Dissolution of Atlanta Chapter & Transition to Network

The Georgia Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, based in Atlanta, has dissolved. Currently, the only chapter in Georgia and South Carolina with regular board meetings is in Augusta, Georgia. It is the Central Savannah River Chapter.

Ayman Fadel is currently that chapter’s president. We’ve purchased another 6 months of meetup.com to communicate to members of this group information about continuing to support and advance the mission of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, namely upholding the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution and the similar clause of the Georgia Constitution.

Screening: Banned in Oklahoma, Jan 10, 6 pm

Come watch the documentary Banned in Oklahoma on how citizens & public libraries resisted censorship & illegal police search & seizure in Oklahoma.

Thursday, January 10, 6 pm, Columbia County Library, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd, Evans, GA. Basement meeting room. Wheelchair accessible. Free.

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Aug 14, 6 pm – Kavanaugh: Wrong for Church-State Separation, Wrong for SCOTUS

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is urging rejection of the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States. Join us to learn why and hear how you can be more effective in talking with others about why the federal courts should protect separation of religion and government.

Tuesday, August 14, at 6 pm, in the basement of the Evans Library, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd, Evans, GA. Share the event on Facebook & Twitter.

Resources to Learn about #SCOTUS Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision

• Protect Thy Neighbor Information Page
• Rachel Laser, President and Chief Executive Officer of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, on Impolite Company podcast, June 29, 2018
• Rachel Laser & Americans United lawyers Kelly Percival and Claire Hillan discuss #SCOTUS decision, June 4, 2018
  • • Laser mentions Project Blitz. Read Frederick Clarkson, “Project Blitz” seeks to do for Christian nationalism what ALEC does for big business, Religion Dispatches, April 27, 2018
• Jennifer Pizer, law and policy director for Lambda Legal, on Fair Media Watch’s podcast CounterSpin, June 8, 2018
• June 6, 2018 episode of Gay USA with James Esseks, director of the ACLU LGBT and AIDS Project
• Zinnia Jones, “When Everything is a Sincere Religious Belief,” June 18, 2018
• Secular Coalition for America webinar, June 12, 2018

Jul 10, 6 pm – Does the Recent Supreme Court Decision in Masterpiece Allow Businesses to Deny Service Based on Religion?

Protesters gather in front of the Supreme Court on the day the court is to hear the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in December 2017. Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/Sipa via AP Images

Charlie Craig and David Mullins were planning their wedding reception and went to Masterpiece Cakeshop to order their wedding cake. The bakery turned them away, using religion as as the justification to refuse to serve the couple. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the Colorado Court of Appeals determined the bakery violated a state civil-rights law when it turned the couple away. In the June 2018 decision, the Supreme Court held that the commission’s decision-making process was biased. 

On Tuesday, July 10, at 6 pm, in the basement of the Evans Library, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd, Evans, GA, we’re going to listen to an expert discussion of the case & then discuss its implications and strategies for mitigation.

If you have experienced a denial of service based on religious belief and you are willing to share your experience in a public event, contact Ayman Fadel at (706) 284-3002 to participate in the program.

For information on the Masterpiece case & decision, visit the page Americans United for Separation of Church and State has created.