IAF Opposes Des Moines City Council Ordinance Targeting Unhoused Citizens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Aug 5th 2024

IOWA ATHEISTS AND FREETHINKERS OPPOSE DES MOINES CITY COUNCIL ACTION ON HOMELESSNESS

The Des Moines City Council is considering updating an ordinance that targets the homeless population that are within the city limits. The proposed ordinance empowers law enforcement to seek out, contact, and ultimately remove persons suspected of “camping” within the city limits, criminalizing those without a home. Punishments range from a fine that these destitute individuals likely cannot pay all the way to potential indentured servitude via arrest and involuntary community service for the “crime” of being homeless. In the rush to pass this ordinance, little thought for those it would impact and even less thought to the future ramifications of such a sweeping change.

The membership of Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers opposes this ordinance and call upon our community partners to denounce this move by the city council.

IAF condemns criminalization of our fellow human beings as criminals for the mere status of being unhoused.  As humanists we believe that all people deserve dignity and respect and ought not be criminalized for where they live or how they live. We know that through science and the study of data there are better alternatives to address these systemic issues than arresting the least fortunate among us and placing them in prisons or even more dangerous situations. As members of the community and citizens of Des Moines, we oppose the use of our tax dollars going towards shortcut solutions that result in cruelty and misery. Instead, we believe the city should be investing in long term and more comprehensive solutions like building new housing, more funding for community programs, and prioritizing projects that house people directly instead of funneling them into a system that is already woefully understaffed, underfunded and ultimately, unjust.

IAF opposes this ordinance and entreats the Des Moines City Council to reject this ordinance going forward.

Jason Benell

President

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers

Iowa Atheists to Protest Christian Nationalism July 12, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IOWA ATHEISTS PROTEST THE FAMILY LEADER IN SUPPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND SECULAR DEMOCRACY

Des Moines, IA 07/12/2024- Central Iowa based nonprofit Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers will be protesting the Family Leader Summit outside of Veterans Auditorium on July 12th, 2024 with a message in favor of human rights, equal protection under the law, and secular governance.  IAF will be protesting in opposition to Christian Nationalism, faith based legislation in Iowa’s government, and the erosion of democracy and human rights.  The protest will begin at 4:00 PM and is open to the public. 

The protest is to be peaceful and on public thoroughfares with the intention of dialogue and to raise public awareness that the events being held by Christian Nationalist organizations like The Family Leader are the source of the threats to our democracy and secular governance. 

The rights of all Iowans are precious and the well being of our democracy depends on a strict wall between church and state, a wall this governor has consistently attacked and eroded over time.  Please join Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers in standing against this subjugation of rights and standing for the separation of church and state, the rights of Iowans, and for secular democracy.

With the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, as seen explicitly on January 6th 2021, and more recently in the state legislature using religious arguments to justify targeting LGBTQ Iowans, removing the rights of Iowans to their own bodily autonomy, and funneling public funds to sectarian religious institutions, IAF intends to remind the public that church and state are to remain separate.  In order to have freedom OF religion, one must have freedom FROM religion and not be compelled to support or fund any faith with public tax dollars nor have laws derived from and justified by faith based sectarian ideals.

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers, Inc. (IAF) is a non-profit social and educational group based in Des Moines, Iowa, dedicated to supporting local atheists, freethinkers, secular humanists, agnostics, and other non-religious people. IAF is a warm and welcoming community of humanists, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, and non-theists of all types.

Jason Benell

President

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers

Iowaatheists.org

IAF and HSI Announce Iowa Secular Summit!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 23, 2024

West Des Moines, Iowa

Iowa Secular Summit Announced for June 22nd 2024

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers and the Humanists Society of Iowa are proud to announce the 2024 Iowa Secular Summit!  Join central Iowa’s premier secular event featuring speakers to present on several topics that are of the utmost importance in the current political, social, and economic climate. 

The 2024 Iowa Secular Summit main theme is the importance of separation of church and state with highlights on: Understanding Christian Nationalism, The Intersection of Religion and Democracy, and protecting Human Rights.

Featured speakers are:

Dr. Emily Boevers- Iowans for Health Liberty

Ryan Dudley – Freedom from Religion Foundation

Brooklyn Evan Walker – Political Scientist and Sociologist

David Gion – Better Ballot Iowa

Tickets are available to the public and can be purchased at iowasecularsummit.org.  

Doors open at noon with snacks and drinks provided.

For questions or special accommodation, please contact event organizers at info@iowasecularsummit.org or president@iowaatheists.org

Jason Benell

President

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 1st, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 1st, 2024 

IOWA ATHEISTS AND FREETHINKERS DENOUNCE IOWA’S RFRA LAW

IAF denounces the recently passed SF 2095 legislation that is enroute to the govornors desk.  Iowa’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act is simply a license to pick and choose which laws may or may not apply to an entity.  Included in the bill is language that states “exercise of religion’ is “any practice or observance of religion” and that “the state shall not substantially burden a person’s religious exercise…unless the government demonstrates that the burden is of compelling governmental interest”.  What this means is that the bill gives the state the right and power to arbitrate what a religious exercise is, what a burden to that exercise is, and absolves any responsibility of the religious claimant to observe the same laws that would otherwise by observed by a non-religious entity or non-religious justification.  Essentially this law enshrines protections specifically for religious persons and entities-whatever that may or may not be – that would otherwise not apply to secular arguments and entities.

Historically, this religious exercise carve-out from equal treatment under the law has been used to skirt civil rights legislation, avoid transparency laws, and encourages the state to favor religion over irreligion as justification for state action.  Under this legislation it is left wide open to define what is and is not an acceptable “religious exercise”. This is intentionally left vague and blank: if a religious belief, and what is “sincerely held” about them, is left vague, then it is left to the courts to determine what would fall under a burden to them. Even included is language that states “whether that exercise is central to a larger system” and that it isn’t the effect of those beliefs that matter, but how “sincerely” they are held.  This means that the state is not only compelling religious belief in order to gain additional special protections, but the state itself can then arbitrate what those beliefs are and how ‘sincerely’ they are held. This unnecessarily entangles the state with religion. Right in the language of the bill, SF 2095 gives extensive latitude to religious belief by prohibiting a county or city from “enacting a private or civil law that would burden a person’s free exercise”. One has to wonder if equal housing laws, access to healthcare, or even the right to address a local government would be circumvented by such ‘burdens’.   Ultimately this will mean that an individual or entity can make a claim of religious ‘burden’ from observing laws even if that burden is not demonstrated by a larger belief, even if there is no evidence or justification, even if it results in the discrimination of others because they are ‘sincerely’ believing they are exempt from a law.

Besides being ultimately used as a tool to avoid observance of laws, this is in direct violation of the Iowa Constitution, Article 1, section 3: “The General Assembly shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”.  This legislation is inherently unconstitutional, favors religion over not only irreligion, but over secular reasonings by religious people, and is a bad solution in search of a problem. Despite multiple examples and explanations of the harm such a bill has and will continue to have on the preservation of the rights of Iowans, this bill has been sent to the govornors desk for signing. Please call the govornors office and demand a veto on this bill. Call the governor’s office at 515-281-5211.

Jason Benell

President

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers

IOWA ATHEISTS AND FREETHINKERS CONDEMNS DESTRUCTION OF SATANIC TEMPLE DISPLAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Des Moines, IA 12/15/2023 - Each year there have been winter solstice, seasonal holiday, and sectarian religious displays set up for public viewing in the state capitol rotunda. IAF, as well as other organizations, have proudly presented a display alongside other religious groups with the message of inclusion, separation of church and state, and protecting the rights of all Iowans to have freedom of, as well as from, religion.

However, this year, the Satanic Temple of Iowa has displayed a Baphomet statue alongside their 7 tenets which was done according to the process, openly, and within their 1st amendment right to express themselves. This has drawn swift condemnation from conservative Christian legislators and commentators that seem to value only one faith over and above all others: Christianity. Despite 1st amendment protections and a clear cut case of equal access and protection under the law, the Satanic Temple display was destroyed this week. Not only was that display targeted, but it was also targeted specifically by Christians, for sectarian religious reasons. This targeting was encouraged by legislators and even had the Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds, calling it “evil”.

This is unacceptable.

Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers remain committed to the free speech protection of all Iowans as well as the separation of church and state. Calling for the removal of a holiday display that is found objectionable due to religious reasons that has led to the destruction of the Satanic Display ought to be condemned in the strongest words possible. When our leaders make it permissible to destroy religious – or non-religious- displays they find religiously objectionable, they are abdicating their responsibility to safeguard the freedom of expression of the citizens they represent.

Jason Benell

President

IOWA ATHEISTS PUSH BACK AGAINST CHRISTIAN DOMINIONISM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IOWA ATHEISTS PUSH BACK AGAINST CHRISTIAN DOMINIONISM

Des Moines, IA 02/08/2021 - Iowa based nonprofit Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers has a message for all citizens of Iowa – KEEP STATE AND CHURCH SEPARATE.  This message is visible across the metro in the form of digital billboards that explicitly state that the Iowa statehouse is not a church and that our laws from our secular government should be based on science and evidence, and not faith or superstition.  

After the Christian dominionist assault on our capital and the slew of laws that grant additional privilege to religious organizations and faiths being pushed through the Iowa statehouse, Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers want to remind legislators and citizens that freedom of religion must also mean freedom FROM religion. A secular government that relies on science and evidence results in a better and more inclusive one, especially when many such proposed laws seek to directly exempt religious institutions from protecting the civil and human rights of our neighbors. 

The billboard campaign will be visible across the Des Moines metro area for the month of February, notably when the Iowa House and Senate are in session.  

Jason Benell

Press Officer

515.537.6520

press@iowaatheists.org