The fastest-growing “religion” in the U.S. isn’t a religion at all: it’s people who do not affiliate with any religious tradition. Whether atheist or humanist or just rejecting specific religious labels, members of this group of “nones” now comprise as much as 25% of the U.S. population.
Americans United has fought for the rights of secular people since our founding in 1947. Why? Because America is not a Christian country and it does not espouse a “Judeo-Christian tradition.” The government cannot force anyone to engage in religious activities, they shouldn’t tax you to pay for the private religious education of others, and events like the National Prayer Breakfast run counter to our founding as a secular nation.
In 2021, only one U.S. senator and one U.S. representative identified as non-theist or religiously unaffiliated, despite the huge growth in these categories in the U.S. But 60% of Americans now say they would vote for an atheist for president, up from 18% in 1958.
Americans United represents people of all religions and none. We work alongside organizations like the Secular Student Alliance and American Atheists in litigation, including a pending case challenging a Trump administration rule that requires public colleges and universities to exempt religious student clubs from nondiscrimination provisions that apply to all officially recognized or school-funded student clubs.
Religious leaders are often invited to give invocations before government meetings. Yet people who want to offer non-religious statements are sometimes denied. Public high school students have been told they can’t form atheist clubs even though Christian clubs are meeting. AU fights in court against this kind of discrimination to ensure that non-religious Americans have the same rights as religious ones.
The Do No Harm Act will help ensure that our laws are a shield to protect religious freedom and not used as a sword to harm others by undermining civil rights laws and denying access to health care.
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