“Congress' shall
make no law
respecting an
establishment of
religion, or
prohibiting the
free exercise
thereof...”
Americans United...
SPEAKS OUT through the media, public forums,
debates, lectures and other avenues in defense of
religious diversity and church-state separation.
Americans United staffers are not afraid to debate
top Religious Right leaders in any public forumthough they are sometimes afraid to debate us!
MOBILIZES Americans at the grassroots and
for Separation of Church and State
is the oldest national organization
that works exclusively to protect
and defend the constitutional
through state and regional Americans United
chapters to monitor church-state relations in their
own communities and respond effectively to local
Religious Right activity.
principle of church-state separation.
ADVOCATES for separation of church and state in
the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, working
with lawmakers at all levels to help them understand
the importance of respecting the separation of
church and state.
has worked hard and effectively
DEFENDS separation of church and state in the
THE FIRST AMENDMENT
OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
Founded in 1947, Americans United
federal and state courts, filing lawsuits and legal
briefs in key cases. We work to defuse church-state
problems through dialogue before cases go to court.
In recent years, Americans United
to oppose the dangerous agenda
of Religious Right groups like
the Christian Coalition, the Family
Research Council and Focus on
the Family.
WORKS WITH THE MEDIA to help reporters,
bloggers and others to understand church-state
issues. Our representatives frequently appear on
television news and talk shows, on NPR and other
radio broadcasts and in news sources such as
Huffington Post, USA Today, The New York Times and
The Washington Post. We’re also on Facebook, Twitter
and other social media sites.
PUBLISHES Church & State magazine, an award-
winning monthly journal of news and analysis of
religious liberty issues. Church & State regularly
contains exposés of Religious Right groups that are
not carried by the general media. It’s important news
you can’t get any place else.
1301 K Street NW, Suite 850, East Tower
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 466-3234
[email protected]
au.org | student.au.org
facebook.com/americansunited
@americansunited
WHY SHOULD
YOU CARE ABOUT
SEPARATION
OF CHURCH
AND STATE?
Campus Action
Learn about church-state issues in your
community and on your campus.
Make your voice heard. Get registered to
vote and vote at every opportunity.
Find out your representatives’ voting records
on church-state issues.
Start a campus group and spread the word
about separation of church and state.
Hold a campus forum about the meaning of
church-state separation.
Form alliances with other organizations.
Know your rights.
Defend the wall.
au.org
student.au.org
facebook.com/americansunited
@americansunited
Want one good reason why you should care about
the separation of church and state? We'll give you five.
1. TO DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS.
You have the right to worship, or not to worship, as your
conscience dictates. Public schools cannot force you to
take part in religious activities, or prevent you from doing
so. Religious freedom means the right to practice as you
choose, not as you are told.
Possible violations of the First Amendment often go
unmentioned and unchallenged. That’s why you need to
know and protect your rights! Keeping church and state
separate is essential to protecting religious freedom.
2. TO KEEP OUR GOVERNMENT SECULAR.
Aggressive religious groups are lobbying hard to make
government programs conform to their doctrines. Policy
should be based on the public interest and principles of
fairness and equality, not any denomination’s dogma
and teachings.
The Religious Right and the Catholic hierarchy are
currently pushing to change federal and state healthcare
regulations to exclude many Americans from access to
birth control. They are also demanding that “faithbased” agencies get taxpayer funding and government
contracts even if those agencies discriminate in hiring
and refuse to comply with program requirements. They
want to block marriage equality for same-sex couples on
religious grounds and deny civil rights protections for the
LGBT community. They want private religious schools to
get massive public subsidies, and some groups are even
fighting to teach religion in public schools, including
creationism in science classes!
Our government should represent and serve all
Americans regardless of their beliefs about religion, but
government agencies should never bend to the demands
of sectarian pressure groups.
3. TO PROMOTE RESPECT.
When it comes to religion, you have the right to believe
what you choose. Don’t you think your school and the state
should respect that? America has become one of the most
religiously diverse nations in the world, so it’s not enough
to simply tolerate other points of view. As individuals, we
expect respect from our peers and from our government.
Separating church and state protects and promotes respect
for all people. When church and state intermingle, there is
a very real threat of discrimination based not only on
religion, but also on race and/or sexual orientation.
4. TO FOSTER THE FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS.
You expect to be educated, not indoctrinated. Yet some
religious extremists think that anything in conflict with
their religious beliefs should be not be taught in the
classroom, read in books or even voiced. They work to
censor material that fails to fit their extremist agenda.
Imagine a professor silencing your opinion, or the library
destroying a book, simply because it contradicts someone
else’s religious beliefs!
Religious censorship prevents you from getting the most
out of your education. Church-state separation protects
public education from undue sectarian pressure and fosters
free exchange and critical enquiry.
I WANT TO HELP DEFEND THE WALL
BY JOINING AMERICANS UNITED with a gift
of $10 or more and receive 11 issues of the awardwinning journal Church & State, along with regular updates
on pressing church-state concerns, and the satisfaction
of supporting AU's work as a contributing member.
NAME(S)
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP
E-MAIL (REQUIRED)
PHONE NUMBER
SCHOOL / UNIVERSITY
Join online today by contributing $10 or more at
https://au.org/student-member. Or complete the
information below and return with a check or credit card
payment information to Americans United, Attn: Student
Membership, 1301 K Street NW, Suite 850, East Tower,
Washington, DC 20005
$10
$15
$25
$50
OTHER $
My check is enclosed (payable to Americans United)
Please charge my
MasterCard
VISA
Discover
AMEX
Card #
5. TO DEFEND SEPARATION FOR THE FUTURE.
Religious liberty and church-state separation are deeply
rooted in this nation's history. The future of these
freedoms depends on the commitment and passion
of students today. We cannot afford to underestimate the
importance of church-state separation and the commitment of those working to undermine it. Defending the
First Amendment means defending personal liberties,
defending the rights of the organizations you belong to
and promoting basic respect.
Student activism is a critical part of ensuring
that the wall of separation between church
and state will remain intact on our campuses
and in our communities.
Expiration date:
Send me more information about Americans United.
Send me information on becoming an activist on
behalf of Americans United.
Send me information on church-state separation activities
at my college or university or in my community.
Send me information on starting a group at my college
or university.
I would like to support AU’s work without receiving
Church & State magazine.
AU IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, AND
RELIES ON YOUR SUPPORT TO HELP KEEP THE
CHURCH-STATE WALL STRONG. PLEASE JOIN YOUR
VOICE WITH OURS TODAY!
CHAPTER CODE: ____________