FFRF is cosponsoring the festival, which will include the grand opening of the Thomas Paine New Rochelle Center, historic reenactments and music from the period, family-centered entertainment, a symposium with scholarly presentations and panels and a one-man play by Ian Ruskin. FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor will be among the panelists.
For information on registering and attending, click here.
Freedom From Religion Foundation's Senior Counsel Patrick Elliot will be speaking at the Lake Superior Freethinkers meeting, located at the College of St. Scholastica on Sunday, June 5th.
FFRF Co-President Dan Barker will be speaking at the Religious Trauma Conference on April 29 - May 1, 2022. CORT speakers this year represent a variety of fundamentalist religious backgrounds including Amish, Evangelical, Mormon, Muslim, and Hasidic Orthodox Judaism. They will be covering a vast array of topics from cultural genocide to coercive control, fear of Hell to post-religious sexuality, and religious schooling to racism. In addition to presentations by psychologists, social workers, authors, and former clergy, survivors of religious fundamentalism are eager to share their own personal stories of trauma, recovery, and hope with you.
Join FFRF co-president Dan Barker along with hundreds of humanists, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, and scientific skeptics at FreeFlo 2022, March 4th through 6th, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. This three day event at the Marriott Orlando Airport Lakeside hotel features informative presentations, networking opportunities, exhibitors, and entertainment from start to finish.
Proceeds support the Florida Humanist Association Scholarship Fund in coordination with the Secular Student Alliance. Register here.
Secular government is under attack in the Iowa legislature. Christian nationalists control both the Iowa Senate and House and Governor Reynolds. They are busy filing bills threatening religious freedom, voting rights, LGBTQ lives, reproductive healthcare, teachers, public education, and science. Help us defend Jefferson's wall of separation between religion and government.
Please join us on March 3rd from 2:00-4:00 PM at the rotunda of the Capitol Building in Des Moines. Help us preserve our great experiment in secular government.
Our speakers include: Robert Cook, Activism Chair, Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers. Jason Bennell, Secretary and Press Officer with IAF. Thomas Harvey, long-time member of IAF. Ryan Jayne, Constitutional Lawyer with the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Visit the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers website here.
A major report (crafted by an unlikely pair) on Christian nationalism’s role in the Jan. 6 Capitol assault will be made public at a virtual event next Wednesday — to which you’re duly invited.
On Feb. 9, 2022 at 12:00 PM Easter Time, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty (BJC) and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) will be releasing the hard-hitting exposé, “Christian Nationalism at the January 6, 2021, Insurrection.” This report will be the most complete accounting to date of how Christian nationalism permeated and intensified the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Feb. 9 release event — which will start at noon Eastern and last for an hour — will have analysis and commentary from the contributors.
The extensive 100-page document begins with a sociological explanation of Christian nationalism in America and the demographics that underlie this ideology. The report provides a brief history of Christian nationalism in the United States, which is followed by a thorough unmasking of the networks of power and money that prop up the ideology. The bulk of the report exposes the role this ideology played in fomenting the insurrection. The confirmed speakers (many of them contributors to the report) at the release event include:
During the live event, there will be time for members of the media to ask questions. When you register, be sure to list your media outlet. You will have a chance to submit a question in the Q&A feature during the live event. Members of the media will receive a copy of the report via email that morning if they list their media outlet when they register.
FFRF Co-President Dan Barker will be speaking to the Bay Area Humanists on February 5, 2022 at 3:00 PM PST.
Humanism is a philosophy which is based on a naturalistic understanding of reality. Many Humanists were raised in religious homes and may have been religious themselves but found naturalism to be more sensible and life affirming. Each of us who made this journey have a story to tell about how we came to be nontheists. Dan Barker will tell us about his journey in this presentation based in his book, Godless.
Dan became a teenage evangelist at age 15. He received a degree in Religion and was ordained to the ministry. He served as associate pastor in three California churches and was a missionary in Mexico for a total of two years. Dan preached for 19 years and maintained an ongoing touring musical ministry, including eight years of full-time, cross-country evangelism.
Following five years of reading, Dan gradually outgrew his religious beliefs. “If I had limited myself to Christian authors, I’d still be a Christian today,” Dan says. “I just lost faith in faith.” He announced his atheism publicly in January, 1984.
Dan is currently a co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) along with Annie Laurie Gaylor. The purposes of the FFRF are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism. Dan regularly travels the country and the world giving lectures, performing concerts, and participating in debates with theists, many at college and university campuses.
On Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, between 6 AM and noon CST, FFRF's Director of Communications Amit Pal will be a guest on the virtual event: "A Global Scream Against Growing Anti-Muslim Violence in India: A Genocide Warning." The speakers comprise a range of intellectuals and activists from around the world.
Thomas Paine Memorial Association First International Zoom Celebration of Thomas Paine's Birthday
Features: U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, actress and comedian Julia Sweeney, "Cosmos" creator and bestselling author Ann Druyan, Stiefel Freethought Foundation director Todd Stiefel, actor and director John de Lancie and actress Marnie Mosiman de Lancie, actor and playwright Ian Ruskin, Thomas Paine Memorial Association President Margaret Downey, FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor, CFI CEO Robyn Blumner, professor and author Christopher Cameron, Paine expert Gary Berton, sculptor Zenos Frudakis and recording artist James Klueh.
FFRF Co-President Dan Barker was interviewed by Patrick Voss. You can watch that interview on January 21st at 5 PM Central time here.
Title: 2021 HumanLight Virtual Celebration & 20th Anniversary
Date: Saturday, December 18, 4-6:30pm ET
Register Here: Zoom
HumanLight celebrates humanism’s positive secular vision of reason, compassion, and hope. It's a time of reflection on the year ending and preparing for the year ahead.
Join us for online December 18th for candle lighting, music, magic, beautiful decorations, and more. After our program, we'll open Breakout Rooms for socializing, discussions, and games. The event is free and welcome to all. The program part will be recorded.
Public Facebook Event
HumanLight Facebook Group
Sponsors include:
Hosted by the Metro Denver Chapter of FFRF, Barbara Alvarez, FFRF's Anne Nicol Gaylor Reproductive Rights Intern, will speak on Saturday November 6th, 3pm at the Secular Hub in Denver, Colorado. This hybrid presentation, titled The Religious Right’s Attack on Abortion Rights, details the religious right's vicious assault on reproductive rights, and provides insight on how the Freedom From Religion Foundation plans to fight back. Barbara is the Freedom From Religion’s first Anne Nicol Gaylor Reproductive Rights intern, a program set up to memorialize FFRF’s principal founder, who was an early abortion rights activist and author of the book Abortion is a Blessing. Barbara was a major winner in FFRF’s essay competition for graduate students, writing about the bible’s role in the abortion battle. She was also a 2019 Wadsworth-Sheng Scholar with the Center for Inquiry.
FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor appeared on Critical Faculty with Hanney Seylim on Saturday, November 6, 2021 to discuss the Abrahamic religions and women. This event is archived on YouTube.
Don't miss the 2021 Secular Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos Secular celebration beginning at 6:45 p.m. (EDT) Tuesday, November 2, 2021 via ZOOM!
FFRF co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor will join leading secular voices to welcome participants during this bilingual event to be followed by the Honoring Ceremony featuring dedications from distinguished guests and participants. Participants are encouraged to share a photograph or portraits of a deceased loved one during the Honoring Ceremony portion of the event. Prizes will be awarded and mailed to participants whom the cosponsors determine to have the best Secular Day of the Dead themed clothing, Zoom setting, face painting, face mask, and hair adornment.
Both an English and a Spanish speaker's Zoom breakout room will be available after the keynote speech by Jon Huertas. View the archived video recording here.
This panel will facilitate a discussion centered around the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and the threats it currently faces. The American Constitution Society chapter at Mitchell Hamline is proud to feature four litigators who dedicate their work to safeguarding secular government and religious equality:
Nick Little is Legal Director for the Center For Inquiry, handling the organization's internal and external legal matters. CFI looks to focus its legal efforts on the intersection of science and secularism, and fights both for the advancement of science rather than religion in public policy, as well as the defense of consumers and the public from pseudoscience in all its forms.
Rebecca Markert is the Legal Director for the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She handles a First Amendment caseload that includes matters involving religion in the public schools, religious symbols on public property, and electioneering by churches. She has served as co-counsel in federal lawsuits across the country and routinely assists FFRF’s cooperating attorneys in litigation, and has drafted amicus briefs filed in many federal appellate courts including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Monica Miller is the Legal Director and Senior Counsel at the American Humanist Association and Executive Director of the Humanist Legal Society. Monica has served as lead counsel in over 25 federal cases, including before the U.S. Supreme Court in American Legion v. American Humanist Association in 2020.
Alison Gill manages American Atheists’ federal and state advocacy for religious equality and litigation activities to protect the separation of religion and government. Alison is a nationally recognized expert on civil rights law and state advocacy.
This Zoom event is free and open to the public. Register here.
FFRF co-president Dan Barker will appear on Critical Faculty with Hanney Seylim on Friday, October 15, at 9:00 a.m. CST. Dan and Hanney will discuss "God of the Gaps Part 4: What are the sources of our moral intuitions?" This event will be live on YouTube and is free and open to the public.
Peter Dixon of Freethinkers International will interview FFRF co-president Dan Barker on Thursday, Oct 7. 9:30pm CST on YouTube. Freethinkers International is a platform to present Interviews with freethinkers & influencers in the freethinking community with a desire to simply add information and inspiration.
FFRF Co-President Dan Barker and FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne, in partnership with FFRF Metropolitan Chicago Area Chapter are hosting a virtual event for Illinois residents on Saturday, October 2 at 11:00 AM CDT via Zoom.
The presentation will focus specifically on Illinois Statute (720 ILCS 570/407), related to the inclusion of places of worship to the list of "drug-free zones" in Illinois. Dan and Ryan will discuss the importance of keeping state and religion separate, and how non-believers can get involved to help repeal a church-centered Illinois state law that is contributing to mass incarcerations in Chicago and throughout the state. View the archived presentation here.
Hosted by the Jefferson Humanists, FFRF's Anne Nicol Gaylor Reproductive Rights Intern, Barbara Alvarez, will share her presentation, "Dealing with Disinformation: Standing up for Facts in the Face of Fake News". She will discuss historical and contemporary concepts of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news, as well as how information access and creation have changed. Her talk will be live, Sunday, September 26 at 5:00 p.m. CDT via Zoom. RSVP on MeetUp, attendance is limited.
FFRF co-president Dan Barker will debate Rabbi Barry Silver on the question of "Does religion still serve a useful purpose in the modern world" on Wednesday, August 18 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.
This event is hosted by Congregation L'Dor Va-Dor, a congregation promoting an all-inclusive, universal, and rational approach to Judaism that honors tradition, respects science, and celebrates spirituality. Rabbi Barry Silver is a respected attorney who served from 1996 to 1998 in the Florida House of Representatives where he was named “Most Effective Environmental Legislator” by the Sierra Club and “Consumer Champion” by Florida’s largest consumer group. Dan and Barry intend to have a lively, collegial debate focused around the utility of belief to a rational, progressive populace.
Attendees can login to Zoom here, with Meeting ID: 867 6104 1462 and Passcode: 308365. This virtual debate will include time for audience Q&A and comments, and is free and open to the public.
