BALA CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA — The Freethought Society is hosting world-famous sculptor Zenos Frudakis on Thursday, May 23, 2019 as an honored speaker. The event will be held at the Bala Cynwyd Library, located at 131 Old Lancaster Road, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM in the 2nd floor community room. Elevators are available. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Frudakis created a 10-foot-high statue of attorney Clarence Darrow in 2016. Darrow defended teacher John T. Scopes in the Scopes “Monkey” Trial in1925. William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate, argued for the prosecution, contending that Scopes violated Tennessee’s Butler Act, which had made it unlawful to teach human evolution in any state-funded school.
Clarence Darrow
Today, evolution is a branch of science that is taught in most schools. There was a time, however, when even suggesting that there was such a thing as evolution was controversial and resulted in conflict between the Judeo-Christian religious communities and teachers.
The Clarence Darrow statue was placed on the lawn of Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee on July 14, 2017, the very location of the infamous trial!
The story behind the project has many compelling components, including death threats and a celebrity appearance for the unveiling ceremony.
Frudakis will not only tell the story behind the commission, his PowerPoint presentation will also show how the statue was made from clay to bronze.
For more information contact:
Margaret Downey Event Coordinator Cell: 610-357-9432 Office: 610-793-2737
The Freethought Society has registered four events on the Week of Action website. Please visit our Freethought Society Facebook link to see the upcoming events:
On this Facebook page you will notice the following participation dates and a brief description of the activity:
Nontheists Join in “The Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania”
Friday, April 26th Nontheists Join in “The Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania” 5 PM – 7 PM Ludington Library, Bryn Mawr, PA
Freethinker Table Scheduled for the International Spring Festival
Saturday, April 27th Freethinker Table Scheduled for the International Spring Festival 11 AM – 5 PM North Penn High School, Landsale, PA
Nontheists and Muslims Together Helping Those in Need
Sunday, April 28 Nontheists and Muslims Together Helping Those in Need 3 PM – 5 PM Hub of Hope at Thomas Paine Plaza / City Municipal Building 15th and John F. Kennedy Parkway
Senior Citizen BINGO
Thursday, May 2 Senior Citizen BINGO 2 PM – 4 PM Chester County Pocopson Home West Chester, PA
The Freethought Society has arranged for a special tour of the Museum of the American Revolution at a discounted rate on Saturday, May 4, 2019. The group rate tickets can only be purchased in advance through the Eventbrite link below.
The price for the tour is only $14 and includes a one-hour guided tour of the museum highlights. The tour starts promptly at 10:00 AM. The museum is located at: 101 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia pa
A parking garage is conveniently located on 2nd Street between Market and Chestnut Streets.
Participants can add more fun to their day by enjoying lunch at The City Tavern (138 South 2nd Street) designed to appeal to Thomas Paine enthusiasts.
The pre-ticketed luncheon starts at Noon and will include speakers Gary Berton (Thomas Paine historian) and sculptor, Zenos Frudakis. Thomas Paine (portrayed by Julien Musolino) and Madame Marguerite de Bonneville (portrayed by Margaret Downey) will welcome everyone to a private dining room at The City Tavern, which was the site of the George Washington pre-inaugural ball.
The price of the luncheon is only $40 and includes tax and gratuities. Choose between Salmon or Turkey Pot Pie for the first course and soup or salad for the second course. Meals includes fresh baked breads, dessert, coffee and/or hot tea. Vegetarian options are available.
After lunch, the party atmosphere will continue with a mini-walking tour, where participants will see many sites and items related to Thomas Paine.
The Freethought Society is pleased to host University of Pennsylvania Professor Marci Hamilton as the Thursday, April 11, 2019 speaker. Her speech, “The War Against Child Sex Abuse: Where We Are and What We Must Do,” takes place 7:00 PM at the Ludington Library located at 5 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Free and open to the public
Hamilton is the nation’s foremost expert on clergy sex abuse against children and child sex abuse statutes of limitation. She has been invited to testify and advise legislators in every state in the country where significant statutes of limitation reform have occurred. Her presentation will recount her battles in Pennsylvania and elsewhere with powerful forces against child safety, and she will lay out the battle plan for the future, presenting the five necessary legal reforms to prevent child sex abuse: statute of limitations reform, preservation of children’s rape kits, family court reform, public training on child sex abuse, and the invalidation of nondisclosure agreements.
Hamilton is the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a Fox Family Pavilion Resident Senior Fellow in the Program for Research on Religion at the University of Pennsylvania. Hamilton is also the Founder, CEO, and Academic Director of CHILD USA, which is an academic think tank at the University of Pennsylvania dedicated to interdisciplinary, legal and evidence-based research to improve laws and public policy to end child abuse and neglect. Before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, Professor Hamilton held the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University.
Hamilton is the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children (Cambridge University Press). She is also the author of God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law and God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Additionally, she is the co-author of Children and the Law. Hamilton clerked for United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Judge Edward R. Becker of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Hamilton is a graduate of Vanderbilt University summa cum laude, having earned a bachelor’s degree. She graduated with high honors from Pennsylvania State University, where she earned a master’s degree in English, fiction writing, and philosophy. Hamilton earned her Jurisprudence Degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. She graduated magna cum laude. At the University of Pennsylvania, Marci served as Editor-in-Chief of The University of Pennsylvania Law Review.
In the Ezine you will find the following articles:
Scouts for Equality’s Outreach to The Freethought Society by Justin Wilson
Making Our Voices Heard by Marjorie Goldman
Very Long-Distance Support by Christina Jones
The Bones of Thomas Paine by Kenneth E. Nahigian
The Freethought Society and Haverford Freethinkers Celebrate Women’s History Month
The Freethought Society’s 2019 Two-Month Activities Calendar
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