Freedom From Religion Foundation

Freedom From Religion Foundation
Abbreviation	FFRF
Formation	1978
Type	Non-profit
Legal status	Foundation
Purpose/focus	Humanist, atheist
Headquarters	Madison, Wisconsin
Region served	United States
Membership	16,600 members
Official languages	English
Key people	Dan Barker, Annie Laurie Gaylor, Anne Nicol Gaylor
Website	ffrf.org

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.

History

The FFRF was co-founded by Anne Nicol Gaylor and her daughter, Annie Laurie Gaylor, in 1976 and was incorporated nationally in 1978. The organization is supported by over 17,000 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.

Litigation

Wins

• FFRF v. Indiana Family & Social Services - May 2, 2007 challenge of the creation of a chaplaincy for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). The FSSA hired Pastor Michael L. Latham, a Baptist 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 Bible instruction in public schools.
• Federal judge Barbara Brandriff Crabb 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. Gonzales - May 5, 2006 challenge of faith-based prison programs at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
• FFRF v Department of Veterans Affairs - April 19, 2006 challenge of the pervasive integration of "spirituality" into health care by the Department of Veteran Affairs.
• Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation - 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 Prayer 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 Christian prison ministry program in a women's prison in Grants, New Mexico.

State Capitol signs

Front (left) and back (right) of sign displayed at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The sign in Washington displays the same message.

Wisconsin State Capitol

The FFRF maintains a sign in the Wisconsin State Capitol during the Christmas season, which reads:

“

At this season of the Winter Solstice may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.

”

FFRF billboard in Madison, Wisconsin

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, Washington, 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.

Illinois State Capitol

On December 23, 2009, William J. Kelly, conservative activist and candidate for Illinois Comptroller, attempted to remove a FFRF sign at a holiday display.

Athens, Texas

Nativity scene at the Henderson County courthouse in Athens, TX.

In 2011, the FRFF sent a letter to Henderson County requesting the removal of a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn in Athens, Texas. The group stated that it received a complaint from a Henderson County citizen regarding the nativity scene and petitioned the local courts to remove it. After the courts ruled the nativity scene would remain, FFRF petitioned to have a banner placed on the square near the nativity scene, but a decision to consider the request was not heard before Christmas. As a result of the letter from FFRF, a rally was held at the Henderson County Courthouse where an estimated 5,000 people attended. FFRF put up their own banner by the nativity scene, but it was removed by Henderson County deputies because there was no approved permit for the banner to be displayed on county property.

The nativity scene, as well as all Christmas decorations displayed on and around the square on public property, is maintained by Keep Athens Beautiful, a non-profit organization.

Freethought Radio

Called the "only weekly Freethought radio broadcast anywhere", Freethought Radio 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.

See also

• American Atheists
• Anti-clericalism
• Antireligion
• Antitheism
• Ceremonial deism
• Criticism of religion
• Freedom of thought
• Freethought Association of Canada
• Religious intolerance
• Separation of church and state in 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