Separation of Church and State

Let’s Practice Social Distancing Between Church & State

Orlando – The Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), an Orlando area chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is placing billboards during the first weeks of the 2022 Florida Legislative Session to remind citizens and elected officials that we cannot have freedom of religion without a government that is free from religion.

A high resolution copy of the billboard artwork can be found here. Two billboards will be posted:

8027 S. Orange Ave, Orlando (in place now) & 165 S Goldenrod Rd, Orlando (scheduled for 24 January)

In a recent survey, 55% of the American public expressed clear support for the foundational principle of separation between religion and government (see Pew Forum). However, elected officials, government agencies, and public school personnel across the State often violate the religious liberties of citizens they are intended to serve.

The Establishment Clause, our very first freedom, is intended to be a check on the type of religious privilege we are seeing in today’s culture and in our secular government, but that check can only be effective if people act when they see potential violations.

Established in 2012, the CFFC is focused on building a thriving secular community in the Greater Orlando area. It has grown to support a fast-growing community of atheists, humanists, and religious skeptics of many labels who seek the same fulfilment in life that religious people find in houses of worship. The group hosts educational, volunteer, social, and outreach events.

More information can be found at www.cflfreethought.org.

No chaplaincy or proselytization, FFRF and CFFC urges Orange Public Schools

Orlando - Get rid of your football chaplain and rein in your preachy employees, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and Central Florida Freethought Community are asking a Florida school district in a recent letter.

A concerned Orange County Public Schools community member has informed the state/church watchdogs that Edgewater High School allows Josh Plant to act as its football team chaplain and to proselytize and promote religion to students. Plant’s official title is “character coach,” but he is actually a pastor from Church on the Drive who acts as the team’s official chaplain. Plant and his church recently led a school-sponsored mission trip to Guatemala for students, in which Coaches Mark Duke and Cameron Duke and Athletic Director Josh Vandergrift also participated This was hosted in partnership with Clubhouse Guatemala, “a Christ-centered ministry that desires to reach the lost of Guatemala”  and whose goal “is to love people into a true relationship with Jesus Christ.” 

On Aug. 27, Coach Mark Duke appeared with Plant on a Christian radio show where they discussed the trip in detail, as well as Plant’s work as the team’s chaplain. It was revealed that Plant has baptized several members of the football team and regularly leads players in bible studies. Duke stated that his goal is to help students “be the men or women that God has called them to be”, and that’s the “number one priority” of the football program with the team’s coaches and the “team’s chaplain.” The coach even said that the administration understands this to be the goal of the program. He explained:

It’s not just winning games. Yes, we are going to be judged by that by the world, but at the end of the day we know we are called to answer to Our Heavenly Father and what He’s given us the opportunity to do. And we get the chance to use the platform of football to help develop and grow our young people into exactly who God’s called them to be and we are going to do everything we can to do that, and that’s the calling on our life and that’s the calling on the people who are supportive of our program. 

Plant admitted that the football program is designed to proselytize and that he tries to convert nonreligious students to Christianity:

One of the founding things in our program is that following Jesus is the best way to live. Right, like, I say that some of the guys sometimes, cause I know some of them don’t believe, and I say look, man, I know, but can I just tell you this? If you’ll do it Jesus’ way, whether you believe or not, if you’ll do it Jesus’ way, you’ll ultimately be better… You’ll ultimately be better in every facet of your life. 

Orange County Public Schools must ensure that this school-sponsored proselytization ends immediately, the groups contend.

“Public school football teams cannot appoint or employ a chaplain, seek out a spiritual leader for the team, agree to allow someone to act as chaplain or otherwise infuse the team with religion because public schools may not promote religion,” FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line writes to Superintendent Barbara Jenkins. “It is therefore inappropriate and illegal for the Edgewater High School football team to have a team chaplain and for coaches to allow and participate in religious activities with students, as this signals a blatant promotion of religion over nonreligion generally, and in this case, Christianity in particular.”

Orange County Public Schools cannot provide an adult not affiliated with the school access to the children in its charge, and it certainly cannot grant that access to a minister to advance his faith, FFRF emphasizes. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that public schools may not be co-opted, either by staff or outside adults, to proselytize students. Federal courts have accordingly enforced injunctions against school districts that grant outside adults access to other peoples’ children to evangelize. Furthermore, public school districts have a constitutional obligation to ensure that staff members do not use their positions to proselytize.

And as important to consider in this day and age, nonreligious Americans make up the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population by religious identification – 35 percent of Americans are non-Christians, including the 25 percent of Orange County residents who identify as religiously unaffiliated. Such a huge segment of the county’s population is being alienated from the public school system. 

Orange County Public Schools must investigate this matter and take immediate action, FFRF insists. Plant cannot be the team’s chaplain and should not be involved with the team from now on. Coach Duke must be directed to cease including religion in his football program, and the district should consider terminating him for his egregious conduct.

“The prevalence of Christianity in school sports across Central Florida should be alarming to anyone who values religious freedom,” says David Williamson, Director of Central Florida Freethought Community, the local chapter of FFRF. “Public school employees and volunteers don’t have the right to force their religion onto students — even onto those who share the same faith.”

FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor concurs.

“It’s alarming that there’s so much official flaunting of religion happening in a public school system,” she remarks. “This must end at once.”

Brevard County Commissioners Agree to End Religious Discrimination in Invocation Practices

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Viera, FL – In a victory for religious freedom for all residents of Brevard County, the Board of County Commissioners has agreed not to resume its past practice of discriminating against people who don’t belong to mainstream, monotheistic religions when selecting invocation speakers to open board meetings.

The commissioners have approved an agreement to settle Williamson v. Brevard County, a federal lawsuit filed in 2015 by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Florida and the Freedom From Religion Foundation  (FFRF) on behalf of the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC) and other nontheists whom the board had barred from offering opening invocations.

The settlement agreement implements a July 2019 decision of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which made clear that government officials must not engage in religious discrimination when selecting people to deliver opening invocations.

Plaintiff Keith Becher, president of Humanist Community of the Space Coast said of the ruling, “We are pleased with the settlement and happy to see Brevard County do the right thing by agreeing to it. Local governments in Florida, if they continue to have pre-meeting invocations, should respect the diversity of religious beliefs in their communities by abstaining from religiously discriminatory practices as required by the 11th Circuit’s decision. In fact, a great way to make people of all beliefs feel welcomed at public meetings is not opening with an invocation at all.”

Since 2014, the CFFC has offered more than 80 nontheistic invocations at city, town, and county government meetings across Central Florida. Brevard County was the only government body that rejected CFFC’s requests for inclusion in the process.

Alex J. Luchenitser, Associate Legal Director of Americans United and lead counsel in the case, stated: “This settlement protects the religious freedom of everyone in Brevard County. No one should be excluded from participating in local government because of their beliefs about religion.”

FFRF Co-President, Annie Laurie Gaylor said, “We are satisfied with the settlement. Official invocation policies shouldn’t be favoring certain religious beliefs, no matter how dominant they are.”

Daniel Mach, Director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief added, “This settlement vindicates the constitutional rights of Brevard County residents.  There should never be a religious litmus test for civic participation.”

Plaintiffs in the case include the CFFC and its director, David Williamson; the Space Coast Freethought Association and its president, Chase Hansel; the Humanist Community of the Space Coast and its president, Keith Becher; and Brevard County resident Ronald Gordon.

The case litigation team included Luchenitser, Legal Director Richard B. Katskee and Legal Fellow Alexander Gouzoules at Americans United; Legal Director Rebecca S. Markert and Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel of FFRF; Daniel Tilley of the ACLU of Florida; and Daniel Mach of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

RESOURCES:

City of Kissimmee to Honor the Work of the Central Florida Freethought Community and ACLU of Florida and ACLU of Central Florida

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Kissimmee, FL – The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) chapter, the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), the ACLU of Florida and its Central Chapter are to be honored by proclamation at Tuesday’s City of Kissimmee Commission Meeting at 6 PM Tuesday (101 Church St, Kissimmee, FL 34741). This is in response to complaints from the organizations that prompted the city to revise its prayer proclamation last month.

The groups will also conduct a presentation for the Commission on the importance of the Establishment Clause and the separation between state and church.

In August, the city proclaimed “40 days of celebration of life, love and family” and announced a call to prayer event for August 21. The proclamation, the ceremony at the Commission Meeting, and the photos released for the event had the appearance of city sponsorship and endorsement. After complaints were received, the city said it was not their intention and that the “city officials’ actions and comments were interpreted as promoting a religious message and advancing religion over nonreligion.” The city also properly distanced itself from the prayer event in a city-owned park, saying that it is not a sponsor and has not used city resources to promote one religion over another.

“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to work with our parent organization the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the ACLU of Florida and Central Florida to highlight the concerns expressed by the residents of Kissimmee,” said CFFC Director David Williamson. “If the citizens are to have freedom OF religion, their government must be free FROM religion.”

Watch the video below:

Federal Court Says Brevard Commissioners Cannot Discriminate Against Atheists

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Orlando/Melbourne, FL – A federal court late last night struck down the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners’ exclusionary practice of discrimination against the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), whose members have offered to give opening invocations at commission meetings.

In its ruling, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida said a local governing body cannot limit its invocation speakers to members of theistic communities.

“County commissioners are the elected officials who are closest to the people of Brevard. They failed to adequately represent Brevard’s pluralistic community by voting three times, unanimously, to codify religious discrimination against atheists. Now, we learned that the Court agrees.” said David Williamson, a plaintiff in the case.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 by the CFFC, the Humanist Community of the Space Coast, the Space Coast Freethought Society, and some of their members. The groups asserted in the case that the Commission’s rejection of atheists, humanists, and other non-theists who sought to deliver solemnizing messages at the beginning of commission meetings violated the U.S. and Florida Constitutions.

Since a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Town of Greece v. Galloway, the CFFC has offered more than fifty invocations at city, town, and county government meetings across the region. Brevard County was the only government body that rejected CFFC’s requests for inclusion in the process.

“ ‘[T]he great promise of the Establishment Clause is that religion will not operate as an instrument of division in our nation,’ ” the court wrote (quoting another case). “Regrettably, religion has become such an instrument in Brevard County. The County defines rights and opportunities of its citizens to participate in the ceremonial pre-meeting invocation during the County Board’s regular meetings based on the citizens’ religious beliefs.... [T]he County’s policy and practice violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 2 and 3 of the Florida Constitution.”

Of the decision, Keith Becher, a plaintiff in the case, said, "I am delighted the ruling favors equality. Atheists, non-believers, secular humanists and those from minority religions are an integral part of this community. We strive to be active participants and relish the opportunity to invoke the higher ideals that everyone in our community shares."

“We’re delighted such blatant discrimination against nonreligious citizens has been struck down,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, CFFC’s parent organization. “Governmental bodies that open their meetings with invocations must not turn believers into insiders, and nonbelievers into outsiders, by excluding dissenting points of view.”

“It is unconstitutional for any governing body to discriminate against people who don’t believe in God,” said Alex J. Luchenitser, associate legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and lead counsel in the case. “Yet that is exactly what Brevard County did through its invocation policy. We’re pleased that the Court put an end to the County’s discriminatory practice.”

The lawsuit has been litigated by Luchenitser and Bradley Girard of Americans United; Rebecca S. Markert and Andrew L. Seidel of FFRF; Nancy Abudu and Daniel Tilley of the ACLU of Florida; and Daniel Mach of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.

Read the judge’s order here.