Subjugation of Student of color Join us at our 41st women entirely college essay convention in based on religion winners announced San Francisco PAGE 5 PAGES 12-16 PAGES 23-24 Vol. 35 No. 7 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. September 2018 Major victory for FFRF! Appeals court votes against prayer ‘Policy lacks a secular legislative purpose,’ 9th Circuit Court rules FFRF, with 22 parents, students and employees of the Chino Valley (Calif.) School District, on July 25 won a major victory before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court FFRF sues of Appeals against prayer at public school board meetings. FFRF’s lawsuit challenged the practice over city’s of prayer at Chino Valley School Board’s meetings, which resembled church re- vivals more than public meetings. These reciting meetings opened with prayer and regu- larly included board members reading from the bible and proselytizing. of prayer “The board’s prayer policy and prac- tice violate the Establishment Clause,” a Photo by John Valenzuela of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin A new lawsuit by the FFRF and two three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ruled Supporters of prayer at school board meetings hold signs while they listen to public of its local members seeks to ensure unanimously. “We hold that the Chino comments during the Chino Valley Unified School District’s special meeting in 2015. that the city of Parkersburg, W.Va., Valley Board’s prayer policy lacks a sec- complies with the First Amendment ular legislative purpose and therefore . “These prayers typically take place be- by halting its unconstitutional city . violates the Establishment Clause. Ac- fore groups of schoolchildren whose at- prayer practice. cordingly, we uphold the district court’s tendance is not truly voluntary and whose The federal lawsuit was filed July grant of summary judgment to the Foun- relationship to school district officials, 31 in the U.S. District Court for the dation on this claim,” ruled M. Margaret including the board, is not one of full Southern District of West Virginia, McKeown, Kim McLane Wardlaw, circuit parity,” the appeals court ruled. “Because Charleston Division. judges, and Wiley Y. Daniel, district judge prayer at the Chino Valley Board meet- The lawsuit challenges Parkersburg for Colorado, sitting by designation. ing falls outside the legislative-prayer tra- City Council’s adoption of the “Lord’s Then-School Board President James dition, we apply the three-pronged test Prayer” as the official Christian prayer, Na injected Christianity into many of first articulated in Lemon v. Kurtzman for which opens every City Council meet- his official statements to parents and stu- determining whether a governmental ing. The recited version is a biblical dents at meetings. For instance, at one policy or action is an impermissible es- Plaintiffs Michael Anderson and translation of Matthew 6:9-13 and meeting, Na “urged everyone who does tablishment of religion.” Larry Maldonado and attorney J.P. concludes with a Christian doxology. not know Jesus Christ to go and find The court differentiated school board Kaloyanides, along with FFRF and 20 Council members lead the prayer and Him,” after which another board mem- other plaintiffs, won at the 9th U.S. are joined by city residents at each ber closed with a reading of Psalm 143. See Victory on page 3 Circuit Court of Appeals. meeting in reciting it. FFRF charges that the prayers violate well-estab- lished law and exclude residents who Unabashed, indeed! are non-Christian. Religious Liberty Task Force Local plaintiffs include Daryl Co- branchi, who has frequently attended endangers wall of separation meetings and been directed to stand for the Lord’s Prayer, a practice, he Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ an- religious Americans as victims who are notes, which has made him conspicu- nouncement July 31 of a “Religious treated like second-class citizens: ous by his nonparticipation and which Liberty Task Force” to enforce his “Under this administration, the “assigns to second-class status anyone theocratic “religious liberty” agenda is federal government is not just re- who is not Christian.” Likewise, Eric cause for grave concern. acting — we are Engle, also a Parkersburg resident, The task force will be charged with actively seeking, follows city matters and has felt un- carrying out Sessions’ 20-page Princi- carefully, thought- comfortable and pressured to partic- ples of Religious Liberty memo, which fully and lawfully, ipate in the Christian prayer during FFRF sounded the alarm on when it to accommodate public meetings. was released last October. The memo people of faith. Re- At least one member of the City signaled an acceleration of the Trump ligious Americans Council has been openly hostile to Administration’s partnership with the are no longer an nonparticipants, the legal complaint Religious Right to redefine and weap- afterthought. charges. Councilman Eric Barber glared New Hampshire state Rep. Brandon onize the concept of “religious liberty” “We will take po- at attendees who sat during the prayer Phinney was a recent weekly winner to allow religiously motivated discrimi- Jeff Sessions tential burdens on at a meeting in September. At the end of FFRF’s Unabashed Atheist virtual nation and privilege Christianity. one’s conscience into consideration be- of that prayer, Barber positioned him- billboard contest. Phinney founded During his announcement, Sessions, fore we issue regulations or new policies. self near his microphone, pressed the the Libertarian Party’s Secular flanked by a Catholic archbishop and “And this Department of Justice is button, and shouted, “Amen.” Caucus, the first of its kind for any the Colorado baker who refused to bake going to court across America to defend political party. a cake for a gay couple in the Supreme See Prayer on page 9 Court’s Masterpiece Cake case, portrayed See Task Force on page 9 Page 2 FFRF | FREETHOUGHT TODAY | Madison, Wisconsin | September 2018 Signs from above Egger drives message home with billboards Name: Jack G. Egger Where I live: Marietta, Ga. Born: North Tonawanda, N.Y., in 1940. Family: Wife with one stepchild and family, one younger brother with large family, and two sisters. Education: Associate of science degree. How I got where I am today: I left home after I graduated from Niag- ara Falls High School and went on the road with a rock & roll band and worked around the eastern U.S. for most of my 20s before settling in Atlan- ta. In my 30s, I went back to school and got my degree and went to work for the U.S. Postal Service as a maintenance mechanic for 26 years and worked part time as a musician on the weekends. I have been married twice and have Jack Egger been married 34 years to my second American Humanist Association, life- wife, who is a respiratory therapist. We time member of Atlanta Freethought have never spent more than we made Society and served on its board for a and invested our year, Secular Coali- extra money in MEET A MEMBER tion, Center for In- stocks and bonds. quiry and the Free- Person in history I admire and why: dom From Religion Foundation. Also, Albert Einstein, because he saw what I’m working on getting AHA and FFRF was real about our universe. E=MC2. chapters in this area. These are a few of my favorite I am sponsoring a billboard cam- things: Music, science, swimming, paign for FFRF this year in the Mariet- camping and Jet Skis. ta, Ga., area. A large billboard with the Throughout 2018, Marietta, Ga., resident Jack Egger has generously under- These are not: Myth religions. message, “Supernatural belief — the written monthly billboards for FFRF promoting freethought, science and the My favorite quotation: “Truth is the enemy of humanity” has recently gone separation of state and church. foundation of all knowledge and the ce- up in Marietta. Previous billboards that ment of all societies.” — John Dryden. we have placed this year in the vicinity between church-state.” really matter to improve our lives here My doubts about religion started: include one telling people to “Enjoy What’s your dream for freethought? and now. If this isn’t bad enough, our When I was a teenager, it started not to life — there is no afterlife,” another I would hope there are some billion- governments give these religions tax make sense to me. showing an astronaut in space with the aires out there who feel that believing exemptions, which violates the separa- What have you done for the free- slogan “In Science We Trust,” and one in the supernatural is a scourge on hu- tion of the church and state clause as thought movement? I am a member of proclaiming “The only wall we need is manity and would be willing to help stated in the Constitution. establish this institution I talk about in “What if all the true and good things my essay, “The Conflict Between Sci- of all the existing religions of today ence and Religion.” could be incorporated into one uni- In it, I write, “When religions that versal theology? This new theology will incorporate the supernatural are taken have its foundation based on science as the truth, this fuels climate change and humanism without any supernatu- deniers, create wars, and promotes hu- ralism and would be called ‘humantol- man rights violations. It’s also a major ogy’ (or any other appropriate name).” source of discrimination, creates most To read the full essay, go to jackegger- of the political divide in the world, and blog.wordpress.com. it takes away focus on the things that FFRF welcomes new Life Members FFRF is excited to announce our Immortals category is a donation seven newest Lifetime and After-Life designation for those members who Members and two Immortals.