On today’s show, host Dana Pellebon speaks with Annie Laurie Gaylor of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the largest free thought organization in the nation. Gaylor and her mother got involved in the fight for women’s rights and abortion rights in the 60s and quickly saw that the organized response to abortion was from religious groups. She says that she realized that religion should not be allowed to influence laws about women or anything else. 

Gaylor’s organization works to keep religion out of the government. They offer free advice and write complaint letters. Their team of legal staff has pursued over 100 lawsuits and are currently taking on laws that force schools to display the 10 Commandments in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. She says it’s been a good year, legally, because they’ve been winning these lawsuits. 

When Gaylor started out, she and her mother were demonized on national television. But there’s a growing number of Americans who do not identify as religious, leading Gaylor to say that it’s a good time to be non-religious. 

They also discuss the history of white Christian nationalism in the US, the psychological harm of rapture theology for young people, the intensification of Christian nationalism within the military, and how to get involved in free thought organizations. Gaylor says she sees too many people putting dogma over humanity. 

Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support.

Annie Laurie Gaylor is the Co-President and the Co-Founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Served as the editor of Free Thought Today, and author of multiple books on women and religion.

Featured image of a billboard that says “Imagine No Religion” by the Freedom From Religion Foundation via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

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