Sanders Defends Faith, Reassures Atheists Jesus Loves Them

Spreely News
By Erica Carlin

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Officials respond after religious decoration removed from SC school

ABC 15 News (Conway, SC)
By Alex Kesler

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Here’s an easy 2026 resolution for Oklahoma lawmakers: Stop creating do-nothing advisory boards

News From the States
By Janelle Stecklein

The post Here’s an easy 2026 resolution for Oklahoma lawmakers: Stop creating do-nothing advisory boards appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.

FFRF has S.C. school district remove nativity scene door decorations

A holiday season door-decorating contest in South Carolina’s York School District 1 was not hijacked for religious purposes, thanks to the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

A concerned district community member informed the state/church watchdog that for Hunter Street Elementary School’s holiday door-decorating contest, one teacher displayed a Christian nativity scene on her door along with the verse, “For Unto Us A Savior Is Born.”

FFRF wrote to the district to make certain that this First Amendment violation was corrected.

“To protect students’ First Amendment rights, the district must ensure this display is removed, as well as any other religious displays it becomes aware of in its schools,” FFRF Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude stated in the letter. “The district cannot allow promotion of religion on the walls of its schools.”

The district breached the Constitution when it allowed its schools to display religious symbols or messages, FFRF emphasized. It is well settled that public schools may not show favoritism toward or coerce belief or participation in religion. By permitting the display of explicitly religious imagery and a message declaring Jesus was born for “us,” York School District 1 violated this basic constitutional prohibition by signaling clear favoritism toward religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths.

Nearly a quarter of the state’s population is not Christian, with 16 percent identifying as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” FFRF points out.

Thankfully, it did not take long for the district to listen to FFRF and rectify its mistake.

Just two days after FFRF’s letter, Superintendent Heath Branham emailed back, confirming that action had been taken.

“The display referenced in your letter has been removed,” Branham wrote. “We appreciate you notifying us and consider the matter resolved.”

FFRF is proud to see its work make another school district a more welcoming place for all students.

“By using the door-decorating contest as a means to push her religion, one teacher turned a fun event into a proselytizing environment that signaled Christian students were favored over all others,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “Young and impressionable elementary school students are a captive audience whose right to be free from religious indoctrination in the public school setting must be scrupulously honored.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 42,000 members across the country, including hundreds of members in South Carolina. Our 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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The United States Was Not Founded As A Christian Nation

The post The United States Was Not Founded As A Christian Nation appeared first on Secular Coalition for America.

The Wall or the Cross: America at the Tipping Point

This Ain’t No Culture War
Eric Lane

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Freethought Radio – January 1, 2026

Actor, comedian and broadcaster John Fugelsang describes his new book, Separation of Church and Hate.

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Can students fail an assignment if they cite God? Not if Florida Republicans get their way.

Friendly Atheist
By Hemant Mehta

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Trump administration crosses constitutional line with sectarian Christmas messages

The Freedom From Religion Foundation lambastes a wave of sectarian Christmas messages issued from government accounts by top officials in the Trump administration.

Multiple federal agencies and cabinet officials used official social media accounts for persuading Americans to observe Christmas as an official religious celebration of “our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” These posts crossed a clear constitutional line by using the authority and platforms of the federal government to promote Christianity and specific Christian doctrine.

The Department of Homeland Security posted messages declaring “Rejoice America, Christ is born!” and stating, “We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior,” accompanied by videos featuring overtly religious imagery, including of Jesus, a manger and crosses. The Department of Labor posted: “Let Earth Receive Her King.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s official social media read: “The joyous message of Christmas is the hope of Eternal Life through Christ,” with a graphic of a star and manger scene and a quotation from Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

“Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth posted a message saying, “Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May his light bring peace, hope, and joy to you and your families,” with the words “Merry Christmas” emblazoned over an American flag.

President Trump’s official White House Christmas message likewise crossed a constitutional line by transforming a presidential greeting into a sermon. Instead of offering an inclusive holiday message to all Americans, the statement repeatedly advanced Christian doctrine as government speech, describing Jesus as “our Lord and Savior,” “the living Son of God” and “the source of eternal salvation,” while invoking prayer and divine favor for the nation.

FFRF notes that these messages represent a sharp departure from the longstanding practice of issuing neutral, inclusive holiday greetings that focus on widely shared cultural themes rather than religious doctrine. Christmas trees, winter scenes and general well wishes have traditionally allowed government agencies to acknowledge the holiday without endorsing a particular faith.

The Trump administration’s decision to abandon that tradition — from Cabinet agencies to the White House itself — reveals a calculated decision to pander to its Christian nationalist base by misusing government authority to endorse and support Christian doctrine.

“These posts are not harmless greetings,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “They send a message that the federal government aligns itself with Christianity and that Americans of other faiths, or of no faith at all, are outsiders in their own country. That is divisive, unconstitutional and un-American.”

Gaylor points out that the largest single “denomination” by religious identification today in the United States is the religiously unaffiliated, at 29 percent of the population larger than any one sect, including Roman Catholic (at 19 percent) or evangelical Protestants (at 23 percent). Christians today make up 62 percent of the population, compared to about 90 percent in the 1990s.

FFRF emphasizes that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause exists precisely to prevent the government from favoring one religion over others or religion over nonreligion. Federal officials remain free to celebrate and express their personal religious beliefs on their own time and on their personal platforms. What they may not do is use official government channels to proselytize.

“The promise of church-state separation is what allows religious freedom to flourish for everyone,” Gaylor says. “When government officials forget that, they undermine the very constitutional values they are sworn to uphold.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation calls on the Trump administration to immediately cease issuing sectarian religious messages from official government accounts and to reaffirm its obligation to serve all Americans, regardless of belief.

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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In their own words: What nonbelievers do at ‘Christmas’

This is an addendum to the press release about FFRF’s informal survey of nearly 1,600 nonreligious Americans about what atheists (and other nonbelievers) do at “Christmas.” Below is a representative sampling from pages and pages of personal comments. (Note: Some individuals indicated they could be identified by name.)

What expresses your feelings about the holiday season? Some of the “bah humbug” responses: 

Although the “bah humbugs” were a minority, they disproportionately added personal comments explaining their answer.

“It’s the most god-awful time of the year,” quipped one FFRF’er.

Stan said he has given up on being part of the “Holiday Industrial Complex” and restricts himself to celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. 

“I post a picture of Ebenezer Scrooge on my office door,” another volunteered.

One FFRF’er said they grit their teeth and “wait for December to be over.” “The whole thing disgusts and repels me. It’s a holiday dedicated to hypocrisy, greed and lies.”

Joked one member, “I’m exhausted. Fighting this war on Christmas is brutal.”

An environmentalist bemoaned the waste of millions of tons of plastic: “We are in a plastic crisis. We need to outgrow our dependency on spending, overeating and getting intoxicated. We all need to relax, stop the light pollution and enjoy the beauty of a dark and quiet winter.”

An emergency room physician writes: “I agreed to work most December 25th days and it’s always the craziest day of the year in hospital emergency rooms.”

Don Ardelle, deliberately misquoting Tim Minchin, writes: “I really dislike Christmas. It’s sentimental and I have all the usual objections to consumerism and the miseducation of children who, in churches and institutions are taught to externalize blame and to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right or wrong.” Adds Don: ”Unlike Minchin, I quite dislike Christmas songs and white wine, but I love listening to him sing ‘White Wine in the Sun.’”

“Look forward to the season” responses:

“The spirit of gifts, of giving and being kind to others is a noteworthy thing and should be the spirit that we carry every day.” 

“I just love that, as an atheist, I get to experience the parts of the holiday I find enjoyable with none of the discomfort I always felt as a child forced to go to church.” 

“I am comfortable that it is a universal secular seasonal holiday and people can celebrate it as they see fit, religiously or otherwise.” 

“I think of Christmas like Thanksgiving — as holiday — I celebrate it as a time when other families/friends come together. I don’t consider it a religious holiday anymore than merchants think it’s religious.”

“The bottom line is to celebrate family and community. Those things are foundational to being human, and can take many forms, some wrapped in religion and some in patriotism and plenty with no excuse at all.”

More responses to what FFRF’ers and their families celebrate: 

“I’m happy to go with the flow.” 

I gift memories, not stuff!”

“We celebrate our made-up holiday called Winterium, complete with a Winterium bush that resembles a Christmas tree.” 

“We get together family for what we call Mythmas.” 

“Christmas is just a placeholder for the holiday. Giving is more important than acts of obeisance to a nonexistent deity.”

“The best parts of the holiday are all of pagan origin. I’m happy to share Yule and Krampus with people of all religions or no religion!” — Mike Leibensperger.

“Amazing to me that ancient Roman influence carried this far into the future. They reset the human calendar. Extraordinary influence/power on/over the human species.”

“The exclusion, pressure to celebrate a Christian holiday, results in a feeling of loneliness.”

“I don’t feel alone because I’m a nonbeliever. I know there are others. But when I see large family gatherings, couples, children, etc., that’s when my living alone makes me feel more alone.” 

“I prefer Nature’s calendar to capitalism. I refuse to participate in a system that sees me as a commodity to be exploited.” — Matthew Bryan Elliott.

“I celebrate a good life every day of the year.” 

“I’m the refuge for those escaping family drama.”

Funny responses to how FFRF’ers celebrate:

“At a gathering, a minister told my 4-year-old daughter, ‘Bless you, my child.’ Her response was, ‘I didn’t sneeze!’ I was quite proud.”

“When greeted at Easter, our daughter cheerily replies, ‘Happy Zombie Jesus Day!’ So far no one’s punched her. (They wouldn’t dare!)”

“When my younger son was about 5, he misheard the word ‘solstice’ for ‘salsa.’ So twice a year on June 21st and December 21st, we celebrate ‘Salsa Day’ by going out for Mexican food.”

“At an ‘inclusive’ sing-along, before we were asked to sing ‘Silent Night,’ one guy boasted that he would be ‘belting it out.’ ‘Belting out’ ‘Silent Night.’ Count on a sanctimonious bible thumper to be unintentionally comical.”

“My first son developed an interest in dolls when he was about 4 when his mom was pregnant with his younger brother. For Christmas, we put an antique doll from my mother’s collection in a little crib and left it under the tree. Our son had been trying to make sense out of the whole Santa/Jesus thing. So he wakes up that morning and we hear the thunder of little feet running into the living room. Silence. Then more footwork as he burst into the bedroom and exclaims: ‘Santa brought me the baby Jesus!’”

One mother recalled that when her daughter was 3 or 4, she pronounced, “Emmy and Daryl don’t believe in Santa Claus. But I see him everywhere.”

Members write about being freed from dogma during the season:

“I was baptized Catholic, confirmed Protestant and married a Jew. I don’t believe in anything but science, but I don’t mind what others choose to believe in. That has made my relationship with my spouse last a long time.”

“After a long journey and transition, my family no longer recites a prayer before our large family holiday meals.” — John Sutton

“My strict Seventh Day Adventist mother raised us not to believe in Santa Claus. This year my Christmas tree is decorated exclusively in Santa Claus/Father Christmas ornaments, which feels like an act of rebellion long after my parents are gone, while at the same time it feels like I’m staking out some childhood wonder that I never got to experience.”

“I am proud to be an apostate, godless Infidel. Being a freethinker is hard work as we do not accept anything based on faith. We think for ourselves using logic, science and rational thinking that is not based upon fear and punishment. We interact with people, animals and the environment with the same compassion, love and empathy we would hope to receive.” — R. Scott Buel, Freethinker.

”I mostly keep my unbeliefs to myself and avoid as much as possible all the religious activities.”

“I do my best to keep things to myself because if you don’t you may have to listen to a rant and howl from some deluded believer.”

More on what other activities/traditions do FFRF’ers engage in at Solstice time:

One member recommends listening to “The 12 Days of Christmas Song” by Bob and Doug, Cheech and Chong and watching Stephen Colbert explain the House Speaker’s beliefs via a Jurassic Park parody (Oct. 30, 2023).

It’s no surprise that music figures in responses, such as those who love (and hate) “The Messiah,” and someone else who gets a kick out of making money as a nonreligious musician by playing religious songs on Christmas Day.

“We go to see the Boston gay men’s chorus. A great mix of traditional music from many religions, plus a campy spin on the whole Christmas thing!” 

Nature, such as taking a “traditional hike on the 25th,” received mentions, including making Winter Solstice bonfires and going to the zoo!

“On Christmas Day, we often go bird watching if the weather is nice.” 

Someone else posts the ten commitments on social media while another likes more traditional board games. A few “gamble at the Casino.” And then there were ubiquitous mentions of “eating Chinese food and going out to a movie.”

More comments on how freethinkers and non-Christians are treated at this time of year:

“Yes, definitely as an outsider.” 

“Explicitly Christian proselytizing in work breakrooms reminds me of the pain caused by my religious upbringing as a child.”

“I don’t really advertise my atheism. I live in the South.”

“I was once asked to say the ‘blessing’ before Christmas dinner. That was awkward, but also a bit comedic (‘Dear baby Jesus …’).” 

Another cited “the subtle social pressure of assuming I believe in ‘God’ and expectation to go along with religious activities.” 

One member laments, “Sitting there trying not to roll my eyes whilst others are praying before family meals” and another that “Carols are played in the workplace. All day long.”

 “The whole thing annoys the shit out of me. Yes, I am the Grinch,” writes one frank FFRF’er. 

“I just think it is all TOO MUCH,” says another. 

More on what freethinkers say when store clerks or others wish them “Merry Christmas.”
“When the debate arises I’ve been known to reply ‘Happy Christma-Kwanz-Anukka-Saturnali-Estivus,’ followed by ‘Life is short, celebrate them all!’”

One member recounts buying some expensive shoes in a specialty shop and wishing the clerk “Happy Holidays.” She recalls: “She leaned across the counter into my face and LOUDLY said, ‘Merry Christmas! What’s wrong with that?’ You could have heard a pin drop, it got so quiet. I said something about being polite, not knowing if she was Jewish or Muslim and not wanting to assume she was a Christian. After paying, I walked toward the door to leave and the male owner shouted ‘Merry Christmas!’ Have I burdened them with my purse since then? That’s a hard NO.”

“Tired of the persecuted Christian act, I’ve retorted, ‘When has anyone ever denied you the right to say Merry Christmas?’”

FFRF thanks the nearly 1,600 members who took the time to share what they do (or do not do) at “Christmastime.” It is clear that whatever they do (or don’t do), they are using their critical thinking skills to good purpose.

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