Freedom From Religion Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American
freethought
organization based in Madison
, Wisconsin
. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the separation of church and state
and to educate the public on matters relating to atheism
, agnosticism
and nontheism
. The FFRF publishes the newspaper Freethought Today. The organization pursues public-interest lawsuits and engages in public debates to further its goals. Since 2006, the Foundation has produced the Freethought Radio show, currently the only national freethought radio broadcast in the United States.
, in 1976 and was incorporated nationally in 1978. The organization is supported by over 13,000 members and operates from an 1855-era building in Madison, Wisconsin
that once served as a church rectory. Annual membership fees start at $40. According to the 2007 IRS tax Form-990 found on Guidestar.org, the foundation has a fund balance of over $5.5 million (US) and received over $581,000 (US) in membership dues. The foundation uses this money primarily to pay legal fees in cases supporting the separation of church and state
that involve governmental entities, but it also has a paid staff of four, distributes advertisements and sends news publications to members.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, is the author of Women Without Superstition: No Gods - No Masters (ISBN 1-877733-09-1) and edits the FFRF newspaper Freethought Today. Her husband, Dan Barker
, author of Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist (ISBN 1-877733-07-5) is a musician and songwriter, a former Pentecostal Christian minister, and co-president of the FFRF.
In 2007, the Freedom From Religion Foundation held its 30th annual conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The event, attended by more than 650 members, included speakers Christopher Hitchens
, Katha Pollitt
, Julia Sweeney
, Ellery Schempp
, and Matthew LaClair.
Losses
Pending litigation
during the Christmas season, which reads:
, next to a nativity scene
. The sign was stolen and then later found and returned to the state capitol. The addition of the sign incited a large number of individuals and groups to request other additions, such as a Festivus
pole, a request by the Westboro Baptist Church
for a sign stating "Santa Claus will take you to hell" (among other things), a sign paying homage to the Flying Spaghetti Monster
, and many others. The sudden influx of requests led Catholic League president Bill Donohue to weigh in harshly, and has led many to call for a removal of all religious material whatsoever in the state capitol.
on The Mic 92.1 FM is live every Saturday from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CDT in Madison, Wisconsin
. It also appeared on Air America
(Air America Radio ceased operation in March, 2010). It is hosted by the co-presidents of FFRF, Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. A podcast
archive is also available at the FFRF website. Regular features include "Theocracy Alert" and "Freethinkers Almanac". The latter highlights historic freethinkers, many of whom are also songwriters. The show's intro and outro make use of John Lennon
's "Imagine
", which is notable for its antireligious theme.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
freethought
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
organization based in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
and to educate the public on matters relating to atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, agnosticism
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
and nontheism
Nontheism
Nontheism is a term that covers a range of both religious and nonreligious attitudes characterized by the absence of — or the rejection of — theism or any belief in a personal god or gods...
. The FFRF publishes the newspaper Freethought Today. The organization pursues public-interest lawsuits and engages in public debates to further its goals. Since 2006, the Foundation has produced the Freethought Radio show, currently the only national freethought radio broadcast in the United States.
History
The FFRF was co-founded by Anne Nicol Gaylor and her daughter, Annie Laurie GaylorAnnie Laurie Gaylor
Annie Laurie Gaylor is co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and, with her husband Dan Barker, is the current co-president. She is also editor of the organization's newspaper, Freethought Today, which is published ten times per year. She is a self-described feminist and liberal...
, in 1976 and was incorporated nationally in 1978. The organization is supported by over 13,000 members and operates from an 1855-era building in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
that once served as a church rectory. Annual membership fees start at $40. According to the 2007 IRS tax Form-990 found on Guidestar.org, the foundation has a fund balance of over $5.5 million (US) and received over $581,000 (US) in membership dues. The foundation uses this money primarily to pay legal fees in cases supporting the separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
that involve governmental entities, but it also has a paid staff of four, distributes advertisements and sends news publications to members.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, is the author of Women Without Superstition: No Gods - No Masters (ISBN 1-877733-09-1) and edits the FFRF newspaper Freethought Today. Her husband, Dan Barker
Dan Barker
Dan Barker is a prominent American atheist activist who served as a Christian preacher and musician for 19 years but left Christianity in 1984.-Biography:...
, author of Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist (ISBN 1-877733-07-5) is a musician and songwriter, a former Pentecostal Christian minister, and co-president of the FFRF.
In 2007, the Freedom From Religion Foundation held its 30th annual conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The event, attended by more than 650 members, included speakers Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
, Katha Pollitt
Katha Pollitt
Katha Pollitt is an American feminist poet, essayist and critic. She is the author of four essay collections and two books of poetry...
, Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney is an American actress, comedian and author best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for her autobiographical solo shows.-Personal life:...
, Ellery Schempp
Ellery Schempp
Ellery Schempp is an accomplished physicist and is also famous for being the primary student involved in the landmark 1963 United States Supreme Court case of Abington School District v...
, and Matthew LaClair.
Litigation
Wins- FFRF v. Indiana Family & Social Services - May 2, 2007 challenge of the creation of a chaplainChaplainTraditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
cy for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). The FSSA hired Pastor Michael L. Latham, a BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister, in 2006, at a salary of $60,000 a year. In September 2007, in response to FFRF's suit, Indiana ended the program. - Ending certain types of BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
instruction in public schools. - Federal judge Barbara Brandriff CrabbBarbara Brandriff CrabbBarbara Brandriff Crabb is a United States federal judge nominated by President Jimmy Carter.-Early life and education:Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Crabb received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1960 and an LL.B. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1962...
ruled that the statute establishing the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional, as it is "an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function," although this ruling was later dismissed.
Losses
- FFRF v. GonzalesAlberto GonzalesAlberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
- May 5, 2006 challenge of faith-based prison programs at the Federal Bureau of PrisonsFederal Bureau of PrisonsThe Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
. - FFRF v Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
- April 19, 2006 challenge of the pervasive integration of "spirituality" into health care by the Department of Veteran Affairs. - Hein v. Freedom From Religion FoundationHein v. Freedom From Religion FoundationHein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, 551 U.S. 587 , was a decision by the United States Supreme Court which ruled that taxpayers do not have the right to challenge the constitutionality of expenditures by the executive branch of the government....
- A case before the Supreme Court over taxpayer standing to challenge White House faith-based programs; defeated in a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. - In April 2011, the FFRF's challenge to the National Day of PrayerNational Day of PrayerThe National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day...
was unanimously dismissed by a U.S. appellate court.
Pending litigation
- FFRF et al. v. Gov. Richardson - Nov. 7, 2005 challenge of the state-funded ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
prison ministry program in a women's prison in Grants, New MexicoGrants, New MexicoGrants is a city in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 9,182 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Cibola County....
.
State Capitol signs
Wisconsin State Capitol
The FFRF maintains a sign in the Wisconsin State CapitolWisconsin State Capitol
The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed during 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature...
during the Christmas season, which reads:
Washington State Capitol
A plaque with the same text as the Wisconsin State Capitol sign was displayed for the 2008 Christmas season at the state capitol in Olympia, WashingtonOlympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, next to a nativity scene
Nativity scene
A nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
. The sign was stolen and then later found and returned to the state capitol. The addition of the sign incited a large number of individuals and groups to request other additions, such as a Festivus
Festivus
Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as a way to celebrate the holiday season without participating in its pressures and commercialism. It was created by writer Dan O'Keefe and introduced into popular culture by his son Daniel, a screenwriter for the TV show Seinfeld, as part of...
pole, a request by the Westboro Baptist Church
Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the...
for a sign stating "Santa Claus will take you to hell" (among other things), a sign paying homage to the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of the parody religion the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism...
, and many others. The sudden influx of requests led Catholic League president Bill Donohue to weigh in harshly, and has led many to call for a removal of all religious material whatsoever in the state capitol.
Illinois State Capitol
On December 23, 2009, conservative activist and candidate for Illinois Comptroller, William J. Kelly, attempted to remove a FFRF sign at a holiday display.Freethought Radio
Called the "only weekly Freethought radio broadcast anywhere", Freethought RadioFreethought Radio
Freethought Radio is a weekly radio show produced by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. It is broadcast live every Saturday on The Mic 92.1 in Madison, Wis. and on Air America, streamed online, and available as a podcast. It is also available through syndication and XM Radio on Air America...
on The Mic 92.1 FM is live every Saturday from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CDT in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. It also appeared on Air America
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
(Air America Radio ceased operation in March, 2010). It is hosted by the co-presidents of FFRF, Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. A podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
archive is also available at the FFRF website. Regular features include "Theocracy Alert" and "Freethinkers Almanac". The latter highlights historic freethinkers, many of whom are also songwriters. The show's intro and outro make use of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
", which is notable for its antireligious theme.
See also
- American AtheistsAmerican AtheistsAmerican Atheists is an organization in the United States dedicated to defending the civil liberties of atheists and advocating for the complete separation of church and state. It provides speakers for colleges, universities, clubs and the news media. It also publishes books and the monthly...
- Anti-clericalismAnti-clericalismAnti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious institutional power and influence, real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, and the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen...
- AntireligionAntireligionAntireligion is opposition to religion. Antireligion is distinct from atheism and antitheism , although antireligionists may be atheists or antitheists...
- AntitheismAntitheismAntitheism is active opposition to theism. The etymological roots of the word are the Greek 'anti-' and 'theismos'...
- Ceremonial deismCeremonial deismCeremonial deism is a legal term used in the United States for nominally religious statements and practices deemed to be merely ritual and non-religious through long customary usage. Proposed examples of ceremonial deism include the reference to God introduced into the Pledge of Allegiance in...
- Criticism of religionCriticism of religionCriticism of religion is criticism of the concepts, validity, and/or practices of religion, including associated political and social implications....
- Freedom of thoughtFreedom of thoughtFreedom of thought is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints....
- Freethought Association of Canada
- Religious intoleranceReligious intoleranceReligious intolerance is intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices.-Definition:The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs incorrect does not in itself constitute intolerance...
- Separation of church and state in the United StatesSeparation of church and state in the United StatesThe phrase "separation of church and state" , attributed to Thomas Jefferson and others, and since quoted by the Supreme Court of the United States, expresses an understanding of the intent and function of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States...
External links
- Freedom From Religion Foundation – Official website
- Free Thought of the Day – Official website
- Dan Barker FFRF Interview from the Freethought Association