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.

Please RSVP to see the Zoom link for this event.

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.

You can watch that event live here. 

Thomas Paine Memorial Association First International Zoom Celebration of Thomas Paine's Birthday

Watch recording.

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: 

• American Ethical Union
• American Humanist Association
• Baltimore Coalition of Reason
• Black Nonbelievers
• Foundation Beyond Belief
• Freedom From Religion Foundation
• Freethought Society
• New Jersey Humanist Network
• Secular Coalition for America
• Washington Area Secular Humanists

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.

FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor will join Fred Edwords, a leading lecturer on humanism, founder and president of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. Mandisa Thomas, and John Leeker, Director of Library and Archives at Meadville-Lombard Theological Seminary and Treasurer of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association to discuss the historical background of modern humanism and the progress of the American Humanist Association since its founding 80 years ago. This virtual discussion will take place on July 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CST and is part of the AHA's 80th Annual Conference. Schedule and registration information can be found here.

Please join FFRF’s Dan Barker and Andrew Seidel along with a host of secular activists to celebrate the 2021 Thomas Paine Day via Zoom on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, beginning at 3:45 PM PST/6:45 PM EST. The life and work of Thomas Paine will be honored with a variety of presentations and musical interludes, and attendees will get a sneak peek at the progress of sculptor Zenos Frudakis’ Thomas Paine statue. Watch the archived video here.

Please join FFRF’s Dan Barker and Andrew Seidel along with a host of secular activists to celebrate the 2021 Thomas Paine Day via Zoom on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, beginning at 3:45 PM PST/6:45 PM EST. The life and work of Thomas Paine will be honored with a variety of presentations and musical interludes, and attendees will get a sneak peek at the progress of sculptor Zenos Frudakis’ Thomas Paine statue. Registration is required. This event is free and open to the public.

Hosted by the Lake Superior Freethinkers chapter of FFRF, Director of Strategic Response Andrew Seidel will speak on Sunday, June 6th at 10:00 a.m. CST. Andrew will discuss Christian Nationalism, its role in the January 6 insurrection, and his acclaimed book, The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American. Andrew will make himself available for a Q&A session following his presentation. This free virtual event will be hosted on Zoom. 

FFRF Legal Director Rebecca Markert will appear at the Cultural and Secular Jewish Organization's annual conference on Sunday, May 30th, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST. The theme of the 2021 virtual conference is "Interconnections: Networking, Supporting and Growing Together" which will be hosted on the Go-To-Meeting platform. Rebecca's talk will focus on recent developments in religious liberty cases and the impact on secular issues and communities. Register for the conference here.

FFRF co-president Dan Barker will appear on Critical Faculty with Hanney Seylim on Friday, May 21, at 9:30 a.m. CST. Dan will discuss whether YHWH, Yeshua, and Allah are one and the same god. This event will be live on YouTube and is free and open to the public.