Freethought of the Day

Would you like to start your day on a freethought note? "Freethought of the Day" is a daily freethought calendar brought to you courtesy of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, highlighting birthdates, quotes, and other historic tidbits.

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May 17

There are 2 entries for this date: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Quote) and Jamie Kilstein

Ralph Waldo Emerson (Quote)

“. . . the louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. . .”

—-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), "Worship," Conduct of Life, 1860

Compiled by Annie Laurie Gaylor

Jamie Kilstein

On this date in 1982, Jamie Alexander Kilstein was born in Washington, D.C., to a Jewish father and a Christian mother. Kilstein is a standup comic who has been a Timeout Chicago, Sydney, New York and London’s Critics Pick. In his debut TV appearance, a 5-minute slot on “Conan” in 2011, Kilstein’s anti-war tirade made waves. His uniquely scathing brand of political comedy has landed Kilstein on a number of television programs. Along with his wife Allison Kilkenny, Kilstein is the co-creator, director and co-host of Citizen Radio. On his show he has interviewed Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Tim Minchin, Robin Williams, Janeane Garofalo, Tariq Ali, Peter Singer, PZ Meyers and Sarah Silverman. Kilstein’s 2013 comedy album, “What Alive People Do,” spent its first week as number one on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.

“So my take is if I get up to Heaven and there is a God and he’s like, ‘You were wrong, how did you live your life?’ And I’m like, ‘I tried to help people, I tried to give to charity, I didn’t know if you were real, there was no evidence.’ And he was like, ‘Well, you didn’t worship me everyday.’ And I’m like, ‘Fine. Send me wherever is as far away from here as possible because you’re a sociopath!’”

—— Jamie Kilstein, from a debate with believer John Fugelsang on “Totally Biased W. Kamau Bell,” Sept. 11, 2013

Compiled by Noah Bunnell