Alison, Liz, and Rebecca welcome guest Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee and lead organizer of BJC’s Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign. They discuss the urgent threat that Christian nationalist ideology poses to American democracy, how nonreligious and religious Americans alike can fight back, and Amanda explains the strong historical tradition of supporting state/church separation in the Baptist movement.   Show Notes Amanda Tyler’s Bio How to End Christian Nationalism by Amanda Tyler Baptist Joint Committee  Respecting Religion ..read more

Liz, Rebecca, Alison and Monica break down the latest case threatening the separation of church and state, Kennedy v. Bremerton, which involves a Christian high school football coach praying at the 50-yard line after games. The hosts review the facts of the case, outline what happened at oral arguments and make predictions on what this means for the rights of public high school students of minority faiths or no faith at all. Background Oral Arguments SCOTUS Blog page FFRF, CFI, SCA, and AHA’s coalition amicus brief American Atheists’ amicus brief Vox - “The Supreme Court’s ‘praying coach’ cas ..read more

What is the ministerial exception? Where did it come from? What has the Supreme Court said about this legal doctrine? In this episode, Rebecca, Liz and Alison recount the history of the ministerial exception and break down the two major cases from the Supreme Court on point: Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Our Lady of Guadalupe v. Morrisey-Berru.  Background “The Right’s Religious Liberty Agenda Is on a Collision Course With Labor Law” “Supreme Court affirms ‘ministerial exception’ that protects religious organizations from so ..read more

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Alison guides us through the legislative process in states and what to expect in the 2023 legislative sessions. We discuss how a bill becomes a law, what bills we’re tracking for next year, and give advice on how you can become an effective advocate!  Cases Marsh v. Chambers (1983) Carson v. Makin (2022) Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) Kennedy v. Bremerton School District (2022) New York State Rifle & Pistol Assoc. v. Bruen (2022) Resources American Atheists Sign up for action alerts  State Legislation Tracker  State of the Secular States report FFR ..read more

Monica, Alison, Liz, and Rebecca discuss religious liberty issues in our jails and prisons. From court-ordered AA to coercive prayer meetings to forming atheist and humanist groups in prisons, there are plenty of ways the separation of church and state affects this vulnerable population. Cases Torcaso v. Watkins (1961) FFRF v. Mosley and Laurel County Correctional Center (2019) Jason Holden v. BOP (2014) AHA & Kwame Teague v. Perry (2019) Kaufman v. McCaughtry (2006) West v. Radtke (2022)   Check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Our website, we-dissent.org, has mo ..read more

Rebecca and Liz recap the case, which was discussed in Episode 2, and review the decision handed down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. They also discuss the importance of this decision in the context of all other religious liberty cases from the high court’s term this past year.   Background SCOTUS Decision   Check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Our website, we-dissent.org, has more information as well as episode transcripts ..read more

Liz, Rebecca, Alison and Monica discuss the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturns the fundamental right to abortion care. The co-hosts break down the decision, the ramifications of the decision, and commiserate over the future of the rights of women to make their own health care choices.    Background Oral Arguments SCOTUS Blog Page Text of SB8 FFRF, CFI, and AA coalition amicus brief AU, AHA, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, and Interfaith Alliance Foundation coalition amicus brief Rebecca’s blog on the leaked opinion Relevant Cas ..read more

Rebecca, Monica, Alison, and Liz discuss the religious liberty issues arising in death penalty cases. Since 2019, questions about what religious liberty rights are afforded to those sentenced to death at the moment of their execution have been featured at the high court. Rebecca walks us through four notable cases on this issue and the hosts discuss what it means for religious liberty cases overall.   Background “Court blocks execution, will weigh in on inmate’s religious-liberty claims” Death Penalty Information Center poll Relevant Cases Furman v. Georgia Dunn v. Ray ”Divided court ..read more

Join Rebecca, Alison and Liz for a journey through the history and principles behind the U.S. exempting churches from taxation! We discuss the practice of tax exemption for charitable organizations, including churches, the major cases about the constitutionality of these ideas, and abuses of the Johnson Amendment.    Background History of churches and taxes 2024 State of the Secular States report FFRF FAQ on churches and tax exemption Churchtrac - The State of Church Giving: Trends and Statistics (2024) IRS requirements for church audits Other podcasts that talk about chu ..read more