The Freedom From Religion Foundation couldn’t handle Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s bold display of his Christian faith, ripping into him for promoting prayer and delivering an “unmistakably Christian message” at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, which the atheist organization described as having “no place in our government.”
For background, on July 2, 2025, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), one of the most prominent atheist organizations in the United States, issued a statement condemning Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for his faith-based commencement speech delivered at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on June 23. The organization said that Secretary Duffy “even went so far as to insult nonbelievers,” cherry-picking his speech to find an opportunity to take offense.
Writing in its July 2 statement, the FFRF said that it was “castigating” Secretary Duffy for “hijacking the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy commencement to deliver a Christian sermon and denigrate the nonreligious.” Moreover, the organization decried Duffy’s speech, saying that he “promoted prayer, invoked the Virgin Mary, and offered an unmistakably Christian message, concluding with, ‘Stay faithful and never underestimate the power of prayer.'”
Furthermore, the FFRF argued that Secretary Duffy “went so far as to insult nonbelievers” in his speech, referencing a moment in the speech when the secretary said, “There are two kinds of people in life: those who believe in God and those who think they’re God.” The FFRF argued that Duffy’s “rhetoric” is “a blatant attempt to cast nonreligious Americans who reject religion for intellectual reasons as arrogant or morally deficient.”
For additional context, during his speech, Secretary Duffy followed up the statement that offended the FFRF by saying, “There’s something beautiful, humbling, and properly ordered about a man and woman who understand that there is a power greater than themselves.” He added, “That everything is not in their control. And that they are the beloved child of a merciful God who hears their prayers.”
In response to Secretary Duffy’s speech, FFRF Legal Counsel Chris Line addressed the secretary directly, saying, “As a representative of the federal government speaking in your official capacity, you are bound by our secular Constitution to remain neutral on matters of religion.” He added, “Instead, you sent an exclusionary message to non-Christian graduates, including the many atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims, and others who have chosen to serve their country.”
Additionally, FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said that the commencement speech was “a moment for unity and shared purpose,” adding, “Instead, Duffy used it to impose his personal religion and imply that nonbelievers aren’t just wrong — they’re dangerous. That kind of thinking has no place in our government.”
Importantly, the FFRF went on to, in its own words, “slam” President Trump for hosting a faith-based lunch, during which the president joked, “And you’re all believers… Is there an atheist in the room? Any atheists? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want to raise my hand if I were. You’d be in big trouble.” In response to this joke, Gaylor said that he was “treating atheists and other nonbelievers as targets.”
Watch Secretary Duffy’s speech:
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