The (further) Metamorphosis: Letting go rise of Christian From incubation of a lifetime nationalism to organization of guilt PAGES 10-12 PAGE 13-14 PAGE 17 Vol. 34 No. 10 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. December 2017 From all of us at the Freedom From Religion Foundation Judge dismisses suit after FFRF Hurricane relief forces suspension of bible class In a legal twist, FFRF’s success sidering an appeal of the ruling in getting a West Virginia school to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of to stop its “Bible in the Schools” Appeals. FFRF Senior Counsel program was the reason a judge Patrick Elliott, serving as co-coun- dismissed its lawsuit to perma- sel, noted that the school district nently ban the practice. has given no assurances it will In May, the Mercer County not resume the inappropriate School District voted to suspend indoctrination. its “Bible in the Schools” classes The case has solid legal for the following school year grounds. after FFRF sued in January over This visual aid, which shows Two of the plaintiffs, Elizabeth the unconstitutional program. Adam and Eve and a dinosaur, Deal and her anonymous child, Because the school was no longer is used among more than 60 “Jessica Roe,” suffered harm due teaching those classes (due to images to help teach elementary to the bible classes. Deal had to the board’s action in response to school students in Mercer County move Jessica out of the school FFRF’s lawsuit), the court said the Schools. system to end harassment at the case was not “ripe” and declared resumes any bible classes. hands of her classmates. Deal dis- Nonbelief Relief gave $2,500 to Atheists of Puerto the case moot. The lawsuit has received na- cussed her daughter’s mistreat- Rico. Ricardo Santiago, left, stands with an FFRF filed a suit on behalf of tional attention, including a seg- ment on the “CBS This Morning” unidentified freethinker among the many bags four plaintiffs against Mercer ment on “CBS This Morning” news segment. of food and water that were delivered directly County Schools, the Board of and coverage in the Washington “They taunted her about it,” to needy families. Santiago writes, “Thanks Education, the superintendent Post. The “Bible in the Schools” she told CBS on Feb. 8. “They to your foundation and others, we were able and a school principal. Senior program, which was offered in told her that she was going to to distribute food and water to an area in the U.S. District Judge David A. 15 elementary schools and three hell, that I was going to hell, that countryside of Puerto Rico in much need of help Faber’s dismissal on jurisdictional middle schools, is financed by do- her father was going to hell.” after the hurricane.” For more about Nonbelief grounds was without prejudice, nations, but administered by the Deal removed Jessica from Relief’s latest donations, including other help to meaning that the case can be school system. Puerto Rico, see page 15. refiled if the school system FFRF and its plaintiffs are con- See Judge on page 2 Page 2 FFRF | FREETHOUGHT TODAY | Madison, Wisconsin | December 2017 Better late than never . FFRF legal fellow got job village atheist can be isolating, and the people who despite missing deadline contact us often feel ostracized in their communi- ties for their nonbelief. It’s good to hear from them, Name: Colin Edward McNamara address their problems, and let them know that Where and when I was born: May 14, 1991, in they’re not alone. Niskayuna, N.Y. As a nerdy kid, I thought it was su- What gets old about it: Having some knucklehead per-cool that I share a birthday with George Lucas; tell me that “separation of church and state is NOT as a nerdy adult, I think it’s super-cool that I share a in the Constitution!!!!!” for the millionth time. birthday with the Constitutional Convention. I spend a lot of time thinking about: In a perfect Education: Bachelor of Arts world? Life, the universe, and ev- degree in creative writing and MEET A STAFFER erything. Lately? The constant, philosophy from SUNY-Oswego; looming threat of nuclear holo- JD from the University of Richmond. caust. 2017, amirite? Family: My mom and dad both live in upstate New I spend little if any time thinking about: Football. York. I have one older sister and three step-sisters. Don’t get me wrong, I like sports. I just don’t get why How I came to work at FFRF: It’s a bit embarrass- everyone obsesses over football so much. ing, actually. I didn’t find My religious upbringing was: I was brought up in out about the fellowship what was ostensibly a Baptist church, but seems to until two days after the ap- have had more in common with the modern evan- plication deadline passed! gelical tradition — the bible is the inerrant word of I was devastated. Believe God, the Earth is 6,000 years old, evolution is a dam- it or not, there’s not a lot nable lie from the Pit of Hell . all that good stuff. of opportunities to do Es- My doubts about religion started: I struggled with tablishment Clause legal belief almost from the beginning. When I was 9 or 10, practice straight out of a family member that I love and respect asked if I’d law school. I told my girl- ever accepted Jesus as my savior. I said I hadn’t, but friend about this great fel- that I would like to. We closed our eyes, clasped our lowship opportunity that hands, prayed together and . nothing happened. I Photo by Chris Line I just missed out on, and Colin McNamara realized that I didn’t feel any different. That was when she just said, “But you’re I suspected that this religion business was all a bunch This is a screenshot from The Daily Progress showing going to apply anyway, right?” So I said, “Honey, of make-believe. I haven’t seriously looked back since. Colin McNamara, who was working as an ACLU the deadline’s already passed.” She just stared at Things I like: Reading and writing fiction, playing observer, after he was tear-gassed at a KKK rally in me and repeated, slowly, “But you’re going to apply guitar, being with my girlfriend and our puppy, and Charlottesville, Va. anyway . right?” I took the hint. I sent off my re- devouring irresponsible amounts of sushi. If I could sume with an email basically saying, “I know this is do all four in a 24-hour span, that would be the Is it true that you were recently tear-gassed?: Yeah. late, but I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t at least perfect day. I was working for the ACLU of Virginia as a legal try.” A few weeks later, I had the gig! Best gamble Things I smite: Olives, country music and authori- observer at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Charlottesville, I’ve ever made. tarianism. Not necessarily in that order. Va., back in July. The state police popped tear gas What I do here: I’m the Robert G. Ingersoll Legal In my golden years: I’d like to live out my latter canisters on the crowd, so I started backing away to Fellow, which basically means that I’m a lawyer with days in a peaceful cabin in the Adirondacks with get clear . just in time for canister to explode right a really cool title. a good book in one hand, a whiskey snifter in the in front of me. I got a ton of the stuff in my eyes What I like best about it: Talking with our com- other, and a shotgun at my side to frighten people and lungs. Tear gas: 0/5 stars. Do not recommend. plainants. I know as well as anyone that being the who step on my porch. Would not try again. Judge Gloria in excelsis Continued from page 1 Mercer County Schools to avoid more than 75 years until the FFRF law- the divisiveness, sending Jessica to a suit. The curriculum is the equivalent neighboring school district. The “Bible of Sunday school instruction. in the Schools” program and the FFRF’s legal complaint lists ex- treatment Jessica received as a result of amples of the proselytizing curricu- not participating in the classes were a lum. Lesson 2 promotes creationism major reason for her transfer to a new by claiming humans and dinosaurs school, according to FFRF’s amended co-existed. complaint. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled such “FFRF is fighting on behalf both of instruction unconstitutional in the the Constitution and real-life human be- landmark McCollum v. Board of Educa- ings, including the youngest and most tion case in 1948. FFRF won a court vic- vulnerable students,” FFRF Co-Presi- tory before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court dent Annie Laurie Gaylor notes. of Appeals ending similar bible instruc- Bible indoctrination classes were tion in Rhea County (Dayton), Tenn., taught in Mercer County Schools for schools in 2004. Published by Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 750 Madison WI 53701 FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor participated in a panel discussion [email protected] FFRF.org about religion and politics at the French Embassy’s annual Festival P 608.256.8900 F 608.204.0422 Albertine in New York City on Nov. 4, held in the embassy’s Albertine Bookstore. This year’s event was curated by legendary feminists Gloria EDITOR PJ Slinger [email protected] Steinem (pictured above, signing a copy of her book My Life on the Road for Annie Laurie) and Robin Morgan, an atheist and honorary director EDITOR EMERITUS Bill Dunn of FFRF.