What’s the atheist’s favorite Christmas movie?
Coincidence on 34th Street!

Yes, it’s the same joke as last year. So crucify me, ok, just crucify me. Wait, that’s for Easter.

I suppose at this point everyone is sick of hearing about the Christmas story; Joseph, Mary, Jesus, the manger. Mary, by the way, wasn’t quite as nice as they say she was. Saint Mary and all. It’s actually right there in the Bible: Mary rode Joseph’s ass all the way to Bethlehem. 

So let’s talk politics. The year is ending on a good note; the Respect for Marriage Act was signed into law. It shouldn’t have become a debate about religious freedom. It should have been about administrative processes concerning same-sex marriages in each state. But the conservatives began saying the bill would lead to the end of Christianity so we needed to push back and support the Republicans (and Democrats) who supported the bill. Thanks to everyone who emailed and phoned about this legislation. 

The ginormous spending bill that funds the government for next year was revealed to the world on Monday and will be passed by Congress today. Which is the way it should work, said absolutely no one. The bill contains language we have supported such as “None of the funds made available to the Department of Justice in this Act may be used to discriminate against or denigrate the religious or moral beliefs of students who participate in programs for which financial  assistance is provided from those funds, or of the parents or legal guardians of such students.” That includes nonbelievers. 

Also, “None of the funds made available in this or any other Act may be obligated or expended for any employee training that contains any methods or content associated with religious or quasi-religious belief systems or ‘‘new age’’ belief systems as defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.” Good. 

The spending bill does contain quite a few provisions that aren’t specifically about spending.  It’s the last big bill of the year so important and noncontroversial provisions show up in it too. Most important is language that strengthens the electoral count process so the chances of the results from the electoral college being screwed with will be considerably lower going forward.

Almost as importantly, the bill contains language that authorizes a statue of Thomas Paine in Washington DC. The statue of this patriot and early church-state separation champion has already been paid for so it just needs an official location. We worked with the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Freethought Society, both coalition members, on this provision, and thanks to everyone who emailed their legislators. 

Next year will be different. The new House majority will introduce numerous “religious freedom” bills that allow discrimination in the name of personal beliefs. We shall fight them in the House, we shall fight them in the Senate, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, you get the idea. We will also work on bipartisan legislation with the Congressional Freethought Caucus to strengthen enforcement of the Johnson amendment, which is a bipartisan problem, and reform Christian healthcare ministries, to name two. 

If you’ve been on Wikipedia lately you know that they’re saying if everyone donated $2 they would be set for life. At SCA we set the bar a little higher and the timeframe a little lower. If everyone reading this gives $10, our advocacy in Washington for nonreligious Americans would be stronger than ever in 2023. How about this…$10 and I’ll never use that opening joke again. Deal?