Category: News

Another of our Board members, Ed Wright, also wrote to the Post-Dispatch Editor about the recent Supreme Court decision about school-sponsored prayer:

“Regarding the letter ‘Supreme court fumbled football coach’s prayer ruling’ (July 4): When I read about the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing a public high school football coach to pray at the 50 yard line after games, I wondered if the six conservative justices had completely forgotten their days in middle and high school when the goal of students each day is to avoid being embarrassed, humiliated, singled out or bullied.

What the court has now allowed is nothing more than bullying – Christian bullying. It is clear from testimony by students and professional football players that the pressure to follow along with the coach was not subtle at all. this not a case of a coach’s free speech or religious rights but of inappropriate coercion by a public school authority figure.

We are not a Christian nation. We are a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostic, atheists, humanists, etc. We are strong because of our diversity and our support of diversity. However, this ruling is one more frightening step by the Supreme Court in its campaign on behalf of Christian nationalism.”

Ed Wright
Brentwood

Our long-time Board member, Rev. Rudy Pulido had the following letter published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch today, July 5, 2022:

Regarding “Supreme Court backs coach in praying on field after games” (July 27): Amid all the recent U. S. Supreme Court decisions, giving Washington state coach Joseph Kennedy the right to pray at the 50-yard line after a high school football game was wrong. A school district and lower courts understood the First Amendment better than the Supreme Court. Government has no place supporting an employee’s religious practice on government property. I believe Kennedy has a poor understanding of his faith Jesus indicated prayer was best practiced in a closet, not in public venues like a 50-yard line.

Rev. Rudy Pulido, St. Louis County

Our dear friend and Board member, Ann Lemons Pollack, died April 13 as a result of complications from a fall in her Clayton home. She had been both a stalwart and an entertaining member of our Board for many years, and was a critic of theater and restaurants for several St. Louis publications, including the Post-Dispatch.  Joe Holleman had a nice article about her life, which is linked here.

Brian is co-author with AU’s Executive Rachel Laser of an Opinion piece in the Boston Globe addressing the question of whether a Christian organization can fly an overtly secular flag in front of the Boston City Hall. The case is supposed to be argued in the Supreme Court on January 18. Click on the link to read the opinion.

Church/state separation lost a champion recently.  Charlie Sumner, long-time advocate, founder of the Nashville, TN Chapter and winner of the AU Guardian of Liberty Award, died on June 24, 2021. He was a friend to several of the members of our Board, which voted unanimously to send a memorial contribution to the Nashville Chapter.  If you would like to follow suit, here is a link for that.

A timely and insightful piece by Linda Greenhouse appeared in the September 12 edition of the New York Times. Click on the link to read it. Ms. Greenhouse is a reliable commentator on church-state issues.