A billboard placed by FFRF at the corner of West Washington Avenue and Park Street in Madison, Wis., calls for protection of abortion rights in Wisconsin. (Photo by Chris Line)
Church abuse
No gay priests
Frank Cornella sent us this photo of a marquee in Springfield, Mo. He writes, “And vice versa?”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is proud to help in the fight to keep strong the wall of separation between state and church. And it’s because of you, our members, that we can make a difference, brick by brick, day by day. FFRF wishes you a happy Winter Solstice and a prosperous new year!
Where do you ‘Freethought’?
When cruising the oceans, we often bring reading material along to fill the time during those idle days at sea. Freethought Today is filled with comprehensive articles and up-to-date relevant news we cannot get from other sources, making it the perfect newspaper to accompany us on our vacations. Here we are overlooking the Lahaina Harbor in Maui, Hawaii, where you can see our cruise ship in the background.
David and Susan Lofvers
Florida
A $1,000 grant from the Freedom From Religion Foundation was recently donated by the FFRF Maine Chapter to the Litchfield Food Bank. The president of the Maine Chapter, Tom Waddell (third from left in the photo), organized the donation to the newly opened facility.
The money was used for a new utility sink at the site, and the remainder, $845, will be used to purchase more than 5,200 pounds of food to be distributed to its clients. New shelves were also needed, so Waddell and his wife donated two sets of shelves, thereby saving more grant money for food purchases.
Photo by Chris Line
FFRF’s annual Winter Solstice exhibit is up in the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison for the 24th year. The gilt sign contains a secular note, composed by the late Anne Nicol Gaylor, FFRF’s principal founder, and reads:
“At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail.
There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.
There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”
And, for the fifth year, FFRF has included its Bill of Rights “nativity” in the Capitol rotunda. The irreverent cutout by artist Jacob Fortin depicts Founders Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington gazing in adoration at a “baby” Bill of Rights while the Statue of Liberty looks on. Both exhibits are up throughout December.
FFRF Legal Fellows Brendan Johnson, left, and Dante Harootunian helped place the signs in the Capitol, along with FFRF Legal Assistant Whitney Steffen and Staff Attorney Chris Line.
FFRF is honoring the Bill of Rights in the Granite State this holiday season. For the second year in a row, FFRF members have set up a freethinking holiday display in New Hampshire’s capital. The exhibit, erected outside the Capitol building in Concord, is FFRF’s 6-foot-tall Bill of Rights “nativity.”
Many of FFRF’s other chapters and members are also placing unholy holiday signs and banners on public property (although not in time for this issue). They will appear in the January/February issue.
