The latest episode of the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s TV show examines the unique collaboration between the two individuals most responsible for the American ideal of religious freedom.
The program’s guest, Steven Green, is the Fred H. Paulus professor of law and affiliated professor of history and religious studies at Willamette University, where he teaches constitutional law, First Amendment, legal history, jurisprudence and education law in the College of Law. He’s participated in several significant state/church cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and is the author of seven books, including the recent “The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and the Invention of American Religious Freedom.”
“What I’m trying to concentrate on here is that the notion of American religious freedom predominating throughout most of U.S. history is attributable to Jefferson and Madison,” Green explains his book to “Freethought Matters” co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor. “They were more involved in our creation of this idea than anyone else. Not that they invented it but the current, up until recently, version of American religious freedom really is due to them.”
You can learn more about this “grand collaboration” by watching the entire interview on FFRF’s YouTube channel now. New shows go up every Thursday.
“Freethought Matters” airs the weekend in:
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Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
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Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
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Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
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New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 10 a.m.
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San Francisco, KTVU/KICU-IND (on broadcast Ch. 36 and Cable 6), Sundays at 10 a.m.
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Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.
Upcoming shows include interviews with journalist and chronicler of Christian nationalism Katherine Stewart about her new book and Mubarak Bala, who was recently released after serving five years for the “crime” of blasphemy in Nigeria. You can catch interviews from earlier this season and from previous seasons here, including with Gloria Steinem, Ron Reagan, author John Irving, actor John “Q” de Lancie and award-winning columnist Katha Pollitt.
Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers — your antidote to religion on Sunday morning!
P.S. Please tune in or record according to the times given above regardless of what is listed in your TV guide (it may be listed simply as “paid programming” or even be misidentified). To set up an automatic weekly recording, try taping manually by time or channel.
