The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s TV show this week is a change of pace: an “unsermon” about how Christian nationalists misuse the bible in epical ways.
“Freethought Matters” co-hosts Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor explain how Christian nationalists not only get it wrong when they claim America is a Christian nation, but also how they misread and misquote the bible to back up that false assertion. They make this claim despite the fact that Christianity is not mentioned in any of our founding documents. Since they can’t find Christianity in the Constitution, many Christian nationalists nevertheless claim that our nation actually can be spotted in their founding document. But what can actually be gleaned from the bible is quite appalling.
Barker, a former evangelical minister and author of many books dissecting religion, began noticing the prolific references by countless Christian nationalist pastors and public officials to one particular bible verse, II Chronicles 7:14 (or “2 Chronicles,” as President Trump might put it). And he carefully lays out why that verse, begging God to “heal our nation,” is not saying what the Christian nationalists claim it says.
“Christian nationalists preach that the secular world is evil, but according to their own bible, the real evil is their own God,” the “unsermon” concludes.
You can watch the entire show on FFRF’s YouTube channel now. New shows go up every Thursday.
- Chicago, WPWR-CW (Ch. 50), Sundays at 9 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.
- New York City, WPIX-IND (Ch. 11), Sundays at 10 a.m.
- San Francisco, KTVU/KICU-IND (on broadcast Ch. 36 and Cable 6), Sundays at 10 a.m.
- Washington, D.C., WDCW-CW (Ch. 50 or Ch. 23 or Ch. 3), Sundays at 8 a.m.
Upcoming shows include an interview with Mary Trump, the president’s niece and author of “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” 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!
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