Freethought Radio – May 21, 2026

We report on Trump’s Christian-nationalist “Rededicate 250″ rally in Washington, D.C., last Sunday. Then, Hope Pisoni of Uncloseted Media and John Washington of Lookout tell us about their joint report, “Your License Plate Might Be Funding an Anti-LGBTQ Extremist Group.”

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Latest episode of ‘We Dissent’ examines religion’s role in current legislative season

Americans United Public Policy Counsel Rachael Stryer joins the hosts of “We Dissent” to discuss how legislators nationwide have been baking religion into law.

On Episode 53, Stryer accompanies FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell, Americans United for Separation of Church and State Legal Director Rebecca Markert and National Women’s Law Center Director of Nominations & Democracy Alison Gill to review what came out of the state legislative sessions this year. They survey the measures lawmakers have recently passed to force religion into public schools, to discriminate against LGBTQ people and to divert public money to private religious schools.

“We Dissent,” which first aired in May 2022, is a legal affairs show offering legal wisdom from the secular viewpoint of women lawyers. The show is a collaboration of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Americans United and the National Women’s Law Center.

Find previous episodes here, which examine developments affecting the separation of church and state, particularly in the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Past episodes include discussions about court reform, religion behind bars and abortion and also feature a range of expert guests.
      
Episodes are available at the “We Dissent” website, on YouTube, Spotify or wherever your podcasts are found. Be sure to stay up to date with the “We Dissent” podcast on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bluesky.

Tune in regularly at “We Dissent” for compelling legal discussion and insights!

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FFRF: Trump allies are weaponizing government against dissent

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is condemning Wednesday’s House committee hearing targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center as a dangerous weaponization of government power.

The Judiciary Committee hearing, framed by Republicans as an investigation into the center’s extremism reporting, quickly devolved into an intimidation campaign aimed not just at one organization, but at the entire nonprofit and civil rights community.

“This hearing was not about accountability, it was about intimidation,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “The message from Trump’s allies was unmistakable: If your organization challenges Christian nationalism, white supremacy or MAGA extremism, the federal government may come after you next.”

At a press conference before the hearing, Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Ga., characterized advocacy groups as “this nonprofit-industrial complex that is seeking to destroy our country each and every day.” Such rhetoric mirrors the language authoritarian movements historically use to dehumanize dissenters, portray civil society organizations as enemies of the state and justify political retaliation.

Explicitly religious and culture war rhetoric was heard repeatedly at the hearing by Republican members on the committee. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused the Southern Poverty Law Center of targeting “good pro-family organizations” while Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., lamented, “They just hate Christianity, don’t they?” Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., asked, “Do you know why there is such fervent resistance, or I would say fervent hatred for traditional viewpoints for Christians?”

Several right-wing groups participating in a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning, including the Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom, have long advocated for policies eroding the separation of church and state and expanding Christian privilege in government. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins urged lawmakers to investigate not just the center, but also other organizations connected to its work. Conservative commentator Tyler O’Neil called for probes into the group “and its offshoots.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., portrayed in his testimony the Justice Department prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center as an authoritarian attempt to target ideological opponents. He warned that the Trump administration has systematically dismantled efforts to combat far-right extremism, pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionists and redirected federal resources toward targeting perceived political enemies.

Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, who was grilled in testimony, said that the campaign against the Southern Poverty Law Center is part of “a coordinated attack on civil rights nonprofits” and an attempt to use “the powers of prosecution as a weapon” against organizations whose speech and advocacy the administration dislikes.

FFRF agrees.

“We are witnessing systematic efforts to delegitimize and criminalize organizations that monitor extremism and defend constitutional rights,” Gaylor says. “Today, it is the Southern Poverty Law Center. Tomorrow, it could be any organization that refuses to conform to this administration’s ideology.”

FFRF says it stands in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center and all organizations facing politically motivated retaliation for defending civil liberties and civil rights.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 42,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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Statement: FFRF denounces civil rights office’s new mission against ‘anti-Christian’ bias

Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a state/church watchdog that is also the largest association of North American freethinkers, have released the following statement:

“The Freedom From Religion Foundation denounces the dismaying recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that its civil rights office has been restructured to go after so-called ‘anti-Christian bias.’ It seems clear that the intent is to intimidate critics of Christian nationalism and the growing unification of conservative Christianity with our secular government.

“The department contradicts its alleged goal to ‘advance the protection of conscience rights’ by then saying it will ‘eradicate’ anti-Christian bias. Americans are free to believe or disbelieve in any religion, to advocate for or criticize any religious doctrines. Even if there were such a thing as ‘anti-Christian bias,’ Americans would be free to hold it. The law should go after actions, not beliefs.

“FFRF is also troubled to see that instead of upholding civil rights, particularly of racial minorities, the office has been tasked with addressing race-based discrimination ‘in a color-blind manner.’ We also find it disturbing that HHS charges its civil rights office with restoring  ‘biological truth,’ obviously a threat to transgender Americans, a threat mainly posed by religion. 

“True freedom of conscience hinges on a government that does not take sides over religious debates, that does not confer its blessings on religion over nonreligion, or on a particular religion over other religions, and that does not possess an ‘anti-freethinker’ bias. Most Americans support the separation between religion and government. FFRF represents more than 41,000 freethinking members, mainly atheists and agnostics, seeking to uphold the First Amendment. We also represent the views of nearly one-third of U.S. adults today who are religiously unaffiliated. FFRF will continue our peaceful, lawful work in defense of state/church separation, free speech and true religious freedom by exercising our First Amendment rights.”

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Delaware paper runs FFRF op-ed detailing anti-abortion and religion link

A leading community newspaper in Delaware has published a Freedom From Religion Foundation op-ed on religion’s centrality in the anti-abortion perspective.

FFRF Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne opens his piece in the Cape Gazette (which covers the Cape region of Delaware) by detailing the benefits of Senate Bill 5, a bill that aims to protect the access of state residents to reproductive health care. 

“It would enshrine reproductive freedom in the Delaware Constitution, as many progressive states have done, and ensure that decisions about pregnancy remain where they belong: between patients and their doctors,” he writes. “In a post-Roe landscape where abortion rights have become fragile and uneven, state lawmakers need to provide new, more permanent protections for the right to bodily autonomy.”

Unfortunately, not everyone in Delaware is willing to support this common-sense measure due to faith trumping reason:

At a recent hearing on SB 5, an opponent warned lawmakers that any right to abortion must yield to “the law of Christ, which our constitution stands pale next to.” Another cited Scripture as governing authority, invoking Psalm 139 and Romans 13 to argue that the government should enforce their interpretation of divine will. And one opponent accused supporters of wanting to “enshrine abortion on the altar of worship and sacrifice to the devil,” even adding for good measure, “May God have mercy on your souls.”

This is not policymaking; this is sermonizing.

It is worth pausing on the specific texts being invoked. Romans 13 has a long and troubling history in American political life. Defenders of slavery used it to demand obedience to unjust laws. It was later invoked to justify segregation, was invoked in President Donald J. Trump’s first term to justify family separation, and was even cited earlier this year by House Speaker Mike Johnson to defend border policies against papal criticism. Appeals to that passage have consistently been used not to advance freedom, but to resist it.

Psalm 139, likewise, is not the benign, feel-good verse it is often presented as in political settings. The same psalm that speaks of being “fearfully and wonderfully made” also calls on believers to hold a “perfect hatred” for those who oppose God. It is telling that so many opponents turn to Psalm 139 to justify their “life begins at conception” dogma, since the Bible does not actually address abortion at all.

The good news is that lawmakers do not need to resolve these scriptural disputes, because they should never legislate based on their personal religious beliefs in the first place. To uphold their oath of office, lawmakers must respect the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom for everyone. That means if they can’t give a secular justification for something, they should not be legislating it.

The piece ends by emphasizing how government should aim to serve all people instead of bowing down to the religious beliefs of one specific group: “As this important constitutional amendment moves forward, it offers more than just protections for reproductive freedom. It offers a model for how legislators should approach difficult issues, not by quoting Scripture or appealing to divine authority, but by relying on evidence, respecting individual rights and recognizing that in a diverse society, the law belongs to all of us.”

You can read the full op-ed here.

This column is part of FFRF’s initiative to engage with pertinent national and state issues and spread the messages of freethought and nontheism to a broader audience.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members across the country, including more than 100 members in Delaware. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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FFRF announces 2026 essay competitions

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has announced its four 2026 essay competitions for freethinking students.

Each of these four contests has 10 top prizes: First place — $3,500; second place — $3,000; third place — $2,500; fourth place — $2,000; fifth place — $1,500; sixth place — $1,000; seventh place — $750; eighth place — $500; ninth place — $400; and 10th place — $300. FFRF also offers optional honorable mentions of $200.

The contests cater to students in different age/class ranges. Students may only enter one FFRF contest annually and may not re-enter a contest if they have previously won an award in that particular contest.

All essays are due no later than June 1. For more details on the contest requirements and to apply, go to: ffrf.org/studentessay.

William J. Schulz Memorial Essay Contest for College-bound High School Seniors

High school seniors graduating this spring/summer and attending college in the fall are asked to write on the topic of “My favorite freethought/humanist hero/ine.” (Gap year students who took time off after graduating high school before applying to attend college in the fall of 2026 should enter this contest.)

“The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments — of those most distinguished even in popular estimation for wisdom and virtue — are complete skeptics in religion.” — John Stuart Mill

Studies show that nonbelievers are still near the bottom rung of the ladder when it comes to social acceptance. Many Americans don’t realize how many activists or achievers they admire are not religious. To help educate them, write a personal essay about your favorite freethinker or humanist and what they did or are doing to improve or enrich our lives. It might be a nonreligious scientist, an artist or writer, a reformer — or an everyday person in your life who has made the world better and inspired you. Please briefly explain their influence or accomplishments and briefly document their nonreligious views. Tell us what they have meant to you as a humanist and nonbeliever. For quotes or citations, please document using links or footnotes.

Word limit: 350–500. Deadline: June 1.

Kenneth L. Proulx Memorial Essay Contest for Ongoing College Students

Currently enrolled college students (up to age 24; does not include college-bound high school seniors) may write on: “Why President Trump is wrong that ‘you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion.’”

Write a first-person essay that makes the case about why Trump is wrong to claim that “you just can’t have a great country if you don’t have religion.” Choose one or more such quotes by Trump (citing them in your essay) and show why his claims are fallacious. You may wish to marshall evidence or history that contradicts Trump’s claims, or address how his words threaten state/church separation and religious freedom. Save room to include something about your own reaction as a nonbeliever to such pronouncements by the president. Include links or footnotes for quotes or major citations.

The $1,000 prize in the ongoing college competition has been generously endowed by actor and FFRF Lifetime Member Mr. Madison Arnold. Madison, who is now 90, has given a $30,000 endowment as a living bequest, what he calls a “pre-quest.”
Word limit: 450–650. Deadline: June 1.

David Hudak Memorial Essay Contest for Students Who Are First-in-their-Family to Attend College
Students who will be first in their family to attend either a two- or four-year college or university and who are ages 17–21 (which includes college-bound high school seniors to currently enrolled college students), may write on the topic of: “Why white supremacy goes hand in hand with Christian nationalism.”

Write an essay about the inherent white racism in Christian nationalism. You may wish to write about it from a historic or a political perspective, but please be sure to include why it is a threat to our secular democracy and to you as an individual, or to your own community or other ethnic or racial minorities in the United States. Include something about your own experiences with or reactions to white Christian nationalism.

Word limit: 350–500. Deadline: June 1.

Cornelius Vander Broek Essay Contest for ‘Graduate/Older’ Students

Graduate students (through age 30) and “older” undergrads (ages 25–30) are asked to write about “Why the 250-year-old United States of America is not a Christian nation.”

Research and write an essay documenting why the U.S. government is not based on God or Christianity. Refute the claim by President Trump and others that the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence proves that our government is based on God. Include and refute a few other timely examples of legislators, public officials or other individuals promoting the Christian nation myth. Save space to include your own thoughts on why you find “Christian nation” propaganda and disinformation dangerous to our democracy and also how you feel about this as a nonbeliever. Include links or footnotes for quotes or major citations.

Word limit: 550–750. Deadline: June 1.

Additional prompts on the topics and contest rule requirements can be found at: ffrf.org/studentessay.

All eligible entrants will receive a digital year-long student membership in FFRF and non-winners also will be offered a book or other thank-you.

FFRF is appreciative of its members who make the effort to contact local high schools, colleges and universities to help publicize its competitions. You can email them this link: ffrf.org/studentessay.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org. 

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A secretive Christian sect is pressuring members to purge their pets

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A largely secretive religious sect has told members they need to get rid of all their pets, a move that is pressuring some members to euthanize or simply abandon their furry friends.

All of this is happening within the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, a faction of the “Exclusive Brethren,” that is known for having strict control over its members. The PBCC has about 54,000 members total, with just about all of them based in Australia, and was a model for the fictional Netflix show Unchosen about a woman who belongs to an isolated religious sect.

They’ve apparently had a No Pets rule in effect for decades, including an infamous pet purge in 1964, but it isn’t typically enforced. After a dog recently attacked someone close to the group’s leader, though, unnamed elders (it’s honestly unclear who these people are) decided to remind everyone that they shouldn’t have any pets in the home.

The directive, a transcript of which is circulating online, cites former group leaders like John S. Hales (JSH), James Harvey Symington (JHS), Bruce D. Hales (BDH), and James Taylor Jr. (JT Jr.) saying why dogs and cats shouldn’t be in the homes because they’re “unclean.” Pets have also been described as distractions from devotion.

Four-year-old child attacked by a dog, belonging to a brother while at the brother’s house for the evening meal, on Lord’s Day, 12th April.

He sustained significant facial injuries requiring surgery. The ownership of such an animal, let alone it being kept at a brother’s home, is clearly wrong. There are reports of some brethren having reverted to owning pets, including dogs and other animals, which practice has been clearly spoken against in ministry. The following references are examples, and there are many others in the ministry indexes which all brethren are encouraged to look up.

JT Jr., New Series, Volume 64, page 334

Your house is a clean place, though, but then it becomes a holy place if you have an assembly in it. That’s why you don’t have any dogs around.

JHS, volume 66, page 145.

Rats and mice out, cats too!

Well, they disposed of their dogs. And now what? Well, you acknowledge in the assembly that you were wrong to have such a creature hanging around.

JSH, new series, volume 127. Page 116. Regarding pets:

Thought they were finished with 30 years ago. Your house has got a pet in it. We couldn’t have a supper there, that’s all. See, the fellow raised it with Mr. Taylor about a pet, about a dog. Mr. Taylor says they’re dogs. Unclean. Get them out. But what that brother didn’t realize was it applied to cats.

B.D.H. May even apply to birds, mightn’t it?

Might even apply to birds, yes. These things have all been laid down in the statute. They’re all on record.

Every household should be freshly exercised to ensure the standard represented in the great men and their ministries is carried forward and maintained.

From the Universal Elderhood

The Australian publication The Age now says that directive is leading some members to get rid of their pets in the saddest possible ways. (You can read the full article here if that one’s paywalled.)

As one Melbourne family made plans to dump their cat four hours out of town so it “could never find its way back home”, others told this masthead they would defy the order. In New Zealand, a member shared pictures mourning her kitten, which multiple people in the church said she had been pressured into euthanising this month.
…

Another family said their elderly aunt had also come under repeated “priestly” pressure to get rid of her beloved companion dog. “We’re worried they’ll finally make her [do it] now, and she’ll be totally alone,” they said.

…

A Melbourne woman put down her cats three years ago when the edict was mentioned in passing at a meeting, according to three members. In NSW in the 2000s, an ex-member said Brethren asked farmers to shoot their dogs for them.

“Fear of getting caught flouting the rule means it’s kept secret,” said one member. “Though my father has always enjoyed shooting cats.”

Another woman recalled coming home from holidays as a child in the 1990s to find their litter of puppies missing. “We found out years later, they’d come and drowned them,” she said.

The directive also appears to apply to service dogs. One member told the outlet “If I’m asked to choose between my church and the dog, it’s going to be the dog.” So at least there’s a silver lining here.

It’s not like the PBCC is unique in this particular regard either. Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) cult, once demanded members get rid of their pets too.

In response to the unwanted attention from this directive, the Brethren released a statement saying they definitely weren’t calling for members’ pets to be put to death.

But they’re also not not saying that.

Very few families in the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church would keep pets, as we generally avoid distractions from family, faith and God, such as television, radio, or pet ownership.

…

… This was not a ‘new directive’, but simply a reminder of a principle that was established some time ago.

The small number of church members who have pets may be minded to rehome them with a willing neighbour or colleague, or via working with their local animal shelter.

We are aware of untrue and distressing online commentary which has misconstrued this as members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church being told to euthanise their pets.

The church would never condone cruelty to any living creature, and this position is being strongly reinforced to our congregation. We have the utmost respect for all of God’s creations.

If a member of our church ever was cruel to animals, we would want the matter to be dealt with by the appropriate authorities.

So they don’t want anyone to euthanize their pets… but they do want you to get rid of those pets… If you don’t have someone willing to take those pets in, however, then do whatever you need to do as long as it’s not “cruel.” (*Wink*)

When The Age asked about the 1964 Pet Purge, the group’s leaders called it “untrue.” even though there’s documentation of that happening according to multiple news articles that were published around that time:

Members who were children at the time say they were fully aware of the rule and it traumatized them:

Back then, newspapers in Australia and overseas reported Brethren bought the gas ether to put their animals to sleep at home, when vets discovered the trend and refused to euthanise.

Some members told this masthead that other pets were killed by more brutal means — drowned, shot or clubbed — at times in front of children. At least three blind Brethren were “ordered to destroy” their guide dogs, though some refused and were instead ex-communicated.

More recently, and especially during the early COVID years, some members found companionship in pets and simply hid them from other sect members. Or they convinced themselves the rule applied to certain pets but not theirs, including service animals.

“But you never know which of the thousands of rules they’ll suddenly enforce so you’re forever on eggshells,” said one member. “A lot of us have pets now.”

The leaders were also asked why former leaders said repeatedly said members must “dispose of” their pets and why they said “The best dog is a dead dog.”

The church didn’t respond to that question.

Cheryl Bawtinheimer (née Hope) is the host of the Get a Life Podcast, which shines a light onto the PBCC and features a lot of former members, and she also serves as a sort of one-woman clearinghouse for insider information about the group.

In a conversation yesterday, she told me that members of the group are sometimes led to believe certain ironclad rules can still be bent, which is why members have pets despite the supposed ban. But because “goalposts are always moving” within the group, those rules can sometimes be made inflexible as a way to see who’s truly loyal.

When it involves getting rid of your pets, though, it may be a bridge too far for some. One current member told her “This might be the thing that ends it all,” referring to the sect itself. If members were looking for an exit before, this could be the last straw for them.

If that’s true, it raises some questions about why a religious leader would pull this particular trigger.

Here’s a theory: It’s the same reason cults like to isolate you from non-members. If you know there’s love and community and a calming presence to be found outside your religious bubble, they have one less weapon to use against you. That’s what pets are for so many people. They love you no matter what. They are an antidote to loneliness. They reduce your anxiety. It’s what religious leaders like to tell you only they can provide. In other words, pets break the façade religious cults try to create. No wonder they’re against them. Authoritarians always want you to believe you need them for everything, including comfort.

In that sense, the pets may be collateral damage for what the sect really wants: control. It’s the same logic high-control religious groups use to sever friendships, isolate families, discourage higher education, and monitor your media consumption. Every independent source of joy or identity competes with the group’s monopoly on your self-worth. Even if a pet seems relatively trivial in the grand scheme of things, that small source of unconditional love can still undermine your obedience to the overlords.

The people who are refusing to comply—or threatening to leave—are doing something truly courageous by choosing empathy over dogma. It’s the right move, though. If your religion tells you to destroy or avoid something you really love, especially when it’s harming nobody, the correct response is to abandon the religion. You deserve better than whatever they’re offering.

July 2026 [Date TBD] – Sam Grover to Speak at Ozarks Chapter Event on Arkansas Lawsuits and Christian Nationalism (Bentonville, Ark.)

The Ozarks Chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation will host FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover for a public presentation in Bentonville, Arkansas. The event location and date are currently to be determined. Please check this page for updates.

Grover will give a 60-minute presentation discussing two ongoing Arkansas lawsuits involving church/state separation, as well as the broader rise of Christian Nationalism and its implications for constitutional rights and secular government.

As a staff attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Grover works to uphold the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and regularly addresses issues involving religious entanglement in public institutions and government.

The event is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required. Attendance will be in person only, and no virtual option will be available.

Additional event details, including the final venue location and start time, will be announced by the Ozarks Chapter of FFRF at a later date. Bookmark this page to get that information easily. To read more about the Ozark’s chapter of FFRF, contact Chapter President Chris Sweeny at ozarksffrf@gmail.com.

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FFRF supports AZ students protesting school-sponsored prayer

Students at El Capitan High School in Colorado City, Ariz., are protesting school-sponsored prayer that district officials are still scheduling in the graduation ceremony despite student objections and constitutional dictates.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has told the Colorado City Unified School District to immediately remove prayer from the school’s June 3 graduation ceremony after the school received complaints from graduating seniors who say administrators are attempting to force religion into what should be a celebration of students’ achievements. According to the student complaint received by FFRF, El Capitan High School has long included official invocations and benedictions at graduation ceremonies, with students selected in advance to lead the audience in prayer. This year’s graduation program was set to feature scheduled prayers led by two designated students despite clear Supreme Court precedent ruling such practices unconstitutional.

After student objections, district officials reportedly altered the program so that the prayer would occur before the ceremony officially begins and described participation as “optional.” But the change misses the point.

“El Capitan High School’s custom and practice of including school-sponsored prayers at graduation directly violates students’ First Amendment rights,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes. “The school cannot avoid a constitutional violation by assigning students to lead prayers, moving the prayer to the top of the ceremony, or proclaiming that the prayer is no longer mandatory.” 

As the school board itself has noted, the ceremony is under the school’s control. A public school cannot constitutionally implement religious worship as part of a school activity. 

High school graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime event that students spend over a decade working toward. As FFRF’s student-complainant explained, the school forcing prayer on graduating students has caused the students “frustration” instead of allowing them to focus on their achievements. Including prayer at graduation puts many students and families in the unconscionable and unconstitutional position of choosing between exiting or foregoing the ceremony or else violating their conscience. 

Plus, having prayer at graduation ceremonies and other school-sponsored events needlessly marginalizes students and families who are nonreligious or members of minority faiths. As many as 29  percent of Americans are non-Christian, including the almost 30 percent that are nonreligious. (Arizona even has slightly higher than average numbers of religiously unaffiliated adults at 31 percent.) More than half of Generation Z members (those born after 1996) are non-Christian, including 43 percent who are nonreligious.

“Students deserve to celebrate their achievements that came from hard work — not be forced to show obeisance to someone else’s religion,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “We expect this rogue school district to stop violating the constitutional rights of its students by canceling these prayers immediately.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with over 41,000 members and several chapters across the country, including more than 1,000 members and a chapter in Arizona. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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June 8, 2026 – ‘Great American Freethought Songbook’ George and Ira Gershwin – (Madison, Wis. and live-streamed)

Photo by Chris Line

Celebrate the music, life & views of GEORGE and IRA GERSHWIN.

Monday, June 8, 2026 ( RSVP by Thursday, June 4 )
Charlie Brooks Auditorium
Freethought Hall, Madison, Wis.

6:15 – 6:45 p.m.   Refreshments served: Wine, non-alcoholic beverages, cookies.

6:45 – 6:50   Please be seated. (Concert is being video-recorded and live-streamed.)

7 – 8   Enjoy the performance with Dan Barker & Darcie Johnston.

RSVP by Thursday, June 4. Invite your family, friends and colleagues!

Watch the performance live by going to FFRF’s YouTube channel or Facebook page. It can also be viewed on Freethought TV, FFRF’s new streaming service for smart televisions and mobile devices. For installation instructions, go to freethoughttv.ffrf.org on your smart tv or cellphone.

Free street parking after 6 p.m. Close to Overture Center parking ramp, West Mifflin.

Mark your calendar for future concert dates:

Monday, July 13 — Lyricist Yip Harburg.

Monday, August 24 — Songwriter Cole Porter.

Monday, September 21 — Composers Richard & Mary Rodgers.

Monday, November 9 — Finale. Medley including Dorothy Fields, Jay Gorney, Burton Lane, Tom Lehrer, Frank Loesser, Thelonious Monk, Stephen Sondheim and Charles Strouse.

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