Complimentary Copy Join FFRF Now! Vo1. 30 No. 5 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. June/July 2013 FFRF sues over Florida lit censorship The Freedom From Religion Foun- account of creation, including having dation filed a lawsuit June 13 in U.S. creation theory taught in our public District Court in Florida against the schools” and “speak[s] out against hu- Orange County School Board in Or- manistic views contrary to the biblically lando for censoring distribution of based founding fathers’ constitutional freethought materials while allowing vision.” unfettered distribution of the Chris- The complaint asserts that the dis- tian bible. trict “did not object to a single word in Plaintiffs are FFRF, its Co-Presidents [the WCF] Bible, but approved it fully Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker, and without comment.” and David Williamson, who heads the The plaintiffs contend that public Central Florida Freethought Commu- schools shouldn’t allow literature dis- nity, a new FFRF chapter. Distribution tributions by any outside group and of limited freethought literature was told the school district that by letter allowed on May 2, the National Day of before the World Changers event. Prayer. Williamson reiterated that position at The distribution was organized in a Jan. 29 pre-agenda meeting of the response to a so-called “passive” bible school board. distribution in January, when World FFRF encouraged the district to Changers of Florida evangelists in 11 adopt a policy that “prohibits outside public schools were permitted to hawk groups from turning schools into reli- bibles and promote religion. gious battlegrounds while preserving FFRF asserts violation of its rights the distribution system for the benefit under the First Amendment (view- of the school” and suggested model point discrimination and prior re- language. A reporter interviews David Williamson, director of FFRF’s chapter the Central straint) and 14th Amendment (equal After the district refused, FFRF Florida Freethought Community, during the literature distribution. protection). asked for permission to distribute sec- Orange County Public Schools in- Book.” not occur) is unconstitutional,” FFRF’s ular materials. Williamson submitted sisted on vetting the freethought lit- Plaintiffs Barker and Gaylor wrote complaint states. the secular groups’ literature Jan. 29 erature from FFRF and other secular several of the censored pamphlets. FFRF seeks a permanent injunction for approval. Included were nine “non- groups. It censored many of the mate- The school district prohibited one barring future viewpoint discrimina- tracts,” five brochures, eight books, rials, including Letter to a Christian Na­ book because its message that Jesus tion and prior restraint of its speech. one essay and one sticker. Three books tion, Sam Harris’ book; “The Truth,” was not crucified or resurrected “is age The plaintiffs intend to repeat the dis- were voluntarily withdrawn in order to an essay by Robert G. Ingersoll; Jesus Is inappropriate for the maturity levels of tribution every school year, unless the speed the approval process after stone- Dead, a book by Robert Price, professor many of the students in high school.” school prohibits all such distributions, walling by the district. of philosophy and religion; Madalyn However, the bible that the school including bibles. The district prohibited four of Murray O’Hair’s book What on Earth approved for distribution claims that FFRF’s five books, leaving part of one Is an Atheist?; Why I am Not a Muslim, a Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Christian favoritism (Part III of Thomas Paine’s The Age of book by Ibn Warraq, and several FFRF “Permitting one viewpoint (the cru- Reason) and several small pamphlets. “nontracts,” including “Dear Believer,” cifixion and resurrection occurred) On Jan. 16, World Changers distrib- “Good Without God” stickers were pro- “Why Jesus?” “What Does the Bible Say and censoring the opposing viewpoint ute New International Version bibles to hibited. About Abortion?” and “An X-Rated (the crucifixion and resurrection did students. WCF “support[s] the biblical Continued on page 5 Inside This Issue FFRF helps atheist become U.S. citizen Meet student activists FFRF stood up for equal rights for the armed forces. Anything more, such the nonreligious by forcing the U.S. as a requirement to document the be- Page 7 Office of Customs and Immigration lief with a particular church, is a gross Services to strike an unconstitutional violation of the law and the Constitu- requirement for religious documenta- tion,” Seidel wrote. tion that would have barred an atheist Doughty asked for an exemption to from becoming a citizen. the oath: “I am sure the law would nev- Margaret Doughty, 64, an atheist er require a 64-year-old woman like my- Alton Lemon and 30-year U.S. resident who was born self to bear arms, but if I am required Memoriam in Great Britain, applied to the Hous- to answer this question, I cannot lie. ton customs office to become a citizen. I must be honest. The truth is that Page 11 She has permanent resident status I would not be willing to bear arms. while running nonprofit adult literacy Since my youth I have had a firm, fixed organizations. All citizenship appli- and sincere objection to participation cants must take an oath to bear arms in war in any form or in the bearing for this country before full citizenship of arms. I deeply and sincerely believe Billy Graham’s is granted. Exemptions are permitted that it is not moral or ethical to take X-rated fact- for those who object to war based on another person’s life.” finding mission “religious training and belief.” Margaret Doughty The Houston office admitted the FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel sincerity of Doughty’s belief, but re- Page 23 wrote USCIS in a June 14 letter noting ceive an exemption to bear arms. “This quired her to submit religious docu- that U.S. Supreme Court precedent exemption requires only a deeply held mentation, including a letter from her does not require any religious test to re- belief in not bearing arms or serving in Continued on page 5 Page 2 Freethought Today Madison, Wisconsin June/July 2013 Meet a Member Golden Rule plenty good for Uhl Name: Diane Uhl. and furthered Where I live: Oro Valley, Ariz. my education Where and when I was born: Milwau- and vision of a kee in 1937 (the town that beer kept world where we happy). I was raised in the small town should all be of Evansville, Wis., where we drank able to accept beer but didn’t tell anyone. and live com- Education: I survived high school fortably with in a small Wisconsin town where there our differences were no divorces and the only ethnic while not forc- groups were Germans, Swedes and ing our choices Norwegians. I received my B.A. from on others. Ripon College. Teaching became my Where I’m headed: To dust, but I goal when I found out a nurse had to like to think of it as my personal sunset. be able to tolerate the sight of blood. Persons I admire: Arizona state Rep. Diane and Steve Uhl [pronounced yule] visit the Bill of Rights monument I received my M.A. from Northwest- Juan Mendez, who in May as a nonbe- (consisting of 10 monoliths) in Tucson on the Arizona Capitol mall. It was ern University in speech correction/ liever offered up a nonprayer in the dedicated in December and joined several veterans’ memorials, one to crime special education, which equipped me House to open a session, and Rebecca victims and the Ten Commandments. (I thought) to save all those children Vitsmun, the Oklahoma tornado sur- with special needs. Those children vivor. Rebecca, when asked by Wolf These are not: People who are tak- god: “Show me, prove it!” taught me more about life than I ever Blitzer on national TV “You’ve gotta ers, not givers, spam email messages, What I wished (prayed) for as a imagined. thank the Lord, right?” replied, “I’m promises not kept. child: I used to wish and pray for peace Occupation: I taught people of all actually an atheist.” My doubts about religion started: on Earth. As an adult, I’ve learned that ages, from preschool to adults with spe- These are real people stepping up, Religion in my childhood home was reason, science, critical thinking and cial needs. The adults were always the not just a number in the “nones” col- not a big thing. I enjoyed singing in acceptance of others’ views and per- toughest due to the usual adult preju- umn of a Pew Research report. More choir with my friends. In college I was ceptions are what would bring peace. dices and hang-ups. Thirty-three years power to them and to us. reading more philosophy. Bertrand Deeds, not creeds. in public schools provided me with A quotation I like: “I respect people Russell’s Why I Am Not a Christian start- Ways I promote freethought: Steve untold opportunities to encourage stu- for their deeds not their creeds.” (See ed me seeking the answer to “Who am and I share a comfortable lifestyle. We dents to always be free to say “show me” my FFRF billboard that went up in Tuc- I?” I soon found I could not find satis- now have the freedom to contribute or “prove it.” son.) “Facts are true whether or not factory answers to “Why religion?” more time and money to those organi- How I got where I am today: My you believe them.” (Neil deGrasse Ty- By my sophomore year, I made zations and institutions that represent parents taught me the rewards of hard son) the conscientious decision that since our philosophy of the need for a more work.