Podcasts about central florida freethought community

Joseph Richardson, a Director of the Central Florida Freethought Community joins to discuss Secular Invocations, the Invocation issue in Lake Wales, Florida, and more. Visit cflfreethought.org to learn more about CFFC. --- Freethought in Florida is a production of the Atheist Community of Polk County, Inc. (ACPC) a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The opinions and views expressed on this program are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily represent the ACPC. Learn more or donate at polkatheists.org

The Central Florida Freethought Community: https://www.cflfreethought.org/The Freedom From Religion Foundation: https://ffrf.org/

Today's episode features two deep dives: first, we have an interview with David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community to discuss their successful (!) five-year lawsuit to permit humanist, atheist & non-clergy invocations before the Brevard County council meetings. Find out how this case developed and learn some strategies for successful grass-roots activism even in the age of Trump! We also take one more deep dive into the amazing Spirit/Led Zeppelin lawsuit, this time taking a look at the recent en banc decision by the full 9th Circuit that reverses the earlier panel opinion (and is a win for Led Zep). The 9th Circuit has some interesting things to say about the "inverse ratio" rule that really brings out discussion from the past two weeks (see episodes 365 and 367). We know you'll enjoy it! After that, it's time for the answer to #T3BE 170, which matched Thomas up against the dreaded REAL PROPERTY QUESTION. Can he slay the beast? Listen and find out! Patreon Bonuses If you're a patron at any level, you can ask a coronavirus question to be answered on the next two episodes, and if you're at the $2 level or above, we have an amazing new Law'd Awful Movies featuring the Larry Klayman/Roger Stone deposition that must be heard to be believed! Appearances None! If you’d like to have either of us as a guest on your show, event, or in front of your group, please drop us an email at openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links Check out the Central Florida Freethought Community We first took a "Stairway to the Supreme Court (?)" back in Episode 236 and then did a follow-up in Episode 288. Of course, we also covered Riehl and Rubin’s project in Episode 365 (“Every Melody Ever, Part 1”) and interviewed Riehl and Rubin themselves in Episode 367. Finally, you can read the recent en banc decision by the full 9th Circuit for yourself. -Support us on Patreon at: patreon.com/law -Follow us on Twitter:  @Openargs -Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/openargs/, and don’t forget the OA Facebook Community! -For show-related questions, check out the Opening Arguments Wiki, which now has its own Twitter feed!  @oawiki -Remember to check out our YouTube Channel  for Opening Arguments: The Briefs and other specials! -And finally, remember that you can email us at openarguments@gmail.com!

This week we talk about the magic of crystals, Chile taking on pedophile priests, atheists winning in Florida, town like resort opening up to non-Christians, and more! Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or leave us a voice message using atheistnomads.com/speakpipeSupport the show at atheistnomads.com/donateSubscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribe ANNOUNCEMENTS Why episode 310 was lateWhat I learned about Patreon's fraud preventionAtheist Nomads Camp out - Island Park, ID - September 13-15 NEWS Chile removes statute of limitations on child sex abuse amid Church crisis In response to the Catholic child sex abuse scandal Chile has just passed a law that removes the statute of limitations for rape, sexual abuse, production of pornography, and prostitution involving children and adolescents. This is not retroactive. PATRON ONLY - Netflix declared ‘un-Islamic' by a Pakistani private bank U.S. appeals court rules Florida county cannot ban invocations by atheists Brevard County Florida was sued in 2015 by the Central Florida Freethought Community, Humanist Community of the Space Coast, and Space Coast Freethought Association over being rejected by the county when their members had requested to be allowed to deliver the invocations for the county's meetings. They won in 2017 at the district court level, and they have now won at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The County even admitted that they would reject atheists, deists, Wiccans, Rastafarians, and polytheists, and would probably reject Hindus, Sikhs, and followers of Native American religions. While the Greece ruling allowed for sectarian invocations, it made it very clear that it has to be open to everyone and per this ruling, anyone of any religion or no religion. PATRON ONLY - Christian Student Group Claims Anti-Religious Discrimination at Wayne State University Christian requirement at Northern Michigan resort illegal, federal government says We have an update on a story from Episode 238, which was released in February of last year. The Bay View Association of the United Methodist Church settled the lawsuit against them. At issue was their policy that everyone who owns a cottage at the resort be a member of the association, and all members of the association needed to be an active church going Christian. Additionally they had a requirement that a majority of board members be members of the United Methodist Church. In February the HUD secretary ruled that Bay View was “engaged in unlawful discriminatory housing practices and retaliation against the complainants.” Then the Attorney General filed a complaint against them. Odds are it was really Ben Carson or Jeff Sessions that made these decisions, but that's beside the point. Their lawyers advised them to settle since going to court could result in them being ruled a town, not a private club, which would have resulted in them having to stop all of the religious programing the association does and settle they did. Gone are the requirements that members be Christian, that a majority of the board be Methodists, they are severing legal ties with the United Methodist Church and will be filing for their own tax exemption, and they will be under a consent decree and DOJ monitoring for the next five years. Lebanese town bans Muslims from buying, renting property A Lebanese Muslim couple had a hard time finding an affordable apartment to rent in the Beirut metro area and when they found one, they were informed that the town only allows Christians to rent or buy housing. As it turns out, this only applies to Christian property, as Muslims who own property in the town are allowed to sell or rent to anyone. For some background, at the time of Lebanon's last official census, in 1932, Lebanon was a majority Christian country, but now is 2/3rds Muslim, about equally split between Sunnis and Shiites, due to Muslims in the country having higher birth rates than Christians.

This Week on SarahTalk... David Williamson is a Director of the Central Florida Freethought Community joins us at the last minute filling in as Guest Co-Host. David catches us up on what happened at the Winter Garden Commission meeting (spoiler: it's not great) and we talk about community building, church-state separation issues, etc. Learn more about these Invocations at InvocationsOnline.com In the News...   Indiana and Tennessee Giving Academic Credit to Students Who Leave School for Religious "Instruction" Jax Fire & Rescue Spokesperson Tom Francis on "Miracle": I’m… a Secular Kind of Guy 50 Miles = 50 Years in Georgia Conservative Protestants and Porn: Is Porn The Problem? Abortion Bans in Georgia, Alabama Designed Specifically to Challenge Roe v. Wade Florida Man-ish

This Week on SarahTalk... Sarah's presentation in Winter Park, Florida to the Central Florida Freethought Community, "Project Blitz: Inside the Playbook of the Religious Right". First, Co-Founder and Spokesman of The Satanic Temple, Lucien Greaves, talks a bit about the documentary "Hail Satan?" and Church/State Separation issues. Then, Sarah's presentation is a deep dive inside the pages of the manual produced by the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation aimed at changing the narrative of religious liberty issues to preference Christianity and its views into state laws throughout the United States.

What happens when we have facts, but not context or perspective. Seth Andrews explores the issue in his November 11th, 2018 speech given for the Central Florida Freethought Community.Support our sponsor: http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethVIDEO of this presentation is here: https://youtu.be/fGw7Umb205Q

Harvard cognitive psychologist, linguist and popular science author Steven Pinker (The Language Instinct, The Blank Slate, The Better Angels of Our Nature) gave his very first public talk about his new book, Enlightenment Now, at FFRF's 40th annual convention in Madison, Wisconsin. His optimistic talk is replayed in full on this week's show while Dan and Annie Laurie are traveling to the Central Florida Freethought Community's cruise to the Bahamas.

We mourn the death of freethinking singer/songwriter Tom Petty (“music is my religion”) by playing “I Won’t Back Down,” appropriate for a week of state/church victories. Staff attorney Patrick Elliott tells us about last week’s federal decision declaring a Christian cross on the Lehigh County (PA) seal unconstitutional. Attorneys Sam Grover and Andrew Seidel compare the First Amendment with the Second Amendment as they are both being inappropriately “expanded” into absolute rights. Then we talk with David Williamson, president of FFRF’s chapter, the Central Florida Freethought Community, about our victory (in which he was lead plaintiff) declaring unconstitutional the exclusion of atheists from Brevard County council invocations.

New plaintiff Elizabeth Deal is added to FFRF’s lawsuit challenging bible classes in West Virginia schools. Denver FFRF chapter president Claudette StPierre tells us about the 12 Colorado billboards that say “The Only Wall We Need is Between Church and State.” Jocelyn Williamson of FFRF’s “Central Florida Freethought Community” chapter announces a “Freethought Cruise” to the Bahamas. After hearing irreverent songwriter Yip Harburg sing his song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?,” Iowa atheist activist Justin Scott tells us about the historic atheist invocation he delivered before the Iowa Statehouse this week.

David Williamson is the founder and President of the Central Florida Freethought Community. His group has been leading the way when it comes to getting atheists to give invocations at local government meetings. I spoke with David about why secular invocations are so valuable, step by step instructions on what local activists can do to get on these invocation lists, and what atheists should say if they get the opportunity to speak in front of government officials.

Guatemalan secular humanists fight back after the legislature proposes to teach the bible in all public schools. After reporting on egregious state/church complaints in Texas and Minnesota, we celebrate many FFRF victories around the country. Then we talk with Florida activist David Williamson, director of FFRF’s chapter Central Florida Freethought Community, about the new lawsuit they filed (with FFRF, ACLU and AU) challenging Brevard County’s policy of excluding nonbelievers from board invocations.

Happy Birthday Darwin! We celebrate Charles Darwin's 204th birthday on February 12, then we ask "Why, BSA" are you discriminating against atheists and gays? We announce FFRF's newest lawsuit in Ohio, then talk with David Williamson, organizer of Central Florida Freethought Community (an FFRF chapter) about how they are countering bible distribution in public schools with atheist literature in the same schools.