Sarasota County School Board must end prayer policy | Letter

Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL)
By Staff

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Diverse Coalition Champions Religious Freedom in Texas Public Schools

ACLU of Texas
By Staff

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AU part of diverse coalition championing religious freedom in Texas public schools

Americans United
By Staff

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Tarrant County commissioners hire attorneys amid ‘legal threat’ over Ten Commandments monument

KERA (North TX)
By Penelope Rivera

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Threats of funding cuts pulled from Alabama school prayer bill

AL.com
By Mike Carson, Ruth Serven Smith

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FFRF calls on Rep. Ogles to resign over Christian nationalist attack on Muslims

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., to resign following several anti-Muslim statements that are incompatible with the Constitution he has sworn to uphold.

In a letter sent to Ogles, FFRF condemns his March 9 social media post declaring that “Muslims don’t belong in American society” and that “pluralism is a lie.” FFRF Legal Counsel Christopher Line says such remarks are “profoundly bigoted, fundamentally un-American, and incompatible with the oath” of a member of Congress.“

“By asserting that Muslims do not belong in American society and dismissing pluralism itself, Rep. Ogles is repudiating the very constitutional framework he is sworn to defend,” Line writes in the letter. “If you cannot accept the basic constitutional principle that Americans of all religions — including Muslims — and no religion belong fully and equally in this nation, then you cannot faithfully discharge the duties of your office.”

FFRF notes that Ogles’ March 9 post is part of a broader pattern of rhetoric targeting Muslims. Ogles has recently said he plans to introduce legislation banning immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries. Over the same weekend as his March 9 statement, he also posted that “diversity is our weakness” and called for the deportation of Muslim Americans, including naturalized citizens.

“These statements go far beyond political disagreement and amount to open hostility toward Americans based solely on their religion,” FFRF’s letter states.

Ogles is a member of the recently formed “Sharia Free America Caucus,” a group House Republicans launched in December 2025 that claims Islamic law poses a threat to the United States. The caucus has promoted sweeping and tendentious claims. Ogles himself has previously declared that “Islam is conquering Europe” and has warned against what he calls “radical Islam.”

Constitutional experts and lawmakers have pointed out that such claims reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of American law and religious liberty.

At a recent House subcommittee hearing on so-called “Sharia law threats,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., noted that the U.S. Constitution already prohibits any religious legal system from replacing secular law. The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause prevents the government from imposing any religious doctrine — whether Islamic, Christian, Jewish or otherwise — while its Free Exercise Clause protects individuals’ right to practice their religion without discrimination.

“We live in a country so great that we don’t need anti-Sharia legislation,” Raskin said. “Our Constitution already forbids theocratic imposition of any kind.”

Raskin emphasized that efforts targeting Muslims specifically are themselves unconstitutional, pointing to U.S. Supreme Court precedent holding that laws singling out particular religions violate the Free Exercise Clause. The Constitution also explicitly prohibits religious tests for public office.

“The government cannot endorse Muslim law, Jewish law, Christian law, Methodist law, Baptist law — none of it,” Raskin said. “The First Amendment already takes care of it.”

FFRF emphasizes that the Sharia Free America Caucus’ rhetoric, echoed in Ogles’ statements, fuels religious fearmongering while ignoring the Constitution’s clear protections.

“You singled out an entire religious group — including millions of Muslim Americans who are citizens of this country — and declared that they do not belong in their own society,” Line writes. “That sentiment stands in direct conflict with the First Amendment.”

Muslim Americans, FFRF notes, serve in the U.S. military, work as teachers, physicians and first responders and contribute to every aspect of American life.

“Suggesting members of a religious minority do not belong in their own country is not merely offensive; it is an attack on the constitutional principle that all Americans enjoy equal standing under the law,” the letter states.

FFRF also stresses that the Establishment Clause was designed to prevent the sectarian conflict and persecution that arise when governments align themselves with particular religions.

“America’s strength lies in its secular Constitution,” Line writes. “True religious freedom requires that government remain neutral toward religion and free from religious domination.”

Because Ogles’ statements reject these basic constitutional commitments, FFRF concludes that he is unfit to serve in Congress.

“Members of Congress take an oath not to a religion, ideology, or political movement, but to the Constitution of the United States,” the letter states. “If you cannot accept the basic constitutional principle that Americans of all religions — including Muslims — and no religion belong fully and equally in this nation, then you cannot faithfully discharge the duties of your office.”

For that reason, Ogles should resign.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (www.ffrf.org) 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 and chapters nationwide, including hundreds of members and a chapter in Tennessee, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America.

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April 16, 2026 – FFRF Co-President Dan Barker to Participate in The Anatomy of Purpose Debate (Central Niagara)

Dan Barker, Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), will participate in The Anatomy of Purpose, a live public debate exploring questions of truth, morality, and human purpose, on April 16 in Central Niagara.

The Anatomy of Purpose brings together two prominent voices who have traveled markedly different spiritual paths: Dan Barker, former preacher and current atheist, and Abdu Murray, former Muslim and now Christian apologist. Through a structured and open dialogue, the speakers will examine foundational questions about reality, good and evil, morality, and the meaning of human existence.

As Co-President of FFRF, Dan Barker will contribute to the evening’s conversation by offering a secular perspective on ethics, belief, and purpose, and by engaging directly with attendees during the live Q&A session.

The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. CT. The program will feature an opening introduction, a moderated discussion between Barker and Murray from 6:00–7:45 p.m. CT, and a 45-minute live audience Q&A followed by closing reflections. Attendance is limited to 300 guests, and advance registration is required. Please click here for more information about the conference.

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FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ details removal of Pa. religious character coach 

Freedom From Religion Foundation Staff Attorney Chris Line and FFRF Multimedia Producer Leo Costello on this week’s episode of “Secular Spotlight” detail FFRF’s work that removed a religious representative from a Pennsylvania public school football team.

FFRF challenged Conemaugh Township Area High School for allowing a “character coach” affiliated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) to lead Christian devotionals and prayers with the football team. After a letter from FFRF, the Conemaugh Township Area School District investigated the matter and removed the outside adult from the program, clarifying that only truly student-led religious activities are permitted. The outcome reinforces the constitutional line between students’ religious freedom and adult-led proselytizing in public schools.

“We let the district know you can’t let outside adult organizations in to lead, organize or regularly participate in any sort of student religious club,” Line says. “That’s how the FCA gets away with this. FCA is a student club, which makes it legal. And as long as it’s actually a student club, a bunch of students getting together and saying, ‘We’re all Christians, we just want to get together as a student club, you love student clubs. We want to do this,’ that’s totally fine. The problem is the FCA intentionally will just have adults lead these.”

You can catch the latest episode of “Secular Spotlight” on FFRF’s YouTube channel, as well as by watching on your smart TV after downloading FFRF’s free app, Freethought TV, which also highlights FFRF’s other video programming. Previous episodes include a deep dive into the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast, and a conversation with Bishop Joseph Tolton about the global rise of authoritarianism and its connection to fundamentalist ideology. See our full playlist for more videos!

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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Letters to the Editor

Sentinel-News (Lancaster, KY)
By Staff

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Legal watchdog tells Sarasota school to bench ‘baseball chaplain’

Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL)
By Stephany Matat

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