The Free Thought Association

Constitutional Law

Between the Syllabus and the Sermon: How to Judge a Bible Course by Its Secular Purpose

Lawmakers in several states are advancing Bible-literacy electives as academic offerings, not worship services. The constitutional question is whether the curricula, teacher training, and classroom practices can keep that distinction real. Secular parents and freethinkers need a practical framework for telling study from devotion.

Nov 7, 2026

Reason & Critical Thinking

Hymns for the Unchurched: Why America's Godless Congregations Keep Falling Apart

Sunday Assembly promised community without creed — and for a few radiant years, it delivered. But as secular congregations across the country quietly shutter their doors, the movement faces an uncomfortable question: is belonging without belief sustainable, or were the New Atheists simply rebuilding the church they despised?

Nov 7, 2026

Reason & Critical Thinking

Ministry Without a Messiah: The Quiet Rise of America's Humanist Chaplains

A growing corps of chaplains is offering counsel, comfort, and community to people who believe in neither heaven nor hell. Their fight for recognition on campuses and in the military reveals an uncomfortable truth: even in a secular republic, care without creed must fight for legitimacy.

Nov 7, 2026

Reason & Critical Thinking

Grief Without a Hereafter: Inside America's Quiet Secular Funeral Movement

As the religiously unaffiliated become one of America's largest demographic blocs, a growing number of families are discovering that our death rituals were never built for them. We speak with secular celebrants reshaping how the nonreligious say goodbye.

Nov 6, 2026

Constitutional Law

Tax-Exempt and On the Ballot: The Quiet Machinery of Political Religion

The Johnson Amendment was supposed to keep 501(c)(3) houses of worship out of electoral politics. Decades of selective enforcement have left the law standing but hollow — and taxpayers, secular or not, are the ones underwriting the imbalance.

Nov 6, 2026

Reason & Critical Thinking

The Skeptic's Blind Spot: Why Rational Minds Fall for Irrational Traps

Free thought is not a credential one earns once; it is a discipline practiced daily, often imperfectly. This piece examines the mental traps that ensnare even the most ardent rationalists and offers concrete exercises for catching bias in the act.

Nov 6, 2026

Constitutional Law

The Wall That Built America: How a Forgotten Clause Protects Every Citizen's Conscience

The Establishment Clause is the quiet guardian of American religious liberty — yet recent Supreme Court rulings suggest the wall between church and state is being dismantled brick by brick. Here's what secular citizens need to know, and what they can do about it.

Nov 5, 2026