Oklahoma Archives - American Atheists

Oklahoma’s Church Superspreader Bill is a Recipe for Disaster

American Atheists — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 17:30:50 +0000

In the early days of the pandemic, public health restrictions were uncertain, and there were many questions regarding what was essential. Churches were labeled as nonessential and for good reason — they are not immediately necessary to protect the health and safety of citizens. At the same, there’s been unfairness in the way officials have implemented these COVID-19 restrictions in Oklahoma. For example, restaurants and sporting goods stores were allowed to remain open. Critics have latched on to these examples to argue that churches are just as essential. However, two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because you think sporting good stores aren’t essential doesn’t make churches any more essential. Now, drawing on that outrage, certain lawmakers are pushing for SB 368. This controversial bill will limit the ability of Oklahoma to respond to emergencies by declaring religious institutions to be essential, like hospitals and shelters, and prohibit closures for public health. However, the simple fact is this: churches are not the same as hospitals and shelters. You can worship wherever you want; you don’t have to be in church. Matthew 6:6 even tells people to pray privately at home. What’s more, congregations can meet virtually by livestreaming their services. Surgeries and hooking you up to ventilators, on the other hand, have to be done in-person. You can’t livestream that. SB 368 is also being called Oklahoma’s superspreader bill, and there’s a reason for that. The most vulnerable members of our community to COVID-19 are older people or those with preexisting medical conditions. The average churchgoer is 65 and older. There is singing and people tend to be close together, creating a prime environment for disease to spread not only to the attendees, but through them to the broader community. There are countless examples and CDC studies showing that these gatherings are especially likely to spread disease to local communities, resulting in hospitalizations and deaths. Sadly, many of these communities and families will never recover. In fact, SB 368 would only make the pandemic worse. This harmful bill would endanger communities by allowing outlier churches to be exempt from restrictions and strip the Oklahoma government of its ability to protect its citizens. SB 368 is equivalent to a broadsword when a scalpel is needed. It appears even handed but, in reality, it is giving privilege to religious organizations while endangering others. The language of the bill would effectively make public health officials unable to impose restrictions that conflict with a person’s religious beliefs. Broad rules like this are a recipe for disaster. These provisions endanger both congregations and the citizens of Oklahoma. Not only is this bill dangerous now, it is dangerous for the future. The provisions apply not only to the current pandemic but to any state of emergency. We cannot predict what emergencies will come in the future, and SB 368 will tie our state’s hands by leaving our government officials with fewer options to protect all Oklahomans. I’m asking churches, their congregations, and all Oklahomans to reach out to their legislators to oppose SB 368. Tim Ward is the Oklahoma State Director for American Atheists.

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Stop the Oklahoma Church Superspreader Bill!

American Atheists — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 21:00:44 +0000

Across the country, we are seeing a wave of bills to create special rights for churches to ignore public health restrictions and hold in-person gatherings. In Oklahoma, lawmakers are considering SB 368/HB 2648, which prevents religious organizations from being subject to restrictions if any secular business or organization is exempt. For example, if hospitals are allowed to remain open, then churches must be allowed to remain open. This bill already passed committee in both the Oklahoma House and Senate! These special privileges for religious organizations endanger the lives and health of every Oklahoman. Please ask your Oklahoma representative and senator to reject this harmful bill! Public health experts believe that church gatherings may be especially likely to spread COVID-19, and there is ample evidence to support this conclusion. And yet, Oklahoma lawmakers are considering giving churches the right to meet even if similar secular organizations are closed. This doesn’t merely affect church congregations and religious schools. These in-person gatherings can be a vector to spread COVID-19 throughout a community. Please contact the committee members today. Ask them to put the lives of Oklahomans before the special interests of churches.

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Atheist Groups Denounce Oklahoma’s Discriminatory Adoption and Foster Care Law

American Atheists — Thu, 17 May 2018 16:38:50 +0000

Oklahoma City, OK—Five national organizations representing atheists, agnostics, and the religiously unaffiliated—a rapidly growing group comprising of one quarter of Americans—today issued a statement condemning the recently-passed Oklahoma law which permits religiously run adoption agencies to discriminate based on their faith while still receiving taxpayer funding. The statement, issued by American Atheists, the American Humanist Association, the Center for Inquiry, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Secular Coalition for America reads as follows: On behalf of the secular community, and all Americans who value true religious freedom and equality, our organizations strongly condemn the new Oklahoma law as well as the similar laws that have passed or have been proposed in states across the nation, including Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Virginia. Under these laws, publicly funded adoption providers may discriminate in their placement of children without risking their financing. They may, for religious reasons, refuse to place children with LGBTQ couples, with atheists, with unmarried couples, or with those in minority religious groups. Members of those groups will be compelled to pay taxes to financially support adoption providers which discriminate against them in the placement of children. At its core, this law means that vulnerable children will be deprived of loving homes due to the religious beliefs of placement agencies. Governor Fallin’s claims that this law is necessary to protect the religious freedom of adoption agencies in her state, and that religious adoption agencies could be forced to close down to avoid violating their religious beliefs, are nothing more than scaremongering. Agencies in other states who choose to discriminate in this way have not been compelled to close—they are simply no longer eligible for public funding. Religious freedom does not provide a right to demand government funding if an organization is not willing to serve the community as a whole. It is particularly galling that such a law was passed during National Foster Care Month. Adoption laws and policies should hold the interests of children paramount. When taxpayer funds are used to assist in the placement of children, those funds should be spent ensuring that children are placed in loving, safe, nurturing environments as soon as possible. The ability to love and care for a child is not limited to people of one particular faith. It is not an ability held solely by married couples over unmarried couples who chose to live together, nor is it reserved for heterosexual couples to the exclusion of LGBTQ people. As secular organizations committed to equality under the law for all, and to the separation of religion from government, we believe that taxpayer funding should be reserved for those adoption agencies that put the interests of children first, not those who seek to impose their own religious dogma and use it as a license to discriminate. We oppose these laws wholeheartedly and are working with all available allies to challenge them both in the courts and through the legislative process.

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Oklahoma: Help us oppose religion-based discrimination in adoption and foster care

American Atheists — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 19:03:24 +0000

Oklahoma City, OK—The Oklahoma State Legislature continues to push for new religious exceptions that would allow adoption and foster care placement agencies that receive state funding to discriminate against potential foster and adoptive parents. For example, these agencies could discriminate against atheists and religious minorities, single parents, and LGBTQ people without consequences, all while being funded by your tax dollars. Unfortunately, this bill (SB 1140) passed the committee and it will soon receive a vote by the full Oklahoma House. Oklahoma lawmakers need to hear from you right away. This may be our last chance to stop this terrible bill! Tell your state lawmakers they should oppose SB 1140 now! This kind of discrimination reduces the number of potential adoptive parents, making children in these systems less likely to find a loving permanent home. Every child in the foster and adoption system deserves a forever home. Together we can stop this hateful bill! Please act now and help us ensure that no child goes without a home because of an adoption agency’s religious dogma.

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American Atheists Submits Testimony Opposing Discriminatory Adoption Law in Oklahoma

American Atheists — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 19:27:53 +0000

Oklahoma City, OK—On behalf of its constituents in Oklahoma, American Atheists member and treasurer of Oklahoma Atheists, Meaghan Newman, delivered testimony in opposition to SB 1140, a bill that would harm at-risk young people and allow discrimination on foster care and adoption placement under the guise of “religious freedom.” These discriminatory bills would allow agencies to receive government funding while discriminating against classes of individuals singled out for religious disapproval. Proponents of the bills often claim that placement agencies in Massachusetts, Illinois, and the District of Columbia have been forced to close because of their sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage. However, this is blatantly false—these agencies were not forced to close, they were simply not allowed to continue to receive government funding while conducting their activities in a discriminatory manner. SB 1140 would allow child placement agencies which receive state funding to discriminate against would-be parents because they are (or agency representatives perceive them to be) atheists or religious minorities, unmarried, LGBTQ people, or any other class of person singled out for religious disapproval. Instead of prioritizing the needs and best interests of children, this legislation would elevate the religious beliefs of the placement agency. The testimony also points out that this legislation would likely conflict with federal law, which prohibits discrimination in child welfare activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (gender), age, and disability. Passing this discriminatory law would put Oklahoma at odds with federal rules, potentially putting the state at risk for liability and disqualification for relevant federal funding. You can read American Atheists’ full testimony here.

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Oklahomans: Tell Your State Reps You Oppose Religious Discrimination in Foster Care

American Atheists — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 01:00:36 +0000

Oklahoma City, OK—The Oklahoma State Legislature is considering new religious exceptions (SB 1140) that would allow adoption and foster care placement agencies that receive state funding to discriminate against potential foster and adoptive parents based upon their religious beliefs. For example, this bill would allow adoption and foster care placement agencies to discriminate against atheists and nonbelievers, religious minorities, single parents, LGBTQ people, or any other group of people they disfavor. This kind of discrimination reduces the number of potential adoptive parents, making children in these systems less likely to find a loving permanent home. Sponsors of this bill claim that religious child placement agencies in other states have been forced to close due to same-sex marriage – but that is simply untrue. Instead, these agencies have a choice: they can either take government funds or they can choose to discriminate. This is the only option that is fair to the people of Oklahoma and the children involved. SB 1140 has already passed the state senate and will be before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, April 11. Take action now to stop this discriminatory bill! Please note, only Oklahoma residents will be able to participate in this action.

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