“A group of Republicans, led by Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, are demanding answers for a program by the administration of President Joe Biden that, they say, intends to ‘promote atheism worldwide.’ Banks, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, penned the letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor’s (DRL) grant program promoting atheism and ‘humanism,’ Fox News reported. ‘The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was officially titled ‘DRL FY20 IRF Promoting and Defending Religious Freedom Inclusive of Atheist, Humanist, Non-Practicing and Non-Affiliated Individuals.’ It announced a ‘competitive’ process that would award grants of up to $500,000 to organizations committed to the practice and spread of atheism and humanism, namely in South/Central Asia and in the Middle East/North Africa. To be clear, atheism and humanism are official belief systems. It is one thing for the Department to be tolerant and respectful of a wide range of belief systems, and to encourage governments to respect the religious freedom interests of their citizens. It is quite another for the United States government to work actively to empower atheists, humanists, non-practicing, and non-affiliated in public decision-making. Any such program–for any religiously-identifiable group–in the United States would be unconstitutional. Americans rightly discern this as a part of the broader effort on the part of your administration to promote radical, progressive orthodoxy abroad. Atheism is an integral part of the belief system of Marxism and communism.’”
“Republicans Demand Answers,” Conservative Brief, July 2, 2022