In Kentucky, a fifth bill that seeks to protect evolution education

National Center for Science Education
By Staff

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FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ looks at global authoritarianism’s faith connection

The latest episode of “Secular Spotlight” welcomes a bishop to discuss the rising authoritarian threat around the world — and its connection to fundamentalist ideology.

FFRF Director of Communications Amitabh Pal and Governmental Affairs Director Mark Dann speak with Bishop Joseph Tolton, founder and president of Interconnected Justice, about the global racial dynamics shaping politics in the United States and across Africa. Tolton argues that anti-Blackness, authoritarianism and extremist religious ideology are intertwined forces influencing elections, LGBTQ-plus rights, resource extraction and democratic backsliding.

“It is very clear that in both the American political context and, broadly speaking, the pan-African political context there is a malignant cancer on the terrain of both of those environments and contexts — and that cancer is an extremist form of Christianity seeking to undermine America’s democracy while simultaneously undermining the democratic order of African nations,” Tolton observes. 

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 reflection on the Minnesota ICE crisis featuring Minnesota state Rep. Andy Smith, as well as a deep dive into the 2026 National Prayer Breakfast. See our full playlist for more videos!

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters of nontheism. With more than 41,000 dues-paying members, FFRF is the largest freethought association in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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Freedom from Religion Foundation asks Elmwood to stop LifeWise Academy use of school property for religion classes

BG Independent News
By Jan McLaughlin

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Questions Mount Over Viral Claims of Apocalyptic Iran War Briefings in the Military

The Debrief
By Ryan Whalen

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FFRF urges governors to reject federal voucher program

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter to all state governors urging them to opt their respective states out of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) program, a nationwide voucher scheme approved in last summer’s reconciliation bill.

Passed as part of Congress’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025, the FSTC program is the first nationwide voucher program and could cost over $50 billion in tax dollars in funding for students in primarily religious private schools. Currently, as many as 27 states have announced their participation in the program, while only four — including FFRF’s home state of Wisconsin — have been confirmed to reject it.

To counter this program, FFRF’s lobbying arm, the FFRF Action Fund, earlier this month contacted its tens of thousands of advocates asking them to urge their governors not to opt into the program. 

The end result of scholarship granting organization donors “funneling taxpayer funds into private schools will be even more financial struggles for public schools in your state,” FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow Kyle J. Steinberg writes. 

FFRF points out that the FSTC program is a loss to the federal government because the federal government would have to reimburse Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) donors through federal tax credits without collecting additional revenue. The dilution of federal dollars means that funds must be reallocated from other public services, which could cost states federal support for public education. 

Opting into the program allows third-party organizations to dictate the allocation of education funding in the state. While these organizations are technically authorized to award scholarships to private and public school students alike, the vast majority of permissible funding purposes — tuition, fees, books, room and board and uniforms — only apply to students of private institutions. Notably, these private institutions are not subject to anti-discrimination laws. In addition to segregating students along religious and other lines, this means that students who are most expensive to educate, such as those with disabilities, could simply be excluded from attending. 

Additionally, the beneficiaries of these funds are likely to be private religious schools. According to the most recently available data, 66 percent of U.S. private schools have a religious affiliation, and 77 percent of students enrolled in private schools attend one with a religious bent. In other words, opting into the FSTC program is a workaround that sends taxpayer dollars to fund religious education while eroding support for public schools, which educate 91 percent of U.S. children.

There is also an academic cost to pay for this program. Studies of voucher programs in three different states found that students attending private schools using vouchers performed worse academically than their public school counterparts. 

Finally, FFRF warns that the program will simply serve as a giveaway to wealthy families who do not need subsidies and as a windfall for wealthy donors who do not support public schools and are looking for a tax shelter. States with voucher programs have, in recent years, removed voucher eligibility guidelines entirely, moving to so-called “universal vouchers” that are available to even the wealthiest families who already send their children to private schools. It is reasonable to expect a similar expansion of this federal program in the future, leaving needy students even further behind. 

“The FSTC program is harmful to your state, its public education system, and its students,” concludes FFRF’s appeal to the nation’s governors. “By ignoring the very real costs of allowing third-party organizations such great control over education funding, your state’s public education system and student success are placed in jeopardy. We urge you to reject participation in this program for 2027 and each year thereafter.”

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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Freedom From Religion Foundation asks Ohio school district to stop religious time on school property

Ohio Capital Journal
By Megan Henry

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FFRF: Christian nationalist “End Times” ideology is driving U.S. policy toward Iran

The Freedom From Religion Foundation warns that Christian nationalist “End Times” theology is embedded in the worldview of key officials making decisions about the U.S. attack on Iran.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation alleges receiving multiple complaints from service members that commanders are characterizing the Iran war as the start of Armageddon. Journalist Jonathan Larsen has stated MRFF’s claims that non-commissioned officers were reportedly briefed yesterday by a combat-unit commander who said that the war is part of God’s plan and that President Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”

Outside government, influential religious-right figures such as John Hagee and Lance Wallnau have openly celebrated the strikes as prophetically significant, aligning them with biblical feast days and “End Times” timelines. This chorus reinforces the idea that war with Iran fulfills divine prophecy.

“Americans should be outraged that biblical prophecy is being treated as a foreign policy framework,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “War against another nation cannot be justified as ‘God’s will’ or as a step toward Armageddon. That’s not constitutional governance — that’s theocracy in action.”

When top civilian leadership saturates the institution with Christian nationalist messaging, it is hardly surprising that some commanders interpret military operations through an apocalyptic lens. The tone has been set at the top.

For example, in June, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged President Donald Trump to “hear from heaven” as he weighed decisions about the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. In a message later publicized by Trump, Huckabee insisted there is “only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice” (referring to God). Huckabee disingenuously compared Trump’s position to that of President Harry S. Truman in 1945 authorizing the use of atomic bombs against Japan.

Huckabee made a direct appeal to the U.S. president to base catastrophic military decisions on perceived divine revelation. Huckabee’s apocalyptic vision is rooted in literalist readings of the Book of Revelation, which depict a climactic Middle East battle ushering in Armageddon and the Second Coming. For adherents of this theology, war involving Israel is not merely geopolitical, it is prophetic fulfillment.

Only last week, Huckabee came under renewed scrutiny after appearing on Tucker Carlson’s podcast. During the interview, after Carlson asserted that, according to the bible, Israel is entitled to “essentially the entire Middle East,” Huckabee responded that “it would be fine if it took it all.”

More troubling still is the central role of self-described War Secretary Pete Hegseth, whose record demonstrates a sustained pattern of infusing the U.S. military with his brand of Christian nationalism.

At the recent 2026 National Religious Broadcasters International Christian Media Convention, Hegseth railed against the “Godless left,” praised “Western Christian” values and declared, “We are not in woke we trust, we are in God we trust.” He asserted that advancing administration priorities “is not political — it is BIBLICAL.” Such rhetoric collapses the distinction between constitutional governance and sectarian doctrine.

Hegseth has repeatedly portrayed secular governance itself as a threat. In a December video, he attacked “Secular Humanism” and claimed the military’s Chaplain Corps had been weakened by “political correctness.” He criticized the Army’s Spiritual Fitness Guide for failing to actively promote Christianity. He further pledged to elevate “spiritual well-being” to the same level as physical and mental health as part of what he called a “top-down cultural shift.”

Hegseth has also normalized overtly sectarian worship within the Pentagon. Last May, he held an inaugural Christian prayer service in the Pentagon auditorium during official working hours, reportedly encouraging attendance. Since then, monthly worship services have been held, merging a specific strain of evangelical Christianity with official government authority.

Hegseth has publicly praised extremist pastor Douglas Wilson, who advocates for a Christian theocracy and opposes women’s suffrage, reposting a CNN segment about Wilson with the caption, “All of Christ for All of Life.” Hegseth is a member of a church connected to Wilson’s ultraconservative network and personally attended the launch of Wilson’s new congregation in Washington, D.C. Hegseth has even invited Wilson to lead official prayers at the Pentagon.

In December, Hegseth hosted a “Christmas worship service” at the Pentagon featuring evangelist Franklin Graham, who ominously declared from the podium, “God is also a god of war.”

The convergence is unmistakable: an ambassador urging the president to heed God’s voice, a defense secretary openly declaring policy to be “biblical,” Pentagon communications infused with scripture and commanders describing war as part of God’s divine plan.

FFRF urges swift congressional oversight and accountability to ensure that sectarian ideology is not steering military policy. The machinery of war cannot be entrusted to those who see global conflict as prophetic fulfillment. The American people deserve leadership anchored in democratic principles, not “End Times” fervor.

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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2026 National Convention Schedule

This year, FFRF will be offering Thursday workshops, which will begin in the early afternoon and conclude prior to the Early Bird Welcome Reception. The workshops will be located in the Baird Center. Please indicate on your convention registration form if you are interested in attending these workshops.

Convention registration will open during a complimentary Thursday Early Bird Welcome Reception from 4-6 p.m. in the Hilton Hotel’s Oak Room. This will be the only event occurring in the Hilton Hotel, and the reminder of the program will occur in the Baird Center. Registration will re-open the following morning at 8 a.m. in the Baird Center Ballroom Foyer. The convention programming will begin in the Baird Center Ballroom at 9 a.m. and will run through Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, the membership and state representatives meeting will take place in the same ballroom, ending by noon.

A tentative program schedule will be published in Spring 2026. To see the 2026 National Convention speakers list, please visit the speakers page. [Sheryl insert link to speakers page once created]

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2026 National Convention Transportation & Parking

To and from the airport: Rideshare such as Uber or Lyft is the preferred mother of travel to the Baird Center and Hilton Milwaukee. A shuttle is not available for either venue. 

Baird Center Parking: The Baird Center Garage offers indoor parking with easy access to all events at Baird Center. Abundant additional parking options can be found throughout the downtown area, from street spots to nearby garages, making Milwaukee a vibrant city that’s easy to navigate. For more information on parking options and prices, and to purchase, click here. 

Hilton Milwaukee Parking: FFRF offers a 55% discount on Hilton self-parking for individual staying at the Hilton Milwaukee: $22/day with in and out privileges. Valet parking is not available. Click here for more information.

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2026 National Convention T-Shirt

Preorder your commemorative 2026 Convention Logo T-Shirt within the online or print registration.
T-shirts will be available for pick up at the convention.

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