nativity complaint, “Pope Chair” built by prisoners, de Blasio dispensing NYC tickets to see the pope. Victory: FFRF gets Georgia city to pull out of “Gospel Fest.” Then we talk with screenwriter Chris Matheson (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Teds’ Bogus Journey) about his new humorous book, The Story of God: A Biblical Comedy about Love (and Hate).
In the news: FFRF victory declaring the Ten Commandments unconstitutional at a Pennsylvania high school, a county clerk refusing to grant gay marriage licenses, group baptisms on the high-school football field, “In God We Trust” on police cars, a Jesus statue in a federal park, a year-long nativity scene in New Mexico. Our guest is Kansas biographer Vickie Sandell Stangl, author of Etta Semple: Kansas Freethinker and “Ideal” Woman.
FFRF’s “Pray to Play” exposé gets national coverage, including FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel on MSNBC “Sports Matters.” Dan Barker was interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show about the Jesus painting in a Kansas school that was taken down after FFRF complained. After talking with Viet Nam veteran and plaintiff Steve Trunk about the decades-long saga of the cross on Mt. Soledad, we interview Executive Director of Americans United For Separation of Church and State, Rev. Barry W. Lynn, about his new book: God and Government: Twenty-Five Years of Fighting for Equality, Secularism, and Freedom of Conscience.
After honoring the life of famed freethinking civil-rights leader Julian Bond and catching up on state/church news in Texas and New Mexico, we listen to part of John Oliver’s hilarious take-down of greedy churches and evangelists taking unfair advantage of lax IRS codes. Then we talk with FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel about FFRF’s letter of complaint to university athletic departments that hire evangelical chaplains who turn the football field into a mission field.
In the news: FFRF’s Ron Reagan ad on the penultimate Jon Stewart Daily Show, Jesus sign in east Texas town, bible verses removed from Arkansas city webpage, “In God We Trust” challenged on municipal vehicles. After hearing Bo Burnham’s anti-religious rap song “Rant,” we talk with author, poet, and critic Katha Pollitt about her new book Pro (about abortion rights), and her previous book Learning To Drive, which has become a major motion picture released this week starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley.
Ryan Jayne, FFRF’s law clerk and soon-to-be legal fellow, helps us celebrate many exciting state/church victories accomplished by FFRF’s attorneys. We honor the birthday of 19th-century agnostic orator Robert G. Ingersoll by hearing Dan Barker’s musical version of his famous “Trinity” lyrics. Then we interview author, poet and filmmaker Jeremiah Camara about his new feature-length documentary “Contradiction: A Question of Faith” that examines the effect of religion on African-Americans.
Jesus sign on city property, “In God We Trust” on patrol cars, Ten Commandments on high-school property, atheists barred from Boy Scouts, Tennessee freethought proclamation proposed. After talking about fish, large and small–Melville’s Moby Dick and Rupert Brooke’s Heaven–we interview Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers about his recent victory overturning capital punishment in that state.
