COMPLIMENTARY COPY | JOIN FFRF NOW! A brush with Be loud and On truth, death paints proud of your transparency joyous life freethinking and saying grace PAGE 10 PAGE 16 PAGE 12 Vol. 34 No. 3 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. April 2017 FFRF sues Texas judge over prayers in courtroom The Freedom From Religion Foundation and three individuals are filing a federal lawsuit to stop a Texas justice of the peace from imposing prayers at the start of each court session. FFRF, with three plaintiffs directly affected by Judge Wayne Mack’s religious rituals, filed suit in late March in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston. They are asking the court to rule the Montgom- ery County courtroom prayer practice a vio- lation of the Establish- FFRF Staff Attorneys Sam Grover (left) and Patrick Elliott stand in front of the U.S. Capitol during their ment Clause of the First recent lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., to “Educate Congress.” Judge Mack Amendment. Mack, as Montgom- ery County justice of the peace, has jurisdiction over minor misdemeanor offenses and lesser civil Seeking Capitol gains matters. Montgomery County is north of Hous- ton, and its county seat is Conroe. For this trip, we had two major issues we ad- One of the plaintiffs, an FFRF member who FFRF attorneys lobby in D.C. dressed with legislators. goes by “Jane Noe” in the legal complaint, has ap- to advance secular issues The first was FFRF’s opposition to the repeal or peared before Mack on official business. The com- undermining of the Johnson Amendment, which plaint notes: “Ms. Noe is an atheist. She does not By Sam Grover and Patrick Elliott President Trump promised to do throughout his believe in any supernatural higher power, and be- campaign and at the National Prayer Breakfast in ing subjected to religious prayer by a government If Woody Allen was correct that “showing up is early February. official violates her sincerely held beliefs.” 80 percent of life,” then fellow FFRF Staff Attorney This is the regulation that prevents 501(c)(3) Plaintiff Jane Doe is a licensed attorney who Patrick Elliott and I have been living large in Wash- nonprofits and churches from advocating for or has appeared before Mack on at least four sep- ington, D.C. against any candidate for office. Removing this re- arate occasions. While Doe is Christian, she “ob- In early March, Patrick and I spent three days striction would turn churches into financially un- jects to a government official telling her when or on Capitol Hill, showing up at all 100 Senate of- accountable political action committees and would how to pray.” fices and an additional 139 House offices, armed funnel money away from nonprofits’ charitable Plaintiff John Roe is a self-employed attorney with data, legal analysis and policy arguments. Our purposes and into campaign coffers. who regularly represents clients in front of Mack, goal was to advance secular issues and put a posi- tive face on freethought on behalf of FFRF. See Capitol on page 7 See Mack on page 7 FFRF wins Indiana nativity performance suit An Indiana court has handed down Each show closed the show.” The court issued a declaratory judg- a resounding victory to FFRF and the with a 20-minute Accordingly, ment that the nativity performances ACLU — and the First Amendment. depiction by stu- The school’s present the school’s pre- were unconstitutional. The declara- The U.S. District Court for the North- dents of the story filings offer no argument in 2015 version of the tion serves to put the school district on ern District of Indiana, South Bend Di- of the birth of Je- “defense of the constitutionality Christmas Spec- notice that if it returns to this version vision, made its final decision on March sus Christ. of this version of the show. tacular, and the of the nativity performance in the fu- 6, striking down a nativity performance “The manner version initially ture, “the plaintiffs can swiftly return — Judge Jon DeGuilio as it existed for the past 45 years at the in which the proposed for 2015, to court and seek appropriate relief,” Performing Arts Department of Con- living nativity violated the Estab- which would undoubtedly cost the cord High School in Elkhart, Ind. scene was presented and its context lishment Clause. Through 2014, during school district. The court also awarded Each December for nearly half a within the show combined to create an this segment, students at the high nominal damages of $1 to each of the century, the department had planned, impermissible message of [religious] school portrayed “the Virgin Mary, Jo- local plaintiffs — one student and two produced and staged several perfor- endorsement,” U.S. District Judge Jon seph, the Three Wise Men, shepherds, parents — for each exposure to the mances of a large event called the DeGuilio ruled. “The school’s present and angels, while staff read passages 2014 show. “Christmas Spectacular.” One element filings offer no argument in defense of from the New Testament,” notes the had remained largely unchanged: the constitutionality of this version of original complaint. See Nativity on page 7 Page 2 FFRF | FREETHOUGHT TODAY | Madison, Wisconsin | April 2017 Philosophy is his drive, love is his goal Name: Art Mielke. yearly trips to the Adirondack moun- I can attempt to plot marker events in Where I live: Point Richmond, in tains of New York, where much of my my past, my move away from belief has the California Bay area. personal history is rooted; train trav- been gradual, fitful, with residual ele- Where and when I was born: Syra- el; old episodes of “The Bob Newhart ments of belief coming to the surface, cuse, N.Y., in 1949. Show” and the British series “Rumpole especially in times of emotional pain Family: I am the oldest of four chil- of the Bailey”; feeling appreciated by when the comforts of religion beckon. dren. My father was a Presbyterian the occasional student I have taught. I can’t leave off without an addi- clergyman active in urban affairs and These are not: The constant pres- tional contextual remark. The rise to committed to the separation of church ence of cellphones; the lack of re- prominence in this country of conser- and state. My mother, a trained school spect for science; the dumbing down vative and evangelical Christian belief psychologist, kept our home life to- of higher education and the lack of took me by surprise. I was still trying gether and held leadership roles in respect for book learning in general; to digest the work of earlier mainline the PTA of the school we attended. grade inflation; willful illiteracy in theologians like Reinhold Niebuhr Sundays meant church attendance: a all its forms; speeding and distracted and “boundary” thinkers like Tillich, worship service in the morning and motorists; strident religious absolut- when the thought culture I was living youth fellowship in the evening. ists; political leaders who put their in and seeking to live by just about Education: I received a degree in party above their country and whom went extinct. I had no idea so many philosophy from Bucknell, a Master Art Mielke history will likely judge to have been of my fellow Americans thought dino- of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, moral cowards. saurs and humans roamed the earth a master’s in counseling psychology MEET A MEMBER My doubts about religion started: As together. I am sure much of the plea- from Lewis & Clark, and Master of Phi- the oldest child of a pulpit preacher, sure I get reading contemporary books losophy and Ph.D. degrees in religion I am now, on a regular basis, comfort- I grew up with the unsettling thought on atheism comes from their authors’ from Syracuse. I was also briefly a grad- ably ensconced in real estate I own, in that there was something major that ability to showcase the various super- uate student in theology at Oxford. my solarium reading chair with a good God wanted from me. At its worst, stitions and stupidities that energize However, I should go on to mention book, a glass of wine, and a view of the I wondered to myself in bed at night fact-free religious belief in our time. that it was my diploma in advanced San Francisco skyline. I have arrived. I whether I was actually tasked with be- Before I die: I want to be in love diesel from the Wally Thor School of am obviously headed toward the great ing Jesus come back to life. This wasn’t again. That’s putting it simply. But I’m Trucking in Whittier, Calif., that al- boneyard that awaits all of us, and at egotism or megalomania or spiritual OK with that. If someone were to ask lowed me to make enough money to 67 feeling this more than ever. In the arrogance. I’ll call it what it was: an me whether anything was missing from own a home and to not feel economi- meantime, I continue to enjoy teach- overpowering, guilt-provoking, and my life — rich and satisfying for the cally stranded with a solid formal edu- ing and hope to do that for some years debilitating conviction of personal re- most part as it’s been, with more than cation but no place to use it to earn a to come.. sponsibility in the face of God’s (and my share of advantages and opportu- respectable living. Person in history I admire: Scot- no doubt my father’s) expectations for nities to be healthy, safe, and able to Occupation: I am presently a part- tish philosopher David Hume was a what I would do with my life.