Fear of Faith

The Freedom from Religion Foundation

Background

Founded in 1976 by Anne Nicol Gaylor and her daughter Annie Laurie Gaylor, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, with about 20,000 members and a dozen or so employees. An annual convention, meetings, and other events are funded by dues and gifts. FFRF's purpose, according to its website, is twofold: (1) "to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church"; and (2) "to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism."

Objective #1 is pursued through threats of litigation and, where those fail, actual litigation. Objective #2 takes the form of promoting nontheism. The FFRF holds...