News From The Week Of June 28 – July 2, 2021

Friend:

“All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.” President George Washington wrote those famous words in a letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1790. A year before the First Amendment was ratified, our first president was sharing his view of how religious freedom would work in this new country.

As AU’s Rob Boston describes it, Washington wanted to make it clear that the United States would be different, a place where “government-sanctioned religious bigotry would be a thing of the past” ([link removed]).

However, you and I both know that we’re still working hard to achieve that goal – just as we are still striving to reach all of America’s founding ideals. Lifetimes have been spent pursuing the vision of equality etched into our national character by the very first lines of the Declaration of Independence. The same can be said for the centuries-old fight to live and believe as we choose and be treated equally under our laws.

Americans United recently lost two champions of religious freedom, activists who worked hand in hand with us to defend the separation of religion and government ([link removed]). Charles Sumner, a founding member of two AU chapters, truly was a lifelong advocate. Charles started working on this issue in 1949 and continued until 2021 – an astonishing 72 years of spirited activism.

Ronald B. Flowers, a professor emeritus of religion at Texas Christian University (TCU), was a former member of AU’s Board of Trustees, and an expert on church-state separation, authoring two essential books for students of church-state law. Our movement was lucky to have both of these incredible activists bring their passion to the cause of religious freedom.

So on this Fourth of July Weekend, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating not only America’s independence, but the lives of every activist whose work has brought our country that much closer to embodying the ideals laid down at our founding.

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

Why This Baptist Minister Won’t Attend Church On July 4:
The mixing of church and state in our houses of worship creates serious theological problems. Some call this special July 4 service “Freedom Sunday.” The Rev. Brian Kaylor finds this horrific and revolting.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Still Standing, But For How Long? Justice Barrett Takes Aim At The Wall of Separation:
Despite the semblance of a 3-3-3 split, the high court retains a decidedly conservative majority. Religious extremists and their lawmaker allies have capitalized on this and likely will continue to do so, especially if the more cautious conservatives change their tune.
READ MORE » [link removed]

AU Mourns The Loss Of Two Amazing Activists:
Both Charles Sumner and Ron Flowers were examples of the kind of people who show up on time regularly and do the task before them with skill and zest. They were the sort of people you could rely on. They brought a quiet passion to their work; you would never doubt their dedication because it shined through everything they did.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Enough Highway Robbery: Secularists Challenge Mississippi’s Religious License Plates:
Mississippi officials added the words "In God We Trust" to all standard license plates in 2019. In order to avoid endorsing theism while driving, residents have to pay an extra fee for an alternate plate. A new lawsuit seeks to end that.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Alton Lemon – The Man Behind The 50-Year-Old Lemon Test:
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Lemon Test that determines whether government actions violate church-state separation, let's pause to consider the test's namesake: Alton Lemon, a civil rights activist who took on government funding of private religious education.
READ MORE » [link removed]

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