West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has designated today, March 25, as a statewide “day of prayer” in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Can you take some time to write a letter to the editor to your local paper condemning this religious pandering?

Justice called on families, businesses and religious leaders to join him in this day of prayer and assured citizens that if they continue to “consult your God above,” all West Virginians would make it through. “If there’s any time, now’s the time we need to be looking to God above for assistance in any and every way we possibly can,” he pleaded.

As states across the country adopt measures to address the ongoing public health crisis presented by coronavirus, we need to ensure that our lawmakers are not exploiting this opportunity to promote their personal religion. FFRF has sent a letter of complaint to the governor’s office urging him to keep religion out of policy.

Letters to the editor are a powerful advocacy tool. Elected officials often monitor local letters to the editor and these allow you to bring a secular perspective to a large audience.

How to write a letter to the editor:

Writing a letter to the editor is easier than you think. Check your local paper’s word limit for letters (usually between 100 and 250 words). Keep your letter short and to the point. Tell a story about your personal connection to this issue as a secular community member, and make sure to tell them if you are a local resident and that you read the paper you’re writing to.

Click here for a list of the top ten West Virginia papers.

Most newspapers will accept submissions online and require you to provide personal information to confirm you are a local citizen.

As freethinkers, it is important that we utilize a variety of advocacy tools to call our legislators for promoting religion. Thanks for taking action to ensure that the perspective of secular West Virginians is heard!