u/FreethoughtChris

I love nothing more than a well-deserved picket or protest, so I was thrilled to be part of some icon-puncturing street theater on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

Despite some suspense about whether we could pull it off, FFRF was able to join forces with Faithful America to protest President Trump’s unconstitutional “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” prayer fest on the Mall. We inflated a 20-foot-tall golden-calf balloon depicting the president in a blue suit and long red tie. The point: To say to the faithful flocking to this egregious spectacle that Trump is a false idol. A “picture,” after all, is worth a thousand words.

Yes, we were a small group —“quality over quantity” — thanks to receiving our permit at the absolutely last moment. But I was there, along with FFRF’s D.C.-based Director of Governmental Affairs Mark Dann, to represent FFRF’s 41,000-plus membership nationwide. And Faithful America, which owns the balloon creature, was there on behalf of a coalition of more than 150 Christian groups and churches working against Christian nationalism.

Besides, as Margaret Mead famously noted: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” In addition to area members kind enough to show up despite the last-minute notice, we had a lot of drop-in visits, including from Jesus, who humorously genuflected in front of our “sacred cow.” 

A couple appeared with their own cardboard cutout of Trump saying, “In Jesus’ name I’m stealing from YOU.” One woman had googled protests in the area and found us through last week’s Weekly Wrap, which mentioned the event. 

Our lighthearted effigy nevertheless conveyed an all-important message: that we need to get religion out of government. And our last-minute press releases ensured that much of the media coverage of the event included criticism. FFRF also put out our own message, “Celebrate Democracy, Not Theocracy,” on two mobile billboards circulating last Sunday during the all-day prayer fest.

Some folks at our protest were surprised to learn that I had flown from Madison, Wis., to Washington, D.C., at the very last moment to protest. If you want to understand why, please listen to this week’s Freethought Radio, where Dan Barker and I play a representative sampling of hair-raising quotes by Christian nationalists speaking at the event — most of them public officials. In fact, there was very little difference between the praying House Speaker Ron Johnson and the plethora of conservative Christian leaders, such as Franklin Graham, who were invited to appear at the gathering. As Dan and I warned on our show, our federal government has been taken over by Christian nationalists. Look no further than this government-funded, endorsed and proclaimed all-day revival with its disgusting altar depicting a giant cross over stained-glass images of 1776 revolutionaries.

After our short event, I impromptu joined some individuals who were picketing by the entrance of the event, where a long, slow line of clueless folks clearly bused in from nearby megachurches were roasting in the sun. Some were in ostentatious Christian merch regalia and some were carrying “JESUS SAVES” signs, such as some young men who kept trying to cover up our pro-state/church placards. But most were just ordinary citizens. And, honestly, I had to feel a little sorry for them standing in the sun as they waited to enter, knowing they would find no shade inside the temporary, walled-in arena, a tentless tent revival. Baking in the sun, listening to a full day of prayer, hymn, minister, religious speakers reciting mindless drivel, prayer, repeat, for nine full hours, was surely its own form of hell.

While street theater and protesting won’t change the world on their own, they are a balm for the nonsoul, a visible form of public resistance, as we carry on the quieter substantive work at FFRF to keep garish, unconstitutional circuses like this from ever defacing our beautiful Constitution again.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is condemning Wednesday’s House committee hearing targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center as a dangerous weaponization of government power.

The Judiciary Committee hearing, framed by Republicans as an investigation into the center’s extremism reporting, quickly devolved into an intimidation campaign aimed not just at one organization, but at the entire nonprofit and civil rights community.

“This hearing was not about accountability, it was about intimidation,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “The message from Trump’s allies was unmistakable: If your organization challenges Christian nationalism, white supremacy or MAGA extremism, the federal government may come after you next.”

At a press conference before the hearing, Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Ga., characterized advocacy groups as “this nonprofit-industrial complex that is seeking to destroy our country each and every day.” Such rhetoric mirrors the language authoritarian movements historically use to dehumanize dissenters, portray civil society organizations as enemies of the state and justify political retaliation.

Explicitly religious and culture war rhetoric was heard repeatedly at the hearing by Republican members on the committee. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused the Southern Poverty Law Center of targeting “good pro-family organizations” while Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., lamented, “They just hate Christianity, don’t they?” Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., asked, “Do you know why there is such fervent resistance, or I would say fervent hatred for traditional viewpoints for Christians?”

Several right-wing groups participating in a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning, including the Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom, have long advocated for policies eroding the separation of church and state and expanding Christian privilege in government. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins urged lawmakers to investigate not just the center, but also other organizations connected to its work. Conservative commentator Tyler O’Neil called for probes into the group “and its offshoots.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., portrayed in his testimony the Justice Department prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center as an authoritarian attempt to target ideological opponents. He warned that the Trump administration has systematically dismantled efforts to combat far-right extremism, pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionists and redirected federal resources toward targeting perceived political enemies.

Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, who was grilled in testimony, said that the campaign against the Southern Poverty Law Center is part of “a coordinated attack on civil rights nonprofits” and an attempt to use “the powers of prosecution as a weapon” against organizations whose speech and advocacy the administration dislikes.

FFRF agrees.

“We are witnessing systematic efforts to delegitimize and criminalize organizations that monitor extremism and defend constitutional rights,” Gaylor says. “Today, it is the Southern Poverty Law Center. Tomorrow, it could be any organization that refuses to conform to this administration’s ideology.”

FFRF says it stands in solidarity with the Southern Poverty Law Center and all organizations facing politically motivated retaliation for defending civil liberties and civil rights.

The FFRF Action Fund salutes Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., as its “Secularist of the Week,” alongside the rest of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, for a pointed rebuttal to the Christian nationalist prayer rally that took place on the National Mall over the weekend. 

Officially known as “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving,” the past Sunday’s rally celebrated the 250th anniversary of our country and its supposed Christian roots, with appearances from high-ranking Trump administration officials and conservative Christian clergy. (President Trump appeared in a reused video clip, reading from the bible.)

Huffman, the Action Fund’s “Secularist” pick for the week, was outspoken in his criticism of the Christian nationalist event in the lead-up to the jamboree. 

“What should be a broadly unifying celebration has been politically hijacked and wrapped up in this MAGA narrative that tries to rewrite our history and promote the president’s agenda,” the congressman asserted. “They have narrowly defined what it means both to be American and to be Christian — and they are wrapping that in the official sanction of the U.S. government.”

He also noted that Christian nationalism does not speak for all Christians. The congressman stressed that the theocratic movement resoundingly erases the diversity of America’s religious and nonreligious make-up and threatens the constitutional state/church protections that bar government-established religion. 

“Trump’s religious extremist event this weekend to ‘rededicate’ our country as a Christian nation would have our founders rolling in their graves. We. Are. NOT,” Huffman wrote on Bluesky last week. “And using taxpayer resources and public lands for this kind of event is a gross misuse of power to destroy church-state separation.” 

Huffman also took to X to denounce the spectacle, writing, “This weekend, Trump is trying to rededicate America as a ‘Christian Nation.’ How about we rededicate ourselves back to reality?” 

The representative attached a video of himself deriding Rededicate 250’s Christian nationalist roots alongside narratives detailing factual American state/church history: “This Sunday, Trump is orchestrating another spectacle of Christian nationalist politics, which purports to be part of celebrating America’s 250th birthday. It’s an official state-sponsored event on the National Mall, where a host of extreme MAGA Christian nationalists, plus one conservative Orthodox rabbi, will ceremonially rededicate America as one nation under God.”

“Many of these speakers openly oppose the First Amendment’s guarantee of church-state separation,” Huffman continued. “And you can bet that the central theme of this spectacle will be the Christian nationalist mantra that America was founded as a Christian nation and must remain officially Christian. This is part of their project to redefine America and what it means to be a real American.”

“Under their narrow, exclusionary definition, the only true Americans are those who want a conservative Christian government, with a few conservative Jews allowed in as long as they use the term Judeo-Christian,” he further stated. “Everyone else, the moderate and progressive Christians and Jews who support church-state separation, the Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, humanists, agnostics, and atheists who collectively make up the majority of this diverse, pluralistic nation, they’re all deemed to be something less than true Americans.” 

“Not only is the event a gross misuse of our government’s public spaces and resources for an overtly religious and deeply political purpose, it also goes against everything the founders fought for,” Huffman said. “America was founded as one nation under many religious perspectives, including not only Christians, but also those who did not believe in God and the rationalists and deists like Thomas Jefferson, who rejected the premise of revealed religions.” 

Huffman underscored: “That’s why separation of church and state has always been a pillar of our constitution and of our democracy. And it’s why any serious dedication in this 250th year should lift up that pillar, not try to destroy it. But you don’t have to just believe me, my colleagues in the Congressional Freethought Caucus have the receipts.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and co-chair of the caucus with Huffman, then recited a quote from Thomas Jefferson: “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people would declare that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” 

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and also a member of the Freethought Caucus, appeared, quoting Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, “Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer a difficult question. Why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?” Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., was additionally featured with a quote from John F. Kennedy, alongside more state/church historical tidbits from Huffman and Raskin. 

Watch Huffman’s full video here. 

The Congressional Freethought Caucus, co-chaired by Huffman and Raskin, is dedicated to preserving the secular character of government, state/church separation and the rights of Freethinkers. The caucus has 36 members and continues to grow. 

State/church separation is deeply rooted in all facets of American history, which the Trump administration and its Christian nationalist base are working tirelessly to discredit. The FFRF Action Fund warmly thanks Huffman and the rest of the Congressional Freethought Caucus for reaffirming the constitutional wall between state and church in the U.S. government and for continuing to genuinely educate the public. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson is FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” for his prayer spectacle at Sunday’s Rededicate 250, the Christian nationalist rally held on the National Mall.

Johnson, a prominent speaker at the rally and one of the most rampant Christian nationalists in the Trump administration, appeared in person to deliver an interminable prayer at the event. “It is such a blessing to welcome you all here to the nation’s capital. My humble assignment here today is to bring us straight to the Lord in a prayer of rededication,” Johnson began. 

“Our heavenly Father, we thank you,” he declared. “Thank you so much for this great day that you’ve given us here, as we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning. Since Christopher Columbus set sail in the New World, since the settlers at Jamestown planted the cross at Cape Henry, and since the pilgrims at Plymouth made a covenant to give you the glory, in all that time, you guided us at every pivotal moment.”

“In those early days, you safeguarded George Washington and his ragtag army as they defeated the mightiest of empires,” he went on, misconstruing American history as based in biblical dogma. “And you gave our fathers the wisdom and faith to establish this new nation premised on the biblical and foundational principle that all men are created equal and free before you. Through your divine providence, our Founders acknowledged and boldly proclaimed the self-evident truth that every single person is created in your image, and that we are endowed by you, our Creator, with our inalienable rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
 
Johnson credited all of the United States to his god, saying, “Lord, today, our people gather once again in your name. We have humbled ourselves before you. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding, and the countless miracles that have followed, are your doing. We remember that we owe our nation – every victory, every hero, every good deed she has brought forth – to you, Almighty God.” He attributed not only the American Revolutionary War to God, but also the Union’s victory in the Civil War, global liberation from fascism, the civil rights movement and the heroism of first responders during 9/11. 

“Every day since, over each of our 250 years, America has been a land of hope and liberty, a place of miracles, and the ‘light and glory’ of all nations because of you,” Johnson continued. “Now as we approach the 250th anniversary of American Independence, we face a new set of challenges in a new era. In recent years, we’ve seen sinister ideologies sow confusion and discord among our people. We’ve witnessed attacks on our history, on our heroes, and on the cherished moral and spiritual identity of this great nation. Those voices have sought to distort the self-evident truth that we know so well, and that our founders boldly proclaim in the Declaration: that our rights do not derive from the government, they come from you, our Creator and Heavenly Father.” 

Johnson asked for divine guidance to combat the alleged “attacks” on America’s supposed Christian identity and history, praying “to deliver us from the forces of evil oppression and justice and tyranny.” 

“We ask that you hear these solemn petitions just as we in the beginning dedicated this land to your most holy name today,” Johnson concluded his prayer. “Here Lord, in this 250th year of American Independence, we hereby rededicate the United States of America as ‘One Nation, Under God.’” 

Read Johnson’s full prayer here.

Johnson’s lengthy prayer zealously purported the myth that we were founded as a Christian nation and framed every facet of American history to be “under God.” To Johnson, Christian is synonymous with American, and Christian influence is the driving force behind everything in our country. Johnson, of course, did not acknowledge the constitutional separation between state and church during his prayer and has repeatedly demonized those who criticize his un-American theocracy. During a Fox News interview over the weekend, Johnson said, “The naysayers who have created this new term ‘Christian nationalism’ as a pejorative, a derogatory term, are trying to silence the influence and voices of Christians, and I think that’s wildly inappropriate.” 

Following Rededicate 250, Johnson took to X to further promote its Christian nationalist ideas, writing, “The Founders acknowledged in the Declaration the self-evident truths that all men are created equal, and that God gives all men the same inalienable rights. As we approach the 250th birthday of our great nation, it has never been more important to defend truth on every front.” Attached to the post was a graphic of an American flag with the tagline “God Given Rights.” 

In another post, Johnson attached a photo of himself leading prayer at the Sunday rally and wrote, “America stands alone as a nation founded upon a creed — articulated in our Declaration 250 years ago —that has been the greatest force for peace, justice, and innovation the world has ever known.”

“For two and a half centuries, America has been a land of hope and liberty, a place of miracles, and a light to all nations — because we are a nation based in faith,” the post continued. “May God continue to bless this great nation, and may we remain a people of prayer.”

The FFRF Action Fund chastises Speaker Johnson for peddling pseudohistory to further his Christian nationalist agenda. Rededicate 250 was a state-sanctioned Christian nationalist prayer rally that completely disregarded the foundational truth of state/church separation — and it should not have occurred. 

Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a state/church watchdog that is also the largest association of North American freethinkers, have released the following statement:

“The Freedom From Religion Foundation denounces the dismaying recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that its civil rights office has been restructured to go after so-called ‘anti-Christian bias.’ It seems clear that the intent is to intimidate critics of Christian nationalism and the growing unification of conservative Christianity with our secular government.

“The department contradicts its alleged goal to ‘advance the protection of conscience rights’ by then saying it will ‘eradicate’ anti-Christian bias. Americans are free to believe or disbelieve in any religion, to advocate for or criticize any religious doctrines. Even if there were such a thing as ‘anti-Christian bias,’ Americans would be free to hold it. The law should go after actions, not beliefs.

“FFRF is also troubled to see that instead of upholding civil rights, particularly of racial minorities, the office has been tasked with addressing race-based discrimination ‘in a color-blind manner.’ We also find it disturbing that HHS charges its civil rights office with restoring  ‘biological truth,’ obviously a threat to transgender Americans, a threat mainly posed by religion. 

“True freedom of conscience hinges on a government that does not take sides over religious debates, that does not confer its blessings on religion over nonreligion, or on a particular religion over other religions, and that does not possess an ‘anti-freethinker’ bias. Most Americans support the separation between religion and government. FFRF represents more than 41,000 freethinking members, mainly atheists and agnostics, seeking to uphold the First Amendment. We also represent the views of nearly one-third of U.S. adults today who are religiously unaffiliated. FFRF will continue our peaceful, lawful work in defense of state/church separation, free speech and true religious freedom by exercising our First Amendment rights.”

Students at El Capitan High School in Colorado City, Ariz., are protesting school-sponsored prayer that district officials are still scheduling in the graduation ceremony despite student objections and constitutional dictates.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has told the Colorado City Unified School District to immediately remove prayer from the school’s June 3 graduation ceremony after the school received complaints from graduating seniors who say administrators are attempting to force religion into what should be a celebration of students’ achievements. According to the student complaint received by FFRF, El Capitan High School has long included official invocations and benedictions at graduation ceremonies, with students selected in advance to lead the audience in prayer. This year’s graduation program was set to feature scheduled prayers led by two designated students despite clear Supreme Court precedent ruling such practices unconstitutional.

After student objections, district officials reportedly altered the program so that the prayer would occur before the ceremony officially begins and described participation as “optional.” But the change misses the point.

“El Capitan High School’s custom and practice of including school-sponsored prayers at graduation directly violates students’ First Amendment rights,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes. “The school cannot avoid a constitutional violation by assigning students to lead prayers, moving the prayer to the top of the ceremony, or proclaiming that the prayer is no longer mandatory.” 

As the school board itself has noted, the ceremony is under the school’s control. A public school cannot constitutionally implement religious worship as part of a school activity. 

High school graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime event that students spend over a decade working toward. As FFRF’s student-complainant explained, the school forcing prayer on graduating students has caused the students “frustration” instead of allowing them to focus on their achievements. Including prayer at graduation puts many students and families in the unconscionable and unconstitutional position of choosing between exiting or foregoing the ceremony or else violating their conscience. 

Plus, having prayer at graduation ceremonies and other school-sponsored events needlessly marginalizes students and families who are nonreligious or members of minority faiths. As many as 29  percent of Americans are non-Christian, including the almost 30 percent that are nonreligious. (Arizona even has slightly higher than average numbers of religiously unaffiliated adults at 31 percent.) More than half of Generation Z members (those born after 1996) are non-Christian, including 43 percent who are nonreligious.

“Students deserve to celebrate their achievements that came from hard work — not be forced to show obeisance to someone else’s religion,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “We expect this rogue school district to stop violating the constitutional rights of its students by canceling these prayers immediately.”

Massachusetts students need you to stand up for vaccines!

With strong public support, H. 2554 reported favorably out of the House Committee on Health Care Financing — but the battle isn’t over yet! While the health of Massachusetts students would greatly benefit from this bill, now the House Ways & Means Committee needs to hear support from the community. With your help, religious exemptions for vaccines could soon come to an end — Please contact the House committee today!

H. 2554 will remove all non-medical exemptions from required school vaccines, including religious exemptions. These dangerous exemptions not only jeopardize the health of Massachusetts children but also put entire schools at risk of outbreaks. Data collected from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health even showed that non-medical vaccine exemptions have become more prevalent, with over 1,000 children receiving non-medical exemptions in the 2025–2026 school year. Numbers like that leave schools wide open for viral outbreaks of diseases like the measles — helped by religious extremists refusing to immunize their children. Student health shouldn’t take a backseat to religious exemptions.

Eliminating non-medical exemptions is the most effective way to prevent outbreaks and ensure strong immunization rates, and that’s why we’re asking for your help to see this bill succeed. By contacting the House Ways & Means Committee today, you can help bring Massachusetts one step closer to a safer, healthier future!

We’ve included talking points you can email to committee members through the “Take Action” section that you can customize by clicking or tapping on the pencil icon. Personal stories connect even better with legislators, so please take the time to share your feelings if you can. For best results, please be succinct and polite. Additionally, after you send your email, you will be prompted to call your representative’s office as well — even leaving a phone message shows your dedication to the cause!

(Note: You must live in Massachusetts in order to take part in this action alert.)

The Freedom From Religion Foundation reports that Sunday’s Christian nationalist prayer rally on the National Mall failed to inspire the massive turnout or enthusiasm its organizers promised.

Despite promotion from President Trump’s allies and appearances from top administration officials, only thousands attended the government-sponsored prayer fest in Washington, D.C. — far below the 80,000-plus turnout anticipated by delusional Pastor Robert Jeffress.

Even Trump appeared to treat the rally, formally known as “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving,” as an afterthought, sending only a video message. Rather than bothering to record a dedicated address for the prayer rally, Trump provided a rerun, a video he (inappropriately) recorded last month for a bible-reading marathon last month. In the recycled Oval Office video, Trump recited a passage from 2 Chronicles favored by Christian nationalists. Trump’s only fresh acknowledgment of the event came in a Truth Social post Sunday morning saying: “I HOPE EVERYBODY AT REDEDICATE 250 IS HAVING A GOOD TIME … I’M BACK FROM CHINA!!!”

Throughout the rally, public officials repeatedly fused religious doctrine with national identity and repeated the Christian nationalist Big Lies that the United States was founded “under God” and as a Christian nation.

Quite to the contrary.

“We live under a godless Constitution whose only references to religion are exclusionary,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor, who was in the nation’s capital yesterday to protest the government-sponsored prayer revival. “America was founded on Enlightenment principles, not biblical authority. No amount of prayer rallies or revisionist history can erase that.”

The revival was staged beneath towering faux stained-glass altar displays featuring a large white cross emblazoned over rotating revolutionary images, such as a depiction from the John Trumbull Declaration of Independence 1818 painting showing the Declaration’s signing. The false claim that the United States was founded as a Christian nation was repeatedly invoked throughout the day by elected officials, cabinet members and religious leaders.

Vice President JD Vance, also in a video, wrongly declared that America has “always been, and still are, a nation of prayer,” claiming “our faith was the ground upon which America stands.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a video statement likewise claimed Christianity defined the nation from the beginning. “With the dark storm clouds of war looming on the horizon, they did what Christians have always done across place and time for 2,000 years,” Rubio said of the Founders. “They turned their eyes to heaven and placed their faith in the hands of God.”

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told attendees in video remarks that America’s founders “knelt” and sought God’s guidance before independence. “Now today, exactly 250 years later, we gather here on the National Mall to do the same,” Gabbard said, “to give thanks, to ask for forgiveness, and to humbly ask once more for God’s mercy and guidance.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who appeared in person, urged Americans to pray “on bended knee” to Jesus Christ, invoking George Washington at Valley Forge as an example — a piece of Christian nationalist disinformation. After the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to Museum of the Bible, which owns the 1975 painting by Arnold Friberg of Washington kneeling in the snow, the museum display was changed to say it depicts what “many believe Washington” did, as the New York Times recently reported.

In his remarks, Hegseth added, “Let us ask our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as Washington did on that momentous day, ‘So help us God.’”

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who also appeared in person, repeatedly insisted that Christianity and prayer were foundational to the nation. He began his remarks asking, “How many love Jesus,” to huge cheers. “There is no way to grasp the last 250 years of America without looking to the power of prayer,” Scott said. “Our rights don’t come from government, they come from God.”

Pastor Jeffress openly embraced the label “Christian nationalist.” “If being a Christian nationalist means loving Jesus Christ and loving America, count me in,” Jeffress told the crowd.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who appeared in person, led an extended prayer declaring that the United States was founded on “biblical and foundational principle[s]” and formally “rededicate[d] the United States of America as ‘One Nation, Under God.’” Johnson, who as speaker is third in line to the presidency, also condemned what he called attacks on America’s “moral and spiritual identity,” while asserting that Americans’ rights “do not derive from the government, they come from you, our Creator and Heavenly Father.”

FFRF warned ahead of the event that the rally would promote pseudohistory and Christian nationalism, an ideology asserting that a preferred version of Christianity should be privileged in American government and public life.

Counterprotests on the day of the rally highlighted growing opposition to theocracy and religious favoritism in government. The Freedom From Religion Foundation and Faithful America displayed a giant inflatable golden calf with Trump’s face on the National Mall, mocking the idolatrous merging of religion and Trump-style politics. FFRF leased two digital billboard trucks to carry the message, “Democracy Not Theocracy” around the Mall. The Interfaith Alliance projected protest messages onto the National Gallery of Art, reading: “Democracy not theocracy” and “The separation of church and state is good for both.”

FFRF filed a Freedom of Information Act request two months ago, and appealed the denial. It is now awaiting promised records related to the planning, coordination and use of government resources connected to the event, including communications involving federal agencies and public officials who participated in the rally.

The underwhelming turnout undercuts claims that Christian nationalism represents a broad national movement, as documented by a Pew study released days before the rally showing that Americans reject efforts to merge church and state.

“The growing resistance to flagrant violations of the separation of state and church, like this ‘Rededicate 250’ boondoggle, demonstrates that Americans in this semiquincentennial year still revere secular government and religious freedom for all — not government-sponsored Christianity,” Gaylor adds.

The White House is inexcusably busy encouraging prayer through multiple initiatives that breach the constitutional wall separating church and state.

It has launched an “America Prays” campaign as part of our country’s 250th celebration and is also turning May 17 into an all-day prayer fest on the National Mall.

Inviting “Americans to pray for our country and our people and rededicate ourselves as One Nation Under God” is one of the stated purposes of Freedom 250. It was announced in December by the White House as an offshoot of the congressionally enacted America 250, designated by Congress to celebrate our nation’s semi-quincentennial.

The May 17 prayer rally in Washington D.C is expected to feature scripture, testimony and prayer. Federal officials such as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Mark Rubio will join a series of Christian pastors, ministers and podcasters (plus one token rabbi). Speakers, military bands and private religious choirs will intermingle as if state and church were indeed officially united. “Miracles” will be one of the day’s major themes.

Americans don’t need the government’s help to pray. And we are not “one nation under God.” That phrase dates to a congressional act in 1954, during the Cold War, that tampered with the previously secular Pledge of Allegiance. In fact, America’s godless and entirely secular Constitution guarantees a government that doesn’t tell us which church to support, what religious rituals to engage in or what to believe or disbelieve.

Scrutiny ramps up over mystery of missing lawmakers

The First Amendment protects religious freedom by drawing a clear line: Government may not establish religion, favor it, disfavor it or promote it. That principle is not incidental to our founding — it is foundational. It is what allows a nation as religiously diverse as ours to function at all. “America Prays” and the May 17 “National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving” betray that historical distinction.

When the federal government organizes and promotes religious observance, it is no longer neutral. It is using the machinery of the state to elevate religion itself and, in practice, a narrow slice of it.

In reality, nearly 1 in 3 Americans today identifies as religiously unaffiliated. Millions additionally practice minority faiths. We are patriotic, invested in the country’s future and deserving of equal standing. Yet presidential initiatives like this sideline nonbelievers and non-Christians.

History shows us exactly why the Founders rejected government involvement in religion. They had seen the consequences in both the Old and New Worlds: coercion, exclusion, persecution, bloodshed, wars and division. They forged a unique path — one in which belief or nonbelief is protected precisely because the government does not take sides.

That neutrality is the genius of the American system.

“America Prays” supporters may argue that it simply encourages a widely held tradition. But constitutional rights are not subject to majority preference. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment exists to protect minority viewpoints and to ensure that the government does not enmesh its civil powers with any religion.

The government should not be in the business of religion.

At 250 years, the U.S. has an opportunity to reaffirm what truly makes our nation exceptional. Not religious unity, which we have never had, but a secular Constitution that guarantees freedom of conscience for all. It’s encapsulated by the original motto E Pluribus Unum (From many, [come] one).

That includes the right to pray — and the equal right not to.

If a future administration launched a national campaign encouraging atheism, telling people there is no God to pray to and discouraging them from going to church, the constitutional problem would be obvious. The principle does not change depending on which belief system is being promoted.

If this anniversary is meant to celebrate American ideals, then let’s celebrate the principle that makes all the other ideals possible: a government that belongs to everyone — not just the religious.

Annie Laurie Gaylor is co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She co-founded FFRF in 1976 as a college student with her mother Anne Nicol Gaylor. Annie Laurie has authored three books: “Woe to Women: The Bible Tells Me So,” “Betrayal of Trust: Clergy Abuse of Children” and “Women Without Superstition: “No Gods – No Masters”. 

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is pleased to report that a new Pew Research Center survey offers an encouraging reminder.

Despite the growing noise of Christian nationalism in American politics, most Americans still reject the idea of churches controlling government or politicians using religion to wield power. The findings arrive amid increasingly aggressive efforts by religious nationalists to blur the line between church and state, including a White House-backed Christian nationalist revival in the heart of Washington, D.C., this Sunday calling for a “rededication” of America as “One Nation under God.”

Most notably, Pew found that nearly eight out of 10 Americans say churches and other houses of worship should not endorse political candidates, and two-thirds say religion should stay out of day-to-day political matters altogether.

“That is a powerful reaffirmation of America’s secular Constitution,”says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “Most Americans still support the basic principle of separation between state and church — and are looking for greater separation between politics and religion.”

The survey also found that support for enforcing state/church separation remains stable, with a majority of Americans saying the government should continue enforcing it. Significantly, the already small share of Americans who want the government to stop enforcing the separation of religion and government has actually declined in recent years.

FFRF says this demonstrates that while Christian nationalist rhetoric may dominate headlines and political rallies, it does not represent mainstream public opinion.

“The loudest voices are not necessarily the majority,” notes Barker. “Most Americans still understand that secular government protects everyone’s religious freedom, including the freedom to not practice religion at all.”

The survey also shows growing public awareness of Christian nationalism itself. Nearly 60 percent of Americans now say they have heard at least something about the movement, a substantial increase from just two years ago. Importantly, unfavorable views of Christian nationalism significantly outweigh favorable ones, with only 10 percent favoring it.

FFRF posits that as more people see attempts to inject Christianity into public schools, lawmaking and government institutions, they’re becoming more aware of the threat it poses to democracy and religious liberty.

The survey also found that a majority of Americans believe conservative Christians have gone too far in trying to impose religious values through government and public schools. FFRF says that concern reflects growing public unease over attacks on secular education, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality and religious freedom.

At the same time, FFRF notes that the survey contains warning signs that cannot be ignored. Support for declaring Christianity the nation’s official religion has increased modestly in recent years, particularly among Republicans.

Still, the broader picture remains clear: Most Americans do not want a theocracy.

The survey’s findings show that the Constitution’s promise of secular government remains precious to the American public — an encouraging sign for everyone working to defend the constitutional principle of separation between state and church against an increasingly organized and well-funded Christian nationalist movement.

Christian nationalists are one step closer to shoving religion in your face!

Senate Bill 307 recently cleared another major hurdle, and will soon be headed to the House floor for a final vote. This awful bill is trying to force a strictly religious monument onto state grounds, directly flying in the face of the First Amendment. This bill will alienate Christians and non-Christians alike; during a committee hearing the Chair even said he’d prefer the Catholic version of the decalogue as opposed to the Protestant version that is being forced. This divisiveness is exactly the problem and this is why we need your help to stop it!

SB 307 frames the Ten Commandments as an “educational document” in an effort to avoid scrutiny of placing them on the Louisiana State Capitol grounds. The bill erroneously pitches the Ten Commandments as a foundational legal and cultural document and mandates the inclusion of religious context in public displays. It is outright twisting history to favor a particular version of Christianity over any other worldview.

Bills like this show how dangerous it is for a state to openly embrace religion. Louisiana is made up of more than just Christians. By taking a stand and fighting back against this bill, you can make a difference, and keep the public spaces religiously neutral, the way the Constitution intended. Please contact your House representative today, and urge them to vote “NO” on SB 307!

We’ve included talking points you can email to your senator through the “Take Action” section that you can customize by clicking or tapping on the pencil icon. Personal stories connect even better with legislators, so please take the time to share your feelings if you can. For best results, please be succinct and polite. Additionally, after sending your email, you will be prompted to call your representative’s office as well — even leaving a phone message shows your dedication to the cause! For best results, please be succinct and polite.

(Note: You must live in Louisiana to take part in this action alert.)

The Freedom From Religion Foundation and Faithful America are joining forces to co-sponsor a provocative protest this Sunday, May 17, over the entanglement of government and Christian nationalism on the National Mall that day.

President Trump has proclaimed “Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving” in the capital’s central space on Sunday. In response, the two groups will be erecting a 15-foot-tall balloon of a golden calf with a Trump-like visage, which Faithful America first debuted on the National Mall in October 2024 next to signs such as “False prophet.” The balloon will go up on green space on 3rd Street between Jefferson and Madison near the Mall and Capitol.

FFRF, a national state/church watchdog whose 41,000 members are largely nonreligious, is pleased to be working with Faithful America, a network of progressive Christians confronting white Christian nationalism.

“We want to ensure there is a presence in support of separation between religion in government during this spectacle of Christian nationalism hosted by the federal government,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “And we can’t think of a better image than this tongue-in-cheek golden calf.”

A new poll that Pew Research Center has released in the shadow of the White House’s “large-scale revival” finds that a majority of adult Americans (52 percent) think “conservative Christians have gone too far in trying to push their religious values in the government and public schools.” A majority (54 percent) of Americans also say that the government should enforce the separation of state and church while 13 percent say it should stop such enforcement. Only 10 percent of U.S. adults have a favorable view of Christian nationalism.

Trump announced the all-day prayer fest during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in February. The full-day spectacle of prayer, testimony, scripture and worship calls on Americans to gather “to rededicate our country as One Nation to God.” FFRF has lambasted the prayer rally, noting that speakers at the overtly sectarian gathering include major Christian nationalist figures alongside cabinet members, and Christian bands playing along with military bands. FFRF has also criticized the numerous cabinet officials who’ve released slick endorsements via videos and social media.

“This government-sponsored prayerfest is the epitome of exactly what our secular Constitution forbids our government from doing: putting on church, placing its imprimatur on religion and conferring governmental blessings to a particular faith that can only be called MAGA Christianity,” Gaylor says. “It is a fusion not only of church and state, but also of our federal government with Christian nationalism.”

FFRF’s Freedom of Information Act request seeking information on public funding is on appeal, so financial details are murky. “One nation under God” is the theme of the prayer fest’s sponsor, Freedom 250, an initiative President Trump announced in December that a group of senators is investigating for possibly siphoning off up to $100 million in taxpayer dollars intended for America 250, a campaign created by Congress to celebrate America’s birthday with inclusive civics events, not religious revivals.

Gaylor points out that almost a third of U.S. adults today have no religious affiliation and an additional 7 percent belong to non-Christian faiths, and concludes, “We are part of ‘We the People.’”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is urging the Drew County (Ark.) Sheriff’s Office to immediately stop encouraging or coercing inmates to undergo baptisms.

FFRF was recently informed that the Drew County Sheriff’s Office has been baptizing Drew County Detention Facility inmates. A March 12 post from the Sheriff’s official Facebook page reads:
I am very proud of these 13 men and women (many I have known for years and even watched grow up) who made that public profession today at Pauline Baptist Church. While the Devil tried to do his best to ruin the day we would not allow that to happen. He made cuffs not want to come off and he even tried locking the rear doors on the transport van where detainees couldn’t get out to be baptized but we made sure to help fulfill God’s plan and we got them there.
I want to thank all of those who come and witness to these men and women and to our staff for making it work!
God is at work,
Sheriff Tim Nichols

FFRF is demanding that the Sheriff’s Office cease the practice of coercing inmates to participate in religious exercises. 

“By organizing, hosting and promoting inmate baptisms and celebrating inmates’ conversions to Christianity on its official social media, the Sheriff’s Office is unconstitutionally favoring religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes to Sheriff Tim Nichols. 

A county detention facility is an inherently coercive environment and inmates and detainees are literally a captive audience. When the Sheriff’s Office entangles itself with religion and makes it clear that it’s encouraging inmates to convert to Christianity, inmates will no doubt feel pressured to convert and participate in religious activities to be seen as cooperative and well behaved. Inmates and detainees who are aware of the Sheriff’s Office’s promotion of Christianity will not genuinely feel free to refuse to participate in its religious activities. This practice is constitutionally impermissible. And the Sheriff’s Office’s promotion of religious activity needlessly marginalizes the 38 percent of Americans who are non-Christians, including the nearly one in three adult Americans who are religiously unaffiliated.

“It is egregious and unacceptable that a sheriff would arrange Christian baptisms for inmates, using sheriff’s department transportation, time and staff to take them from the prison to the sheriff’s church of choice,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “The sheriff may not involve himself or the Sheriff’s Office in the conversion of inmates, or use official communication channels to post his personal beliefs in God, not to mention ‘the Devil.’ We expect this to stop immediately.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is expressing its concern over the deeply authoritarian and unconstitutional language contained in the Trump administration’s newly released 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy.

The document pinpoints secular political groups, transgender advocacy and anti-fascist political activism as potential terrorists while promising aggressive government action against organizations deemed “anti-American” or “radically pro-transgender.”

FFRF, a national state/church watchdog whose membership is largely nonreligious, is concerned about the single but prominent reference to “violent secular political groups,” which appears to stigmatize nonreligious Americans. The document does not define “secular,” a term that can apply to anything that is not specifically religious and doesn’t necessarily refer to nonreligious individuals or groups.

“We know of no current ‘violent secular political groups,’ so it is chilling to see the administration connect violence with peaceful and educational secular advocacy,” points out FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “The federal government has no business treating secularism, political dissent or support for LGBTQ+ rights as inherently suspect ideologies requiring surveillance and ‘neutralization.’”

FFRF emphasizes that secular Americans are not enemies of the state. Nonreligious Americans make up nearly one-third of the country, and younger generations are increasingly secular. Our secular Constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of conscience.

Perhaps in its most disturbing passages, the strategy states that “our national CT [counterterrorism] activities will also prioritize the rapid identification and neutralization of violent secular political groups whose ideology is anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist.” The White House document goes on to promise that the administration will “map them at home, identify their membership, map their ties to international organizations like Antifa, and use law enforcement tools to cripple them operationally before they can maim or kill the innocent.”

This kind of language and rhetoric, which is associated with authoritarian governments, dangerously conflates protected political viewpoints and secular advocacy with terrorism and extremism.

The document portrays conservatives and Christians in the United States and worldwide as uniquely persecuted while portraying progressive political movements as looming internal threats. It specifically references “the politically motivated killings of Christians and conservatives” and cites the assassination of Charlie Kirk by “a radical who espoused extreme transgender ideologies.”

FFRF also condemns the document’s ominous embrace of extrajudicial-style rhetoric from President Trump himself, who declares in the document’s foreword: “If you hurt Americans, or are planning to hurt Americans, ‘We Will Find You and We Will Kill You.’”

Americans should be deeply disturbed by a counterterrorism strategy that combines militarized rhetoric with ideological targeting. Counterterrorism powers are dangerous tools, which, as history shows, can be used to target marginalized groups, dissidents and political opponents.

The document has already drawn widespread criticism from national security experts and former officials, who have described it as incoherent, amateurish and politically motivated rather than a serious strategic framework.

The administration’s criticism of “anti-American” ideology could be used to justify expanded surveillance, investigations or suppression of lawful advocacy groups and political organizations. Congress, civil liberties groups and the public should closely scrutinize the administration’s use of counterterrorism authorities to ensure that national security powers are not weaponized against secular Americans, LGBTQ+ advocates or political dissenters.

FFRF will continue to defend the Constitution’s foundational principles of freedom of conscience, secular government and protections for unpopular speech and minority viewpoints.

This Sunday, May 17, top Trump administration officials will be speaking on the National Mall as part of the “Rededicate 250” prayer and worship event. Pastors and politicians will join together to promote a revisionist narrative that America was founded as a Christian nation and must be “rededicated” to that identity.

For anyone tuning in on Sunday, buckle up. You are about to be buried under a metric ton of bullcrap. Before the spectacle begins, here are five questions the organizers and participants should answer.

1) What “faith” are we talking about? 
The first stated pillar for Rededicate 250 includes “honoring the faith that inspired America’s founders and has carried us forward in every generation since.”

Pillar I — The Miracle that Made Us: A reflection on God’s providence throughout 250 years, honoring the faith that inspired America’s founders and has carried us forward in every generation since.

What specific faith are we talking about? Are we supposed to believe there was one singular “faith” shared by the Founders and faithfully preserved all the way to today’s Christian nationalist movement? Is the religion supposedly represented by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (both scheduled to appear Sunday) the same religion supposedly held by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine?

Many of the Founders are actually more accurately described as deists than orthodox Christians. Jefferson literally cut miracles out of his bible. Paine, author of “The Age of Reason” critiquing the very idea of revealed religions, openly criticized Christianity. Franklin was skeptical of organized religion.

And where exactly do atheists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and the growing number of nonreligious Americans fit into this story?

The reality is simple: Americans have never shared one unified religion. They didn’t at the founding — and they certainly don’t today. Pretending otherwise is historically dishonest.

2) What “miracles” are we celebrating? 
Another major theme of the all-day prayer event centers on celebrating the “miracles that made us.” The second pillar promises to highlight “the miracles still in our midst.”

Pillar II — The Miracles Still in Our Midst: Personal testimonies of God’s healing in our lives and in our land. 

What evidence do we have that a particular U.S. historical event is miraculous? We are likely to hear about significant turmoil, wars and historical events on Sunday. One can label anything a “miracle.” This term was deliberately chosen to connect historical events with the religious themes touted by the organizers. I give the marketing folks credit for using the word miracle to connect two things (history and religion). Other than the branding, we are going to be left guessing why fighting and winning wars has anything to do with a god managing U.S. history.

3) Does the Constitution matter?
The third pillar of Rededicate 250 celebrates “a new birth of faith and freedom”:

Pillar III — A New Birth of Faith and Freedom: A collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom — and a unified moment of rededication asking for God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250.

This is where your seat belt will really be tested.

Without a whiff of irony, the highest officials in the U.S. government will be preaching at us about how much we should love our freedom of religion. We know from the Constitution and its Bill of Rights and the writings of the Founders that religion and government were intended to be separate. It is simply not the role of government to attempt to unify citizens in prayer, worship or any religious matters. True religious freedom entails leaving religion to the conscience of each individual.

4) How much taxpayer money paid for this? 
Americans deserve to know how much public money is being spent on this worship rally.

Corporations and private sponsors have reportedly contributed to Freedom 250, the broader initiative surrounding the event. At the same time we know government resources are clearly involved, given the participation of top federal officials, musical performances by the bands of the armed forces and logistical support.

But the financial details remain murky.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has already submitted a Freedom of Information Act request and is sending additional requests to help discern the level of government involvement. It may take months before we find out the true cost of the event and who paid for it.

Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize Christian nationalist propaganda.

5) Does honesty matter anymore? 
By the end of Sunday’s event, Christian nationalist leaders will almost certainly declare that America has been spiritually “rededicated” for the next 250 years.

To get there, they will distort history, insert religion into whatever fits their narrative, erase religious diversity and ignore millions of nonreligious Americans entirely. They will present their preferred version of Christianity as synonymous with patriotism and treat dissent as un-American.

The United States is not unified under one faith or religion. It never was — and that’s the beauty of true religious freedom.

The United States was shaped by people with radically differing beliefs — and nonbelief. Our Constitution was designed precisely to prevent the government from elevating one religion, or religion over nonreligion. No amount of prayer rallies, political theater or nationalist propaganda changes that fact.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is decrying the inappropriate official promotion of an upcoming Christian nationalist prayer rally on the National Mall that it has been warning about.

Numerous cabinet officials have released slick endorsement videos and social media endorsements to promote the revival on Sunday, May 17, encouraging Americans to attend what organizers are describing as a day of “worship,” “Scripture,” “testimony” and national prayer. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has called the event “a national celebration honoring the shared ideals that shape our country.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has described it as “a day of reflection, prayer, and hope for America’s future.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has promoted the gathering as “a day centered on worship, testimony, prayer, and hope for our nation’s future.”

And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared, “A nation worth fighting for is a nation worth praying for.” At the same time, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has proclaimed: “Our Founders turned to faith as their guide as they laid the foundation of the greatest nation in history.”

“This is Christian nationalism in action working through the federal government,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “I can’t imagine a more blatant example than this government-hosted event that equates piety with patriotism and portrays one brand of Christianity as the core of American identity.”

The rally features a roster of sitting government officials and political figures, including Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and White House Faith Office adviser Paula White.

The event, branded as “A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,” is being promoted as a nationwide effort to “rededicate” America to God ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary. Organizers explicitly describe the gathering as rooted in “giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life” and include a “collective expression of gratitude” asking for “God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250” years. “One nation under God” is the theme of the prayer fest’s sponsor, Freedom 250, an initiative President Trump announced in December that a group of senators is investigating for possibly siphoning off up to $100 million in taxpayer dollars intended for America 250, a campaign created by Congress to celebrate America’s birthday with civics events.

Prominent religious-right figures and Christian nationalist leaders, such as Franklin Graham, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Robert Barron, Robert Jeffress, Samuel Rodriguez, Jonathan Falwell, Jentezen Franklin and Lou Engle, are joining in. Private Christian bands and choirs will perform alongside military bands.

The rally program repeatedly frames American history through an explicitly religious lens. One featured segment, titled “The Miracles that Made Us,” celebrates “God’s providence throughout 250 years” and “the faith that inspired America’s Founders.” Another pillar calls for “A New Birth of Faith and Freedom” through a national “rededication” to God.

Totally ignored is the fact that the U.S. Constitution was the first in history to omit any reference to a deity and that its only references to religion are exclusionary, such as barring any religious test for public office. Under the First Amendment, government may not favor religion over nonreligion or one religion over others.

FFRF emphasizes that Americans are free to pray, worship and practice religion privately. “But this event is doing precisely what government officials may not do, using governmental imprimatur to endorse religion, organize a national worship campaign and tie belief in a god to patriotism and citizenship,” adds FFRF Co-President Dan Barker.

FFRF is still awaiting its Freedom of Information Act request seeking information on the funding of the prayer event. Last week, it called on its members and the public at large to boycott United Airlines and Mastercard, which are among the major corporate sponsors.

No matter how many politicians wrap religious extremism in patriotic rhetoric, the United States remains a secular constitutional republic — and FFRF will defend the rights of all Americans to live free from government-imposed religion.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation strongly objects to the religious messaging and symbolism on President Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington, D.C.

While there is widespread opposition to the arch, which Trump has quadrupled in size since first proposing, the religious component to the proposal has not received attention.

Renderings of the proposed structure depict the phrase “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” engraved prominently across the facade of the massive arch, which Trump has demanded as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. His design also features patriotic and quasi-religious imagery, including gold eagles, lions and a winged angel figure modeled after Lady Liberty.

“Combining explicit religious language with national symbolism sends a dangerous message that belief in God is tied to patriotism and American identity,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “That excludes millions of nonreligious Americans and violates the foundational principle that government must remain neutral on matters of religion.”

The arch — a gaudy, gold-plated imitation of Paris’ Arc de Triomphe — is just another Trump vanity project. Asked last year who the monument was intended to honor, Trump reportedly gave a one-word answer: “Me.”

Nearly 1,000 written comments submitted to the federal Commission of Fine Arts opposed the arch. Not a single comment supported it. Polling likewise shows that Americans oppose the proposal by a margin of 51 percent to 21 percent. Nevertheless, the commission — now stacked with Trump appointees — granted preliminary approval minus the gilded statues on top, even as lawsuits move forward seeking to block the monument.

FFRF notes that while the project is framed as patriotic, the inclusion of “One Nation Under God” transforms it into an explicitly religious statement. The phrase itself was not part of the original Pledge of Allegiance. It was only added at the behest of religious lobbies in 1954 during the Cold War. FFRF has long challenged the religious tampering with the Pledge, noting that it is unconstitutional, exclusionary and obviously inaccurate, since many Americans do not believe in a god.

FFRF is also criticizing the monument’s angelic imagery. The proposed design reimagines Lady Liberty, who traditionally represents secular ideals of freedom and democracy, in overtly religious terms by depicting her as a winged heavenly figure.

The proposal has already sparked criticism from architects, historians and veterans groups, who argue that the giant arch would overwhelm the nearby Arlington National Cemetery and disrupt the historic character of the National Mall. Legal challenges are also underway over whether the project can proceed without explicit congressional authorization.

Questions also remain over funding. Although Trump has suggested private donors could finance the project, reports indicate that the National Endowment for the Humanities has reserved $15 million for the effort, raising concerns about taxpayer involvement in what amounts to a religiously infused vanity monument.

FFRF emphasizes that public monuments should unite Americans around shared constitutional principles — not promote theological beliefs.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is urging the Valley View Public Schools system to immediately put a stop to a district archery coach’s practice of leading team members in prayers.

A concerned district parent informed the state/church watchdog that the archery coach at Valley View Intermediate School has a pattern and practice of leading students in Christian prayer before tournaments and official archery events, such as a recent awards ceremony. Audio provided to FFRF from this ceremony confirmed that the coach and what appeared to be a coach-selected student led the entire audience, including other students, in an explicitly Christian prayer. 

The parent who reported this unconstitutional practice explained that they are not religious and that they are “more than disappointed” that their child has been “exposed to such blatant proselytizing.” 

FFRF has written to the district to stand up for students’ and parents’ rights of conscience.

“Here, the archery coach is undeniably pushing her personal religious beliefs onto students by coercing the entire archery team to participate in prayers as part of official school-sponsored activities,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence writes. “The coach is blatantly crossing the constitutional line and violating student-athletes’ First Amendment rights.”

Student-athletes are especially susceptible to coercion, and the relationship between student-athletes and their coaches is inherently ripe for coercion. Students know that their coaches control their positions on the team, including who plays in each game. When coaches lead students in prayer or direct students to lead their teammates in prayer, students will no doubt feel that participating in the prayer is essential to avoiding punishment, pleasing their coach, and being viewed as a team player. They are unlikely to speak up against their coach pushing religion on them, even if they do not feel comfortable. It is unrealistic as well as unconstitutional to make students choose between allowing their school coach to violate their constitutional rights or openly dissenting — with the risk of punishment and further retaliation.

School-sponsored prayer also needlessly marginalizes students, such as our complainant’s child, who are nonreligious, or those who are members of minority faiths. Statistically, nearly half of Americans born after 1996 are nonreligious.

FFRF asserts that to protect students’ First Amendment rights, Valley View Public Schools must immediately investigate and ensure that the Valley View Intermediate School archery coach ceases leading students in prayer and assigning students to lead other students in prayer.

“FFRF has long believed that students should never feel they have to pray to play,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor says. “District sports coaches are well aware of the position and influence they hold. Students’ rights must be protected from coercive religious practices, especially when they feel participation influences their standing on the team.”