Dear Friend,

That didn’t take long. Congress is only in its first month, but religious right government officials are wasting no time in trying to tear down the wall of separation between church and state.

Earlier this month, Rep. Walter Jones introduced a bill, H.R. 153, which would “restore the Free Speech and First Amendment rights of churches and exempt organizations by repealing the 1954 Johnson Amendment.” The Johnson Amendment being referred to is a piece of legislation that prohibits churches from endorsing or opposing political candidates.

If pastors are given the right to endorse candidates from the pulpit, their parishioners may be coerced into supporting specific candidates because of a perceived religious obligation. This is fundamentally un-American, and weakens the state of our democracy by giving religious leaders untold influence.

Stand up for church-state separation by opposing this harmful bill!

Church and state are separate for a reason, and attempts to de-secularize our government must be opposed by humanists just like you. Won’t you take a moment to make your humanist voice heard by contacting your Representative?

We have a long congressional session ahead of us, but the American Humanist Association is dedicated to helping local humanists leave their mark on public policy. Thank you for defending the separation of church and state.

Sincerely,

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director