An article by

Rabbi Merrill Shapiro

By the time you read this, it is likely that Rabbi Merrill Shapiro will have completed his third three-year term as President of the Board of Trustees of Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s National Board of Trustees. He will revert to being just a regular Trustee, one of 15 that guide the watchdog protecting the First Amendment rights of all the citizens of these United States. He will be replaced as President of the Board of Trustees by Reverend Neal Jones of the Universalist Unitarian Church of Devon, Pennsylvania.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, AU for short, is different from organizations like the Freedom From Religion Foundation in that it recognizes the power of those people of faith who share the dismay of freethinkers everywhere when the Religious Right feels that it has a role in shaping the policies of our government, a government we pay for, a government “of, by and for the people!”

Most recently, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has launched Protect Thy Neighbor because we are seeing more and more attempts to use religion to discriminate and deny people their rights. For years we have been working in the courts, legislatures, and on the ground to oppose these attempts to abuse religious freedom. With Protect Thy Neighbor, we are devoting even more resources to win this fight. We are expanding our work in the state legislatures, Congress, and the courts so that no one is allowed to use religion as an excuse to refuse you service, deny you healthcare, or threaten your safety. We are protecting our neighbors.