The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Secular Spotlight” welcomes a special guest for an episode examining the role of Christian nationalism in whitewashing American history.
Lawmakers are using the name of the late Charlie Kirk (the co-founder of Turning Point USA) to advance legislation that promotes a distorted version of American history in public schools. FFRF’s Ryan Jayne and Mickey Dollens are joined by retired psychology Professor Warren Throckmorton to fact-check the myths behind these bills, expose the influence of Christian nationalist “historian” David Barton and explain why historical misinformation continues to resonate.
“The Associated Press reported that over 60 bills in the name of Charlie Kirk have been introduced in 20 different states. This is an attempt for lawmakers to use a slain activist name to usher in Christian nationalist policy,” Dollens reports. “We saw this first happen in Ohio with the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act that was chock-full of misrepresentations and primarily built upon David Barton’s WallBuilders pseudo-history philosophies. Now we are seeing other states take it up, such as Tennessee, that recently passed the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act on July 1st.”
You can catch this episode of “Secular Spotlight” on FFRF’s YouTube channel, as well as by watching on your smart TV after downloading FFRF’s free app, Freethought TV, which also highlights FFRF’s other video programming. Our recent episodes include a historical examination of America’s secular underpinnings, a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jack Rakove on the history behind the First Amendment’s Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses, and much more. Make sure you’re subscribed to FFRF’s YouTube channel for all the latest updates!
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.
