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Why a Clarence Darrow Statue was Needed

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-Statue
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 Secular Coalition for America's Week of Action

Week of Action: April 26th to May 2nd

Week of Action

 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:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/thefreethoughtsociety/events/

Join Us

Facebook Events – Join us!

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

 

Boy Scouts of America Announce New Levels of Acceptance but Still Exclude Nontheists

Boy Scouts of America Announce New Levels of Acceptance but Still Exclude Nontheists

by Margaret Downey

The following article was from September-October 2015 FS Newsletter


While the gay community is rejoicing and celebrating a change in the membership policies of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), I remain unimpressed and dissatisfied. Yes, the BSA’s national office, as of July 27, 2015, allows troops to accept gays to join, participate and be hired, but their position forbidding the inclusion of nontheists has not changed.

Continue reading: Boy Scouts of America Announce New Levels of Acceptance but Still Exclude Nontheists

Take Action: How to be An Effective Citizen Lobbyist!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sarah LevinPHILADELPHIA — The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to present Legislative Associate Sarah Levin with the Secular Coalition for America (SCA), the first national lobbying group advocating for nontheists, at its next gathering on Thursday, April 9, 7:00 PM at the Ludington Library (5 South Bryn Mawr Ave., Bryn Mawr).

Levin’s presentation “Taking Action: How to be a Citizen Lobbyist” will take a look at the newest demographic of religiously-unaffiliated Americans, a group that comprises the largest “religious” demographic in the country, with its numbers continuing to grow each year. As a result, it’s now more important than ever to organize and train secular activists at the local level to impact public policy. Come and hear how can you make an impact as a secular activist, how even busy folks with families can incorporate secular activism into their hectic lives, and how one event in Washington, D.C. can inspire and prepare you to become engaged in the political process.

Her presentation is free and open to the public.

Levin’s activities this past year at the Secular Coalition for America include being the Project Manager of the #KnitABrick Campaign and the Video Coordinator for the Openly Secular campaign, preparing weekly updates on secular community activities for the SCA National Update Call, producing and editing media materials as needed including op-eds and videos, managing the SCA Internship program, and conducting outreach to secular and allied communities throughout the United States to build a grassroots base of support.

She also has a blog — Applied Sentience, A National Platform the Next Generation of Humanist Thinkers — at http://appliedsentience.com/author/sarahmarielevin. As the Parent &Community Coordinator for AmeriCorps/VISTA, Levin implemented 36 bilingual English/Spanish educational workshops tailored to low-income immigrant and refugee families in southern Arlington, Virginia; recruited local experts in the community to voluntarily lead workshops on a range of topics, including family literacy, financial literacy, and navigating the American school system; generated a 150 percent increase in average workshop attendance within seven months; liaised with parents enrolled in Greenbrier Learning Center’s after school program; provided crisis assistance in cases of homelessness and domestic violence; established and maintained relationships with nonprofit organizations in the community; interpreted presentations from both English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English as necessary; and designed and distributed bilingual promotional materials.

Levin graduated cum laude from American University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a regional focus on the Middle East. While there, she was a leader of the Rationalist and Atheist student group. She also serves as the Secular Student Alliance’s Volunteer Network Coordinator for secular student groups in the Washington, D.C. area.

Levin will be speaking on ThursdayApril 97:00 PM at the Ludington Library (5 South Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr). A SEPTA stop is located across the street from the library. For more information, contact:

 

Glen Loev, Freethought Society Vice-President                 

Phone: 610-420-2808                                                         

Email: Glen@FtSociety.org


Tom Melchiorre, Freethought Society Board Member
Email:  
FreethoughtSociety@TomMelchiorre.com
Phone: 610-960-2558

 

March-April 2015 FS Newsletter

Click here to read the March-April 2015 Newsletter

In the newsletter you will find the following articles:

  • Protesting BSA Assemblies in Public Schools by Margaret Downey
  • Freedom From Religion Foundation Weighs In
  • More Help From Friends
  • Homophobia in American African Migrant Churches by Leo Igwe
  • The Real Life “Evil Spell” That is Killing Haiti by Billy Almoza
  • Two Movie Recommendations by Dennis Middlebrooks
  • Religious Bullying: Money Before Spirituality by Alberta Parish
  • Secular Coalition For America 2015 Lobby Day Flyer
  • The Freethought Society’s 2015 Multi-Month Calendar
  • Donation, Information, and Volunteer Page

Click here to read the March-April 2015 Newsletter

We hope that you will remain or become an active supporter of the great work FS is doing. Please donate to the general fund or select a project you want to help sponsor. All donations to FS are tax-deductible!  If the newsletter inspires you to become more actively involved with FS, please provide us with your contact information, including your phone number, email address, and mailing address.

Special events are being planned in your area so don’t miss an opportunity to participate further. All personal information is confidential and will not be shared with other organizations. We want supporters to stay informed at all times. To keep updated about events, meetings and issues, please sign up to participate in the FS Discussion List.

Check for upcoming events at the FS Meet Up page.

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The Freethought Society News Editorial Staff