First Five
Don’t Get Stuck on Prayers in Public Schools
It’s time we stop reducing complex questions of religion and education to political debates about prayer.
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Baby Jesus Wasn’t a Patriotic American
Religious communities should be concerned when public officials, including those in the White House, use religious holidays like Christmas to stoke nationalist sentiments among their Twitter followers.
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Teacher-led Prayer: Unconstitutional but Appropriate?
Teachers should help students understand why religious freedom protections — like the prohibition against teacher-led prayer — benefit people of all religions and none.
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Protecting Religious Freedom Has a Domino Effect
The recent death of a turbaned Sikh law enforcement officer sparks conversation over the fact that some members of minority religious communities are still forced to decide between serving their country and honoring their religious identities.
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Back to School — And Religion Is on the Syllabus?
It may surprise some, but a significant majority of Americans — including public school teachers — say yes.
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Are Religious People Really Ignorant About Religion?
The answer to that question depends entirely on what we think it means to know about religion.
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When Is a Religious Symbol Not a Religious Symbol?
The Supreme Court case that explores whether courts or government agencies are competent to adjudicate what is religious and what is not.
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Contributions of African Americans Often Have Been Minimized or Overlooked in U.S. History — Including in the Observance of Memorial Day
Memorials have been significant milestones in the healing of our nation. But nothing replaces the deeper personal work of examining unconscious bias and prejudice.
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Lessons from Brooklyn
To have equity for people of all religions and none, we must guarantee fair treatment, access, opportunity and advancement for all — not just for the people who look like us and believe the same things we do.
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Kristen Farrington Represents Religious Freedom Center as a First Five Columnist
Farrington’s contributions will focus on contemporary religious literacy topics and larger implications for safeguarding the First Amendment right to religious freedom.
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