Religious Freedom Day is a celebration of what we have in the U.S., let's use that momentum to fight for our friends abroad.
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URGE LAWMAKERS TO SUPPORT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ABROAD ([link removed][UNIQID])
Friends,
Today is Religious Freedom Day, which marks the Virginia General Assembly's adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786, and celebrates our the Constitutional right to worship any god(s) you like, or to not worship at all.
For our community especially, it is an important opportunity to reflect on and appreciate our right to lead secular lives and live under a secular government, even as that freedom is undermined and attacked by the Trump Administration.
While we continue to enjoy that right—every day people around the world are forced to hide their personal beliefs or lack of faith. ([link removed][UNIQID]) So as we celebrate Religious Freedom in the United States, we also need to you to support religious freedom for people abroad. ([link removed][UNIQID])
Thanks to the tremendous advocacy work of our member organization, the American Humanist Association, Members of the House and the Senate have introduced resolutions to do that.
Senate Resolution 458 and House Resolution 512 call for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws, as well as urge foreign countries to repeal such laws, release individuals who have been prosecuted or imprisoned on charges of blasphemy, and ensure the safety of those individuals and their families.
Please urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor these resolutions, and thank them if they have already. ([link removed][UNIQID])
URGE LAWMAKERS TO SUPPORT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ABROAD ([link removed][UNIQID])
Unfortunately, we don't just need to put pressure on nations that restrict religious freedom. Across the internet, especially on social media, the rights and safety of nonbelievers are being threatened.
In December, Congressional Freethought Caucus (CFC) Co-Chair Congressman Huffman took the lead on a bipartisan letter to Facebook asking them how they will address this issue ([link removed][UNIQID]) , which has a disproportionate impact on Ex-Muslims. ([link removed][UNIQID])
The Secular Coalition for America continues to work on this with our member organizations, Center for Inquiry and Ex-Muslims of North America, as well as the CFC, communicating with Facebook about how they can ensure the free speech rights of atheists on the platform are protected.
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Religious Freedom is foundation of our country—without it, our community couldn't live our lives openly or continue to advocate for the separation of church and state.
While we celebrate that fact, I'm proud that we couple our efforts at home with work to establish the freedoms we enjoy for those abroad.
Thank you for taking action today and supporting this incredibly important work,
Debbie Allen
Executive Director
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