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American Atheists
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NEWS: On Independence Day, Senator Chuck Schumer posted social media statements citing the founders' belief that the United States was "God's noble experiment." The problem? He made it up.

atheists.orgWhy is Chuck Schumer fabricating Christian Nationalist-style quotes? | American AtheistsWASHINGTON, D.C. — In social media posts celebrating Independence Day, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer referenced the Founding Fathers’ statements

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American Atheists
@atheists.org

Our president, @nickfish.me, was among the first to raise concerns about Schumer's claim. Joanne Freeman, a professor of history at Yale and expert on early American politics, was even more clear.

Joanne Freeman@jbf1755.bsky.social

In the well-over 100,000 documents written by founders included in the Founders Online database from the National Archives, no one uses the phrase "God's noble experiment." No one.

American Atheists
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Independent journalist @jonathanlarsen.bsky.social found that Schumer's staff edited a Facebook post to remove an additional fabricated element: the claim that as the founders left "Constitution [sic] Hall," they called America God’s noble experiment. But the core lie remained and was repeated.

jonathanlarsen.substack.comSchumer Pushes Debunked Lie about God and AmericaThe Democratic Senate leader falsely claimed America's founders called the country “God’s noble experiment”
American Atheists
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Adam Keiper, executive editor at @thebulwark.com, found exactly one historical example of the phrase "God's noble experiment" being used: a book review from 1939. The only other times this phrase has *ever* been uttered? Statements from Chuck Schumer, starting in 2003 in Congress.

Adam Keiper@adamkeiper.com

FWIW, I only find one hit for the phrase in ProQuest, from a 1939 book review written by a Hillsdale professor in the journal 'Church History.' It's a review of Ray Billington's book 'The Protestant Crusade, 1800–1860.'