Presentation: The Disappearing Separation of Church and State (Live & Via Zoom)

Everyone is once again invited to join members of Southeast Michigan Mensa for this program, which will be presented at 7 pm (EDT), on Saturday, June 21, Live and via ZOOM.

The Disappearing Separation of Church and State

The Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.

A series of Supreme Court decisions and other legal developments since 2017 have dramatically chipped away at the “wall of separation” between church and state. Government funding for religious institutions has been approved; churches have been given autonomy from government regulation in their relations with religious employees and in church governance; broad religious exemptions from regulatory laws have privileged religious over secular objections to infringements of liberty; and secular laws have increasingly been aligned with religious doctrines. In this decade, our traditional notions of secularism in government and in the commercial marketplace are increasingly being thrown into question. Growing sentiment to define the United States as a “Christian nation” is reflected in many of these developments.

Join us at 7:00 P.M. (EDT), on Saturday, June 21, when law professor Howard Friedman will lead us in a discussion of recent events affecting the independence of religion and the religious neutrality of the state.

Howard M. Friedman is University of Toledo (Ohio) Professor of Law Emeritus. He taught at Toledo’s law school for over 30 years, focusing on the areas of constitutional law as well as corporate and securities law. He has published 4 books and over 25 articles and book chapters. He has also taught at the University of North Dakota, Notre Dame University, Case Western Reserve University and St. John’s University Law Schools. While at the University of Toledo, he was active in Ohio State Bar Association Committees and served in leadership positions in many secular and religious nonprofit organizations. He often spoke at continuing legal education conferences and testified before legislative committees.

Since retiring, Professor Friedman continues to publish Religion Clause blog, an award-winning source for current legal developments on religious liberty and church-state separation. It can be accessed at https://relligionclause.blogspot.com. Since 2014, he has resided in suburban Detroit, where he often speaks to audiences of interested adult learners.

Please note that this program will be presented live and via Zoom.

You can attend the live presentation at our usual location:
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield, Michigan
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 pm (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 pm (EDT).

Ticket prices for the in-person program are:
Mensa Members 13 years old+: $5 or buy a strip of 4 tickets for $15. Non-members 13 years old+: $7, All 12 & under: Free
Exact change is appreciated!

Following the presentation, please join us for dinner at Buddy’s Pizza, located at 31646 Northwestern Highway, in Farmington Hills, just northeast of Middlebelt Road. Each attendee purchases their own food.

If you can’t join us in person, the Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (EDT) for mingling.

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, (Meetup charges alone went up 70% in the past year!) your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated. Please donate $5! To donate, go to PayPal.com, log in, and click on the “Send” button. Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@mensadetroit.com, click on “Next”, fill in your payment amount, and in the “What’s this for” dialogue box, enter: “SEMM Zoom Presentations.” Click “Next”, select your payment method, and click “Send”.

Please remember that all Zoom attendees need to pre-register by clicking on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-2025-Gathering.
The Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (EDT) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00 pm (EDT).