Ronald A. Lindsay critiques a new IRS policy under the Trump administration allowing clergy to endorse political candidates, warning it blurs the line between church and state.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/endorsed-by-god/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques the US government's selective approach to law enforcement, particularly its prioritization of religious doctrine over child protection. He highlights the DOJ’s lawsuit against Washington State for requiring clergy to report child abuse, arguing that religious freedom should not shield institutions from accountability.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/the-crime-fighting-priorities-of-the-trump-administration/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Ronald A. Lindsay critiques the recurring push to reintroduce school-sponsored prayer into public schools, focusing on a recent Texas bill that allows for “voluntary” prayer.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/exploiting-ignorance-douthats-call-to-believe/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Ronald A. Lindsay critically examines Ross Douthat’s book Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/exploiting-ignorance-douthats-call-to-believe/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Ronald A. Lindsay reflects on the passage of a New York bill allowing physician-assisted dying, modeled after Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act (ODWDA) but without the standard waiting period between patient requests—a potentially imprudent omission.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://secularhumanism.org/exclusive/assisted-dying-assisted-suicide/

About the Author: Ronald A. Lindsay is the former president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, recent interim general counsel for CFI, and editor of Free Inquiry magazine.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Thomas Ricento’s article critically examines the legacy of Henry Pratt Fairchild (1880–1956), a prominent American sociologist whose work helped legitimize scientific racism and anti-immigration sentiment in the early 20th century.

Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/henry-pratt-fairchild-immigration-and-the-legacy-of-scientific-racism-in-the-united-states/

About the Author: Thomas Ricento, PhD, is professor and research chair, emeritus, at the University of Calgary, Canada. He has a BA in political science (Gettysburg College) and PhD in applied linguistics (UCLA). He is the author of Refugees in Canada: On the Loss of Social and Cultural Capital (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) among many other books and articles dealing with language ideologies and the politics of identity. He is currently writing a book on the Americanization movement of the early decades of the twentieth century. He has been a Fulbright Senior Lecturer and a visiting professor at universities in Aruba, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES)—a flagship educational initiative of the Center for Inquiry—continues to empower science teachers with the tools and confidence to teach evolution effectively. Founded in 2015 with support from Richard Dawkins, TIES responds to persistent political and cultural resistance to evolution education, particularly in states like Florida. Since its inception, TIES has trained over 6,000 educators across all 50 states through workshops, webinars, and classroom resources, reaching hundreds of thousands of students. Despite growing challenges like censorship pressures and vague laws, TIES remains committed to promoting evidence-based science education and supporting teachers nationwide.

Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/cfis-flagship-educational-program-celebrates-ten-year-anniversary/

About the Author: Bertha Vazquez is the director of education for the Center for Inquiry and the director of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.

Nathan H. Lents reviews Richard Dawkins' newest book, "The Genetic Book of the Dead: A Dawinian Reverie," out now.

Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://secularhumanism.org/2025/05/the-dead-speak/

About the Author: Nathan H. Lents, PhD, is professor of biology at John Jay College of The City University of New York, visiting professor of forensic biology at the University of Lincoln (U.K.), and an elected fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). In addition to his research interests in genome evolution and forensic genetics, he is an active science writer and media commentator and is the author of three books: Not So Different, Human Errors, and the forthcoming The Sexual Evolution.

Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/

Free Inquiry Audio Edition is a production of The Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry.