Don Byrd, Author at BJC

BJC urges federal appeals court to reject Louisiana law requiring public school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments

H.B. 71 represents a dangerous step toward the entangling of our civic and religious institutions. It chooses a particular version of a text sacred to Christians, picking sides and improperly expressing a preference in long-standing religious debates among and between religious denominations.

Protecting religious liberty in 2025 requires all of us to work together

As BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler wrote, “The response we need in this moment of crisis for many of our neighbors and our country is a recommitment to involvement in our democracy by every person.”

White House announces strategy, action plan to counter Islamophobia

“Religious freedom must be for everyone, and this initiative encourages a deeper understanding of and accommodation for religious practices.”

Injunction halts New Jersey constitutional provision barring taxpayer funding for building or repairing houses of worship

“The ‘play in the joints’” historically afforded to states between the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause “seems to be over,” writes a judge in New Jersey.

With battles in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, public school classrooms are a troubling religious liberty hotspot

A public school classroom should be a place where all students feel welcome regardless of their religious perspective. Instead, it is quickly becoming a laboratory for activists seeking to promote a Christian nationalist agenda.