CINCINNATI – The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this week that prayers given before legislative bodies are constitutional, despite atheist assertions that such practices cannot withstand legal scrutiny. Last summer, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) mailed a letter to officials in Hamilton County, Tennessee to complain about citizen-led prayers that are regularly given before county […]
SPRINGBORO – Following complaints from a national atheist organization and various community members, a school district in southwestern Ohio announced it will be pulling two controversial community education courses that outline America’s Christian heritage. From July 9th through September 24th, faculty at Springboro Community Schools had planned to facilitate two courses on the U.S. Constitution. One […]
ORLANDO – An atheist activist group is suing one of the country’s largest public school districts after officials allowed some materials to be distributed, but prohibited items of a more controversial and explicit nature. As previously reported, the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) learned in January that a Christian ministry was distributing Bibles in Orange […]
MADISON– A national atheist lobbyist group has launched a newspaper advertisement campaign to pressure the Boy Scouts of America into welcoming secular students to its ranks. As previously reported, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) controversially decided this year to allow openly homosexual young men to join the Scouting program. This was an unprecedented reversal […]
PHOENIX — An appeals court has rejected a lawsuit filed by a prominent atheist activist organization which sought to challenge the statewide Day of Prayer proclamations issued each year by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) of Madison, Wisconsin was unable to prove […]
BEAUMONT — A school district in Texas is investigating a complaint after a mother who identifies as a Christian contacted a prominent atheist activist organization to express concerns over a prayer offered during a pre-k graduation ceremony. The Beaumont Independent School District has confirmed that it received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation […]
OAK HARBOR, Wash. — Officials in a small Washington town have decided not to prohibit the mentioning of Jesus’ name in city council prayers. This announcement comes almost a month after the city council members of Oak Harbor—an island town of 22,000 residents in western Washington—considered a proposal that would have banned the names of […]
LINDALE, Tx. — Over two thousand people packed the Lindale Performing Arts Center in Lindale, Texas on Wednesday in support of a 5th grade Christian-based musical that had been challenged by a prominent atheist organization due to a parental complaint. “In God We Trust” was written by music ministers Chris and Diane Machen, and speaks of […]
KOUNTZE, Tx. – Just over three weeks ago, cheerleaders in a small Texas town won a widely-publicized court battle against their school district, allowing them to continue displaying Bible verses at school games. Now, however, the school district is prolonging the fight as it has filed an appeal of the legal ruling. In Kountze, a […]
STANFORD, Ky. — A high school student in Kentucky received a standing ovation during his graduation ceremony on Friday after he led attendees in prayer despite complaints from students who had sought to thwart the invocation. Class President Jonathan Hardwick was also echoed in an “amen” after he acknowledged God from the platform. “Thank you […]