There is so much going on in the CFFC we coudln't possibly put it all in a monthly newsletter or a monthly meeting. We do our best to give you only the highlights here no matter how long it seems. Remember, you can always find more on our Facebook page.
If you ever have questions, ideas, or feedback on anything relating to our work, please let us know. We would love to hear from you. Here is our Contact page.
Here is a quick reminde
r of what the Central Florida Freethought Community is all about.
Vision
Secular local government which
neither promotes nor denigrates any religion.
Mission
To be an effective advocate for
state/church separation uniting
all local freethinkers in practical activism.
Goals
- Informed and involved members
- An engaged local media
- Public support for secular values
Thanks for subscribing and staying informed about freethought in Central Florida.
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Giving thanks to real people
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS!
We spent last month thanking those of you who supported our donation drive locally so we want to take just a moment to acknowledge the primary donor who was the inspiration for the fundraiser, Scott Hunter.
Scott, who hails from Phoenix, Arizona reached out to us by email in September and dared us to match a very generous $2,000 he was willing to provide. Opportunities like that don't come along very often so we were glad to accept the challenge. The worst we could do was gain some funds from local donors while trying to reach that goal.
As you know, we did much better than that.
The challenge was laid down in September and met in the last week of December without any last minute begging needed.
So thanks to everyone, especially Scott, for the interest in our organization and the work we're doing on behalf of all Floridians--not just the freethinkers among us.
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Local or regional news that matters to you!
Dr. Batcheldor Follow Up Info
 If you missed Dr. Batcheldor's talk in January, not to worry. We have video!
We also have a link to his KickStarter campaign.
Please consider lending your support in any way you can--even if just by sharing it on social media. This
campaign to publish his first book lasts the entire month of February. Here is the link:
www.astronomysavestheworld.com
Daniel did an amazing job of engaging the audience and keeping the science understandable during his talk. His video will be posted this week. You can see that and those of our last two CFFC events on the CFFC
YouTube page.
Dr. Darrel Ray Speaking at UCF
Sexy Evolution: What do ducks, chimps and humans have in common?
There is plenty of room for everyone so come by and check it out.
Some attendees will grab a bite to eat at 5:30 PM at
Burger Fi on the corner of University and North Alafaya Trail just across the street from the campus.
7:00 PM, Monday, February 8th
UCF - College of Health and Public Affairs
Building 1, Room 125
RSVP and get parking information soon on
Meetup and/or
Facebook
CFFC February Event: A Religious Perspective on Church/State Separation
James "Jim" Coffin is the Executive Director for the Interfaith Council of Central Florida. Jim is a Christian, but he hasn't always considered himself part of the "majority faith" in America.
As a
Seventh-day Adventist, he often finds himself part of a very small minority. Not in the same way as non-Christian faiths or freethinkers, but his perspective on this subject and his interest in religious equality for all has brought Jim and the CFFC together on several issues of religious liberty in Central Florida.
Besides being an ally of the CFFC Jim is an excellent speaker. We know you will enjoy hearing his thoughts on what he refers to as the "non-establishment" clause of the First Amendment and how people of faith and non-faith should work together to protect it.
1:00 PM, Sunday, February 28th
University Club of Winter Park, 841 N. Park Ave, Winter Park, 32789
RSVP on
Meetup and/or
Facebook
Florida Legislative Session Underway
Lawmakers in Tallahassee are back at it. Among the standard issue anti-civil rights bills we regularly see, there are a few we want to mention that are making their way through the process right now.
If you are subscribed to action alerts with any organization you support, be sure to jump in and help out when you get a request for assistance. Or, take it upon yourself and call your legislator. Those calls are a far more valuable lobbying device than an email.
Find your Florida legislator here:
www.secular.org
The CFFC also wants to acknowledge the continuing assistance of Bob Bishop for tracking the legislation in Tallahassee for us. Thanks so much, Bob!
Concern in Hillsborough Re: Religion in Schools
Just as in other states, Florida's public schools are pinched for funding. There are many reasons for this including efforts by the religious right as well as some fiscal conservatives to privatize public education. See several articles on the subject by author and journalist Katherine Stewart here including one on Orange County, FL here.
This desperation can result in thoughtful school administrators becoming very resourceful in finding ways to help c
hildren succeed. As a result, churches and other religious organizations are stepping up to assist and being provided easy access to kids with little direction from the schools other than to be "non-proselytizing."
You might expect (and might have experienced) it is often very difficult for the faithful to keep their faith to themselves around other people.
Recently, Hillsborough County Public Schools have found themselves in the news for seeming to cross the line in how to go about inviting the assistance of churches. This is courtesy of new Superintendent, Jeff Eakins. Our allies in the Tampa Bay Coalition of Reason are stepping up and stepping in to ensure the superintendent and school board members know they will be held to account for any violations. Here are some recent news stories from the Tampa Bay Times:
School Prayer Not Allowed by Private Schools?
The FHSAA is considered a "state actor" due to
sanctioning by the state legislature and funds provided by the state and by local schools who participate. As such, school prayer laws apply to the championship game.
Regardless of these facts, two Christian schools (the ones who presumably
prayed
played the best during the regular season) made it to the final game at the Citrus Bowl; a facility owned and operated by the City of Orlando and rented by the FHSAA for the purpose of hosting the championship game. The game could just has easily been the host site for two public high school teams, as it has very often in the past.
For all these reasons, the FHSAA explained it very clearly to both teams before the game that prayers would be permitted as they always are by the teams (and even with coaches since they are private schools), but that the schools would not be permitted to use the public address system to force everyone to hear the prayers. Case law makes it very apparent that this is not permitted.
As you might imagine, this "religious persecution" has seriously disturbed the Christian privilege the players, coaches, boosters, alumna, and parents are used to at their private schools.
Liberty Institute
is taking advantage of the opportunity in the press and
FFRF is responding
to ensure they don't rule th
e news day on their own and to lend support to the FHSAA in their decision.
Even though one lawmaker is taking advantage of the press coverage, too, there is unlikely to be any movement on this long-standing issue of prayer on the public dime--especially when school children are involved. If we're wrong, we'll tell you about it and you'll see it here. Watch this space.
FFRF Wins Coveted Scrooge Award from Liberty Institute
Congratulations to our parent organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation on being the recipient of this year's
Scrooge Award by Liberty Institute! They were given this honor for their work in 2015 in "degrading the morale of America's law enforcement officers and attacking the national motto, In God We Trust."
Liberty Institute's subscribers voted to determine the winner.
Accepting the award on behalf of FFRF was Dan Barker. In his remarks he noted that he was "delighted to be named an antagonist deserving of special recognition from Liberty Institute.
DISCLAIMER: Dan didn't really accept an award since there was no award--in case you hadn't caught on yet.
FFRF works to enforce the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution on behalf of 23,000 freethinking members. If you aren't a member yet, check them out at
www.ffrf.org
Stay Informed and In Touch
As always, be in touch on any of these issues or report state/church violations on the
Contact Us form on the website.
If you aren't watching our
Facebook and
Twitter pages, you'r missing most of the news that we make happen. Be sure to find us there!
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Coalition of Reason Member Events
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Friends of Ours. Friends of Yours.
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Allied organizations which deserve your attention
The CFFC is currently working with
ACLU of Florida on our Bre
vard County litigation. Local chapters of ACLU are often involved in state/church separation cases around the country.
Since 1920, the ACLU has worked in a non-partisan basis to defend the rights and liberties provided for in the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States.
If you don't already support your local ACLU or the national organization, consider looking into the important work they do.
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Florida's Dirty Dozen - CFFC & FFRF
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Schools may not invite anyone to give any type of prayer, invocation, or benediction at any public school event. Student-led prayer at a school-sponsored event is impermissible. Student-led non-curriculum clubs are an exception.
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Something you should know about
We found a fantastic new YouTube channel which breaks down some very important court decisions and civics principles. There are
videos dealing with free speech and equal rights decisions as well as others.
Check it out and let us know what you think! Here are our favorites so far:
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"Being true
isn't the only reason
people believe things."
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CENTRAL FLORIDA FREETHOUGHT COMMUNITY
PO Box 621123, Oviedo, FL 32762
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on the separation of state and church
Freedom From Religion Foundation Chapter
American Humanist Association Affiliate
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A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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