A member contacted FFRF regarding an invocation included in the 2011 commencement ceremony at Field Local Schools in Mogadore, Ohio. This prayer was listed in the official program and given by the class treasurer.
FFRF Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert wrote to the superintendent: "The Supreme Court has settled this matter — high school graduations must be secular to protect the freedom of conscience of all students." Receiving no response, FFRF followed up on July 2011 and again in February 2012.
In a March 27 letter the attorney for the school district wrote that "Field High School will not have prayer at graduation ceremonies and has enacted policies prohibiting prayer at graduation." The letter included a copy of the newly enacted policies which specifically state ". . . school officials may not mandate or organize prayer at graduation nor organize religious baccalaureate ceremonies." The school district confirmed in late August that no prayer was scheduled for the 2012 graduation ceremony.
FFRF was informed that a staff member at the college sent an email to all district employees via various faculty and staff listservs inviting them all to join a prayer at the pole event. The email advocated for Christian prayer and contained several New Testament verses. The staff member also used the following as his email signature: "BY GRACE ALONE THROUGH FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE."
FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert wrote to the chancellor at Peralta Community College in Oakland, Calif., April 4, 2012, over inappropriate religious proselytizing via work email. Markert noted in her letter "that statements of college employees — even emails sent to faculty and staff listservs — are attributable to the school" and that "no public school employee may urge religious points of view on coworkers or other employees." Markert asked the college to "take appropriate steps to ensure no employee is inappropriately utilizing state resources to push a religious agenda."
General Counsel for the college informed Markert on Aug. 22 that the employee who sent the email is no longer sending out emails with religious content and was instructed to remove the religious quote from his email signature.
FFRF ended a church bulletin discount at Las Banderas Mexican Restaurant in Valdosta, Ga., giving 20% off of food for customers who brought in a church bulletin.
The restaurant owner agreed to end the discount and remove the promotion from the restaurant website. FFRF Staff Attorney Stephanie Schmitt complained on Aug. 16, 2012, and received a phone call from the owner on Aug. 22.
On behalf of a local complainant, FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel wrote to Dougherty County School, Ga., on May 23, 2012, to point out numerous constitutional violations by an area representative of Fellowship for Christian Athletes, who gave post-game prayers to Westover and Dougherty High School football teams in Albany, Ga.
FCA rep Bill Cox would gather the team and coaches around him and tell them to kneel. Prayers included: “Thank you most of all for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for us,” “Thank you Lord Jesus for dying on the cross to save us from our sins,” “we thank you most of all for Jesus Christ who died on the cross 2,000 years ago.”
Dougherty Superintendent Joshua Murfree replied on Aug. 23 that Cox “is not connected to the school system in any way.” “His activities are inconsistent with the practices of the school system, and I have issued instructions that, because of his activities Mr. Bill Cox is not to be permitted to come upon school property or to attend school-sponsored functions.” The superintendent “reiterated to our athletic employees our practice of not permitting prayer at athletic functions. . .”
FFRF contacted four separate Florida agencies on May 4, 2012, including the Department of Consumer Services, the Department of Revenue, and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, asking them to investigate what appeared to be a “scam in God’s name.”
The problem involves a Florida policy allowing drivers to purchase specialty license plates for an additional fee. That fee goes to the organization that develops the specialty plate to meet some charitable purpose. These plates feature universities, endangered species, sports teams and “god.” The “In God We Trust” license plates are supposed to “fund educational scholarships for the children of Florida residents who are members of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the United States Armed Forces Reserve.” But FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel that the “In God We Trust Foundation” had collected over $630,000 and distributed nothing to the children.
After being sent several follow-up letters, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles wrote FFRF on August 27: “Our department is aware of the alleged non-compliance regarding the distribution of funds from sales of the In God We Trust specialty license plate. As this is an on-going investigation we are not at liberty to divulge related information.” However, the Department did state that there was “an active investigation into the distribution of funds from sales of the In God We Trust license plate” and that “our department has not distributed any funds to the IGWT foundation… money collected from purchases of license plate is being withheld until [the] matter is resolved.” One less scam in the name of god.
Do you think Catholic Bishops should have veto power over women's contraceptive health insurance coverage? They think so! U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops are waging war against Health and Human Service's mandate, starting in August to ensure U.S. women workers have contraceptive coverage. In a colossal power play, the Bishops seek to impose their narrow religious doctrine on many of America's employees, whether or not they subscribe to the Catholic faith.
The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops has pledged a multimillion-dollar attack against the contraceptive mandate leading up to July 4, 2012. Over 40 Roman Catholic dioceses and institutions are suing to stop Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate. Every Sunday from the pulpit Catholics who shun their own church’s teachings against contraception are being told to help the Bishops use the force of secular law to deny birth control to non-Catholics.
The louder the Church cries “assault against religious freedom,” the harder it works to take away reproductive freedom. While the Bishops preposterously portray themselves as victims of an “attack on religious liberty,” in fact it is they who are the threat to religious liberty. They seek to impose their irrational belief that contraception is “sinful” on everyone else.
True religious liberty requires a separation between dogma and government policy.
The HHS contraceptive mandate does not apply to any church or denominations, including Roman Catholicism. The HHS mandate even exempts non-church religious (or quasi-religious) employers, such as religious hospitals or schools, from providing contraceptive health care for female workers. Instead, HHS is requiring private insurance companies to pick up the costs for providing such contraceptive health care. This policy protects the rights of women employees, and the so-called freedom of conscience of religious institutions. A Methodist woman employed at a Catholic school will be able to use her insurance policy to renew her prescription for birth control pills, for instance, at no cost to the school. This is why the Catholic Bishops are fuming?!
The Bishops have introduced into Congress the so-called “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act,” which goes even further. They are lobbying Congress to pass a bill that would allow any private employer with a “religious or moral objection” to have veto power over health care coverage. For example, a Jehovah’s Witnesses employer could bar coverage of an emergency blood transfusion for employees. A Southern Baptist or Mormon employer could deny prescription birth control to unmarried female employees.
Don't let church dogma trump civil rights! Join the Freedom From Religion Foundation in standing up for freedom of conscience, women’s right to contraceptive health insurance and true religious liberty.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is storming the “Bishops’ Bastille” in an unprecedented TV ad campaign to counter the Roman Catholic Church’s inquisition against contraceptive insurance coverage. The 30-second spots feature one of America’s favorite former Catholics — actress Julia Sweeney, beloved by freethinkers for her play, “Letting Go of God,” and by the American public for her portrayal of “Androgynous Pat” on Saturday Night Live! Read more.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is fighting back against an offensive by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its upcoming “fortnight for freedom.” Like a secular David defending himself against Goliath, FFRF has launched an opening volley against the monolithic church and its war against the contraceptive mandate. Read more.
Although Times Square is home to many provocative images, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is upping the ante with its patriotic red-white-and-blue billboard placed this week on Times Square saying: “Quit the Church. Put Women’s Rights Over Bishops Wrongs.” Read more.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has placed a bold 14x48-foot billboard in patriotic colors at I-70 and North Broadway in St. Louis, Mo., aimed at Roman Catholics, which urges them to “Put women’s rights over Bishops’ wrongs” and “Quit the Church.” Nearly 300,000 people will drive by the board every week during its four-week run. Read more.
Julia Sweeney, one of America’s most famous former Catholics as actress and playwright of “Letting Go of God,” stars in a new TV and radio ad just produced by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The commercial counters the anti-contraceptive campaign by Roman Catholic Bishops. The wealthy U.S. Catholic Church has pledged to spend multimillions in a PR blitz leading up to July 4th to overturn the Obama Administration’s contraceptive health insurance mandate. Read more.
Did you know “contraception kills”?
That’s what an intrepid coterie of FFRF’ers was told by true believers when we counterpicketed a June 8 rally conducted by the Roman Catholic Church at the federal courthouse here in Madison, Wis.
I held a sign, “Quit the Church,” accompanied by about 20 other FFRF members, staffers, interns and volunteers. It was chilling to hear a young male speaker intone, “God is on our side.” At one surreal point during the rally, which featured at least six prayers, a priest instructed all of the present faithful to turn away from the podium and face us counter-protesters. As they prayed aggressively at us we had fun chanting my mother’s mantra: “Nothing Fails Like Prayer.” Read more.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s signature full-page ad, “It’s Time to Quit the Catholic Church,” is in today’s USA Today (Money Section), which stays on the newsstands all weekend. The ad by FFRF, a state/church watchdog and the nation’s largest atheist/agnostic association with over 18,000 members, urges liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to “quit” their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
FFRF’s ‘Quit the Catholic Church’ ad in today’s Washington Post
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s full-page ad, “It’s Time to Quit the Catholic Church,” runs in today’s Washington Post (A-5 Main), urging liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to “quit” their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
FFRF’s ‘Quit the Catholic Church’ ad in today’s Washington Post
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s full-page ad, “It’s Time to Quit the Catholic Church,” runs in today’s Washington Post (A-5 Main), urging liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to “quit” their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
FFRF ad, ‘Quit the Catholic Church,’ runs in today’s Times
The Freedom From Religion Foundation placed an open letter via a full-page ad in today’s New York Times (page 10, front section) urging liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to “quit” their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
Dear 'Liberal' Catholic: It’s time to quit the Roman Catholic Church. It's your moment of truth. Will it be reproductive freedom, or back to the Dark Ages? Do you choose women and their rights, or Bishops and their wrongs? Whose side are you on, anyway?
It is time to make known your dissent from the Catholic Church, in light of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops’ ruthless campaign endangering the right to contraception. If you're part of the Catholic Church, you're part of the problem. Read more.
Vatican rules over health care?
Who will President Obama side with? Women or Catholic bishops? The bishops are trying to boss Obama around, and it's time he showed them that the United States already has a secular "boss" — a Constitution that precludes theocratic interference with our government and its citizens. Read more.