Reads of Reason (March 28, 2022)

Happy Monday!

Welcome to Reads of Reason, a weekly compilation of news-clippings that relate to our work advocating for the equal rights of nonreligious Americans and the separation of religion and government.

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News We Care About
(Good to know for protecting the Wall of Separation)

Sen. Graham presses Ketanji Brown Jackson to rate her religious faith ‘on a scale of 1 to 10’ (Washington Post, 3/23/22)
Though it would be potentially illegal under federal law for an employer to ask a job candidate about their religious beliefs, Jackson started to respond that she was a nondenominational Protestant — before Graham cut in

BJC report on Christian nationalism draws Congressional notice (Baptist News Global)
Documentation on Christian nationalism produced by Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has drawn the attention of the Congressional Freethought Caucus

U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission’s anti-LGBTQ+ hiring policies case (Seattle Times, 3/21/22)
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not review a case involving Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, which was sued in 2017 over its anti-LGBTQ+ hiring policy after it declined to hire a bisexual lawyer who applied for a job.

Groups opposed to gay rights rake in millions as states debate anti-LGBTQ bills (NBC, 3/23/22)
Organizations identified as anti-LGBTQ hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center have seen revenue soar as the battle over gay and trans rights rages nationwide.

Bill would limit public dollars in religious schools (WCAX, 3/21/22)
A bill up for a vote this week in the Vermont Senate could limit how public school dollars would follow students to private religious schools.

What the History of Science and Religion Reveals About Today’s Divisive Covid Debates (Smithsonian, 3/22/22)
A new Smithsonian book and exhibition explores the ongoing conflicts and reconciliations between faith and technology in American life

Secular Americans
(Who are we? What are we up to?)

Study: Women of no faith face discrimination — when they are seen at all (RNS, 3/22/22)
‘Nonreligious Women in America’ details the extent to which women conceal their nonreligious identities, as well as the isolation, stigma and discrimination they face.

Women Nonbelievers Still Face Intolerance, Despite Growing Numbers (GEN, 3/22/22)
A new survey of nonreligious women in America details discrimination at work, school, and within families

Organization calls for removal of Elizabethton crosses (WJHL, 3/21/22)
The Freedom From Religion Foundation says it wants the crosses removed because they are located on city property and claims that is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Camp Quest makes return to Northeast at Stoneleigh-Burnham School (3/21/22)
Camp Quest, a nonprofit that provides summer camps to children across the United States, is making its return to the Northeast this summer with a three-week camp at Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

The happiest nations on Earth are strongly secular (OnlySky, 3/20/22)
Based on an analysis of a host of sociological, economic, and psychological factors, the nations that are currently the happiest on earth – just so happens that all of them are among the most secular/least religious nations on Earth.

Commentary
(Everyone has an opinion...)

Lindsey Graham’s grilling of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s faith backfired (OnlySky, 3/23/22)
Graham didn’t expose a double-standard about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s faith. He exposed the GOP’s inability to handle faith responsibly.

Legal experts blast Lindsey Graham’s ‘disingenuous’ questions to Judge Jackson on religion (RawStory, 3/22/22)
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tried to take revenge on Democrats for the 2017 Court of Appeals confirmation hearing questions asked of Amy Coney Barrett by asking wildly inappropriate questions of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Stop the Christian nationalist coup: Make politicians pay for their Crusades (OnlySky, 3/21/22)
All across the nation, in fact, bills are being proposed, deliberated on, and sometimes passed, that flagrantly violate the most basic fundamental democratic principles of the Constitution, have little chance of withstanding legal scrutiny, and do not even claim to serve a compelling state interest.

Putin’s Fascism (Tablet, 3/20/22)
The admiration of religious traditionalism and hatred of cosmopolitan liberalism is part of the Kremlin’s fascist ideology

Opposing Views
(Always good to know what others are saying)

Supreme Court conservatives say religious groups should be free to hire only like-minded believers (NBC News, 3/21/22)
Forcing religious organizations to hire people who don't share their religious views would undermine their autonomy and their continued viability, Alito wrote."

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