[Hac-announce] HUMANISTS TO CELEBRATE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY

[Cary Shaw]

          Monday, January 9, 2023 at the HFFC Monthly Meeting

          6:30 PM doors open  6:45 Zoom opens. 7 PM program.

Register at The meeting is open to all at no charge.  Register at
https://bit.ly/SeparationCandS
<https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrcu-trjsvHdSfQL5eS0Vid_DthFSNIz9Y>
to attend this free hybrid meeting in person in Wilton, CT or via Zoom
videoconference.



As elected officials across Connecticut honor Religious Freedom Day with
proclamations,
Religious Freedom Day ,  in essence a celebration of freedom of conscience,
will be celebrated by Humanists iand Freethinkers of Fairfield County at 7
pm on Monday eve, January 9 th, with guest presenter Rob Boston, Senior
Advisor and Editor at Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

RFD is a commemoration of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a
measure drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that became law in 1786 after
being guided through the state legislature by James Madison. The law ended
government support for religion in Virginia and guaranteed religious
freedom for all. Scholars acknowledge that it greatly influenced the
wording of the church-state separation provisions of the First Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution.

This is a principle  which benefits all people, regardless of their
individual beliefs regardimg religion.

Religious Freedom Day was designated by Congress in the 1990s. It has been
proclaimed BY Connecticut  governors, and by   leaders  of towns including
Norwalk, Fairfield, Greenwich, Bethel , New Britain, and  Hamden.

A special feature of HFFC‘s program January 9 event will be a presentation
by Rob Boston,  Senior Adviser at Americans United for Separation of Church
and State and Editor of *Church & State*, AU’s monthly membership magazine.
Rob, who has worked at Americans United since 1987, is the author of four
books. He has made numerous appearances on television and cable news,
including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NBC and others, and is on the board of the
American Humanist Association.

Under the heading of. “Freedom Without Favor, Equality Without Exception” the
presentation is “Responding to the Christian Nationalist Assault on
Separation of Church and State”, whereby the term “Christian nationalist”
refers to the  misguided idea that our nation is based on adherence to a
single religion.This talk will examine the rise of Christian Nationalism as
a political force in America and discuss how it has led to an erosion of
the church-state wall. Rob will discuss how the Supreme Court’s assault on
church-state separation comes during a time of great demographic changes
and will outline strategies for responding.

HFFC is celebrating RFD on January 9th to coincide with its scheduled
monthly program and to avoid conflicting with Martin Luther King Day
activities.

 To attend the event in person (in Wilton CT) or by Zoom, register at
https://bit.ly/SeparationCandS
<https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrcu-trjsvHdSfQL5eS0Vid_DthFSNIz9Y>

The event is free of charge and open to the public.


Humanism is a progressive lifestance that, without supernaturalism, affirms
our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of
adding to the greater good of humanity.

For more information on HFFC  (info at hffcct.org) visit HFFCct.org


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Graphic Attachments:

Proclamation by Norwalk mayor Harry Rilling,
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