A secular public education lawsuit that’s become a historic milestone is the subject of this Sunday’s Freedom From Religion Foundation “Freethought Matters” TV show.
The interview guest is three-time Emmy-winning independent documentary producer, director, writer and editor Jay Rosenstein. His “The Lord Is Not on Trial Here Today,” which won a Peabody and an Emmy, tells the story of the case (McCollum v. Board of Education) that established the separation of state and church in our public schools. The show intersperses clips from the documentary with the interview.
“Apparently, the first day of the trial, a man sort of rushed in from the audience and ran up to the the opposing counsel and said, ‘I’m here to testify for the Lord,’” Rosenstein explains to “Freethought Matters” co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor how the documentary got its title. “And the lawyer said in response, ‘Well, the Lord is not on trial here today.’”
The episode will be airing in over a dozen cities on Sunday, Sept. 19. If you don’t live in the quarter-plus of the nation where the show broadcasts on Sunday, you can already catch the interview on the “Freethought Matters” playlist on FFRF’s YouTube channel. New shows go up every Thursday. You can also receive notifications when we post new episodes of “Freethought Matters” by subscribing to FFRF’s YouTube channel.
Coming shows this season include interviews with The Nation’s Katha Pollitt, Professor Ryan Burge (a leading expert in the rise of the “Nones”) and Candace R.M. Gorham, author of the upcoming book, On Death, Dying, and Disbelief.
“Freethought Matters” airs in:
- Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 a.m.
- Denver, KWGN-CW (Ch. 2), Sundays at 7 a.m.
- Houston, KIAH-CW (Ch. 39), Sundays at 11 a.m.
- Los Angeles, KCOP-MY (Ch. 13), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- Madison, Wis., WISC-TV (Ch. 3), Sundays at 11 p.m.
- Minneapolis, KSTC-IND (Ch. 45), Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
- New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- Phoenix, KASW-CW (Ch. 61, or 6 or 1006 for HD), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- Portland, Ore., KRCW-CW (Ch. 32), Sundays at 9 a.m. Comcast channel 703 for High Def, or Channel 3.
- Sacramento, KQCA-MY (Ch. 58), Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
- San Francisco, KICU-IND (Ch. 36), Sundays at 10 a.m.
- Seattle, KONG-IND (Ch. 16 or Ch. 106 on Comcast). Sundays at 8 a.m.
- Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.
“Freethought Matters” had an array of impressive guests last season. These included: pundit Eleanor Clift, actor and FFRF After-Life Member John de Lancie of “Star Trek” “Q” fame, Professor Steven Pinker, one of the most eminent global public intellectuals, and A.C. Grayling, a prominent British philosopher and the author of about 30 books, who grappled on the show with philosophy and the pandemic. The show launched its new season two weeks ago with clips from the best past interviews on the program, and last week featured an interview with famed evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.
Please tune in to “Freethought Matters” . . . because freethought matters.
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. And spread the word to freethinking friends, family or colleagues about a TV show, finally, that is dedicated to providing programming for freethinkers!
