Americans United and its allies sponsored the Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) this weekend, and it was amazing!
We had a capacity crowd of 250 people in person at the Washington Plaza Hotel in the nation’s capital, with hundreds more attending virtually. All 50 states were represented.
The keynote speakers and breakout sessions were inspiring and powerful, and attendees were given a deep dive into Christian Nationalism, how we can oppose it and how it threatens church-state separation and a host of connected issues like LGBTQ equality, reproductive freedom, inclusive public education, and much more.
We’ll have more about SRF in the May issue of Church & State, but for now, AU would like to let you know about a way you can support church-state separation with just a few keystrokes.
Take The Pledge!
During SRF, AU launched a new campaign to spark a national recommitment to separation of church and state. As part of this effort, AU President and CEO Rachel Laser announced that Americans are being asked to sign a pledge reiterating their support for church-state separation. Please add your name today!
Our tagline is “One Nation, All Beliefs.” It’s designed to present a positive alternative to the exclusionary message of “One Nation Under God” that was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in the 1950s. Our vision is one where all Americans are included. And to be clear, we mean folks of faith and those who have no religious affiliation. We mean Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, Wiccans, Humanists, agnostics, atheists and those who eschew labels.
What The Pledge Says
The pledge affirms:
We will proudly champion separation of church and state as a foundational principle of the United States, guaranteed by our Constitution.
We will ensure public education welcomes everyone and respects the religious freedom of all students, and that public funds support public schools, not private religious institutions.
We will defend and restore the right to reproductive freedom and safe, legal abortion care from attacks by religious extremists, wherever they arise.
We will protect the rights of LGBTQ people against state-sanctioned religious discrimination so we can all live and love freely and openly without fear of persecution.
We will confront the shadow network of religious extremists that threatens our democracy, and reclaim the religious freedom that our Republic was created to preserve.
If you support church-state separation, we want you to endorse this campaign. Please sign our pledge and make it clear that only separation of church and state can protect religious freedom. Then share it with your friends! More than 1,500 people have already signed it!
Photo: Brian Silva, AU vice president of outreach and engagement, with SRF attendees.
