The truly revolutionary idea behind the Declaration of Independence wasn’t simply breaking away from Britain. It was establishing the first secular democracy in human history. This Independence Day, Freethought TV celebrates that revolution with six hours of special July 4 programming exploring America’s freethought heritage and constitutional commitment to religious liberty.
“The founders proclaimed that political power comes from the people, not from the divine right of kings,” said FFRF co-president Dan Barker. “Omitting heavenly power from our founding document — and refusing to establish a religion in the First Amendment of the Constitution they would go on to draft — put this nation firmly on a secular path.”
“That’s an uncomfortable truth for the Christian nationalists who currently run the government, but we don’t intend to let them forget it,” Barker added.
Among the programs Freethought TV is presenting on July 4:
- Constitutional law professor Steven K. Green looks back at the invention of American religious freedom.
- Two eminent historians reveal why the founders felt the need to create a “Godless Constitution.”
- A look at the effort to erect a monument to the “forgotten founder,” freethinker Thomas Paine, in the nation’s capital.
- A recreation of Robert G. Ingersoll’s electrifying July 4, 1876, speech proclaiming, “One hundred years ago, our fathers retired the gods from politics.”
- Former FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel challenges revisionist attempts to portray America as a “Christian nation” in his book, “The Founding Myth.”
Freethought TV is FFRF’s streaming video service, bringing the best in secular programming to your smart TV, smartphone or streaming device. The service is available on Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, Google, Amazon Fire and LG TVs, as well as Android phones and iPhones.
The Freethought TV app is free, easy to install from your platform’s app store, and includes user-friendly features such as closed-captioning and customizable watchlists. For more information or to download the app, visit https://freethoughttv.ffrf.org/
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
