FFRF prompts removal of religious displays from Michigan classroom
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has persuaded Michigan’s Zeeland Public Schools to remove numerous religious displays from an elementary school classroom.
A concerned community member informed the state/church watchdog that a Spanish immersion teacher at Lincoln Elementary School had displayed several religious messages and religious books. The displays included bible verses in Spanish, the Ten Commandments, Christian books, a cross-decorated box and multiple bibles available to students. It was unclear whether these materials were also being used in lessons or highlighted during independent reading time.
FFRF stood up for student rights, demanding that the district investigate the situation immediately.
“The district has an obligation under the law to ensure its teachers are not violating the rights of its students by proselytizing or using their position to push their personal religious beliefs,” FFRF Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow Charlotte R. Gude wrote to Superintendent Rod Hetherton.
FFRF reminded the district that parents — not public school teachers — have the constitutional right to direct their children’s exposure to religion, if any. Displaying Christian Scripture and iconography in a public school classroom conveys official favoritism toward religion and Christianity specifically, and may coerce students into engaging with religious messages they cannot reasonably avoid.
Following FFRF’s letter, Superintendent Hetherton confirmed in an email that the displays had been properly dealt with.
“The principal had a conversation with the teacher. The principal formalized the conversation in writing,” Hetherton wrote. “The teacher removed the religious artifacts from the classroom.”
FFRF is pleased to see positive action to remedy a serious constitutional violation of the rights of conscience of a captive audience of elementary-school aged children.
“The language of instruction may be in Spanish, but the constitutional principle remains the same,” FFRF Co-President Dan Barker says. “Parents entrust public schools to educate their children, not to promote religious doctrine through classroom décor. Whether a bible verse reads ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ or ‘El Señor es mi pastor,’ the Constitution requires public schools to remain neutral on matters of religion. Students deserve classrooms devoted to education, not religious proselytization.”
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 over 41,000 members across the country, including more than 1,100 members in Michigan, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
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‘God front and center’: FFRF condemns Blanche’s shocking Christian nationalist views
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
A highly alarming aspect of Todd Blanche’s record is being overshadowed as he appears headed toward confirmation as U.S. attorney general.
Blanche has explicitly embraced Christian nationalism and has been determined to use the Justice Department to privilege conservative Christianity. Although Blanche’s nomination has drawn scrutiny over ethics concerns and his close ties to President Trump, the Freedom From Religion Foundation warns that his intent to unite religion and government deserves equal attention. It is shocking that Blanche declared, during a July 30 call organized by the White House Faith Office, that his goal is to ensure that “God is front and center again” in America and that “being a Christian in this country … is actually a benefit.” FFRF is urging senators and the public not to ignore Blanche’s un-American objective to transform the Justice Department into a vehicle for advancing religion.
“Blanche’s words are not those of someone committed to equally serving Americans of every faith — as well as the nearly one-third of U.S. adults who are free from religion,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “They’re the words of a zealot who views the government as a tool to elevate Christianity. The attorney general’s duty is to uphold the Constitution and equal justice under the law, not to put God ‘front and center.’”
Blanche’s rhetoric has already been reflected in his actions, FFRF asserts.
Under Blanche’s leadership as acting attorney general, the Justice Department has issued sweeping new guidance on religious liberty. While portrayed as protecting religious freedom, the updated memorandum dramatically expands religious exemptions and privileges while weakening longstanding First Amendment protections.
The guidance embraces a controversial “history and tradition test” for interpreting the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, echoing claims by Christian nationalists that America was founded as a Christian nation. It broadly authorizes religious activity by federal employees in the workplace, rejects efforts to remove government endorsements of religion from public life, expands access to taxpayer funding for religious organizations and significantly strengthens religious accommodation claims against employers and federal agencies.
The guidance also directs federal agencies to proactively advance religious liberty in policymaking, broadens protections for religious organizations that discriminate in hiring and contracting, and threatens government officials with personal liability under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act for decisions that allegedly burden religion. According to FFRF, the cumulative effect is to institutionalize Christian privilege while steadily eroding the constitutional principle of separation between state and church.
Blanche’s public statements reinforce that goal.When the nation’s chief law enforcement officer says his goal is to ensure Christians enjoy special favor, Americans should take him at his word.
If confirmed, Todd Blanche would assume enormous authority over civil rights enforcement, constitutional litigation and the federal government’s interpretation of religious liberty. His own words make clear that Americans should expect an attorney general committed to advancing a Christian nationalist agenda.
“FFRF has spent nearly 50 years defending the First Amendment against government-sponsored religion, and we will continue to vigorously oppose every unconstitutional effort by the Justice Department to dismantle the wall of separation protecting American freedom of conscience,” adds Gaylor.
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 40,000 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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Latest episode of FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ spotlights Mary Trump
Tags:Freedom From Religion Foundation, Politics, Religion
The newest installment of “Secular Spotlight” features psychologist and author Mary L. Trump providing a firsthand account of a recent gathering of nonreligious congressional members.
Trump joins “Secular Spotlight” to reflect on the third annual Congressional Reason Reception, where she met with members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus and delivered a keynote warning about the dangers of Christian nationalism and authoritarianism. Trump discusses with FFRF Governmental Affairs Director Mark Dann and FFRF Rapid Response Counsel Chris Line why church-state separation is essential to democracy and explains why secular advocacy offers hope for the future.
“The Reason Reception is an antidote to, or a counter to, the National Prayer Breakfast, and that should have everybody thinking, ‘Why is there a National Prayer Breakfast? Why is there a National Day of Prayer?’” Trump says. “People can pray pretty much whenever they want, wherever they want, without having our government sanction such a thing.”
You can catch this 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. Our recent episodes include FFRF staffers breaking down the legislation whitewashing Christianity’s impact on American history, and a historical examination of America’s secular underpinnings. Make sure you’re subscribed to FFRF’s YouTube channel for all the latest updates!
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.
The post Latest episode of FFRF’s ‘Secular Spotlight’ spotlights Mary Trump appeared first on Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Florida AG threatens to defund Catholic schools unless they loosen vaccination rules
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For decades now, atheists have been saying that keeping church and state separate was good for religion just as it is for the government. Here’s proof of that:
In Florida, where taxpayer dollars now freely flow to private religious schools under the guise of “school choice,” Attorney General James Uthmeier is now threatening to pull funds from Catholic schools unless they make it easier for diseases like measles to spread throughout the population.
On Friday, Uthmeier sent a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops after he learned that they would not be accepting religious exemptions to their vaccine requirements for the new school year. The bishops refused such exemptions because the Catholic Church doesn’t have any formal rules against vaccines; it’s not that they’re fully supportive of them but rather they just don’t have any religious requirements against them.
Uthmeier Christ-splained all this to the bishops:
… as a Catholic, I am confident that the teachings of the Catholic Church do not require Catholic schools to compel students to take vaccines derived from the tissue of aborted children against the sincerely-held religious objections of their parents. In fact, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has stated that “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation.” Having no legitimate religious reason to refuse granting religious exemptions to the taking of abortion-derived vaccines, Catholic schools in Florida should comply with Florida law.
The issue in question is whether vaccines are derived from human fetal tissue lines, an issue that was discussed ad nauseam during the initial phases of the COVID crisis. The Vatican said in 2020 (emphasis theirs) that, “when ethically irreproachable COVID-19 vaccines are not available… it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.” In short, they say, vaccines are not “intrinsically evil.” They may be anti-abortion and falsely think life begins at conception, but the moral imperative to get vaccinated outweighs the delusions of anti-vax nutcases.
The point being: If Catholic schools want to require vaccinations to keep everyone safe, they should have every right to do that. But a Florida Republican wants to override that religious decision because he thinks he knows the religion better than the religious leaders in the state.
It’s exactly the problem that church/state separation advocates warned about. Not to mention the sort of iron-fisted rule over religion that Republicans insist we’d see if Democrats ever took over.
If Uthmeier rescinds the funding, it could impact the 88% of Florida Catholic school students who now rely on state scholarships. The Catholics have until August 7 to respond to his threat. They say they’re exploring their options.
And let’s not forget what the end result would be: If people are allowed to obtain non-medical exemptions for important vaccines, we’re going to see a rise in measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio, etc. More kids will suffer if Florida Republicans get their way because Florida Republicans don’t give a shit about your kids.
It’s not often the Catholic Church is on the side of moral decency, but pitted against conservatives, it’s barely a fair fight.
You also have to wonder why Florida Republicans are eager to alienate Catholics across the state by dictating how they should run their schools. Uthmeier wrote in a follow-up post, “If you’re a parent at one of these schools, I hope you read my letter to the bishops and start asking tough questions!”
But this is what we’ve come to expect from Republicans who are in their positions, not because they have any expertise, but because they’re professional trolls. It’s why his predecessor was Pam Bondi. It’s why his stepping stone to this position was serving as chief of staff to Ron DeSantis, not serving as a lawyer for a civil rights group or anything of substance. It’s not even the first time he’s tried to use his power to withhold money from religious schools. Last year, Uthmeier argued that two Muslim schools shouldn’t be eligible for voucher money because they were “promot[ing] Sharia law.” (They were not. He’s just racist.)
Letters From Leo also summarizes his other ethical issues:
The demand also comes from an attorney general trailing ethics questions of his own. A federal judge held Uthmeier in civil contempt in June 2025 for defying her order blocking Florida’s new immigration law. And the University of Florida — its board chaired by a top DeSantis donor — quietly put him on the payroll as a $100,000-a-year part-time law professor, the highest-paid adjunct at its law school in decades, for two hours of class a week, with no conflict-of-interest disclosure on file.
The Catholic Church is right to say children should be vaccinated before they enter school. It’s absurd for a MAGA cultist to try and override them because he cares about measles more than public health. But this is how MAGA politics works: If you take their money, you also have to accept their brand of theology. And if the bishops disagree, it’s the attorney general—not the Church—who gets the final word on what Catholic teaching supposedly requires.
The bishops shouldn’t give him an inch. If they surrender now, they’ll pay the price in the long-term when Uthmeier or the next useful tool in line makes even more demands.
There’s a lot wrong with this whole story. Taxpayers shouldn’t be bankrolling religious schools. Government officials shouldn’t be telling private religious schools how to operate. But until we can unwind the clock, it’s important for the Church to stand firm against Florida Republicans.
And every religious leader watching this spectacle should remember the lesson atheists have repeated for decades: A wall between church and state doesn’t threaten religion; it prevents politicians like Uthmeier from taking it hostage.
