The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to host award-winning author and USA Today columnist Tom Krattenmaker on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at Noon (PDT)/3:00 PM (EDT) for an online Zoom presentation entitled “A New Vision for Secular Transcendence.”
You can obtain the Zoom link by registering as a member of the FS Meetup.
Krattenmaker’s talk will address how religion has faded from importance in contemporary life along with a sense of transcendence, which is traditionally understood as the experience of “rising above” the mundane, ordinary aspects of our lives. Krattenmaker will present his alternative vision for a secular, or horizontal, transcendence that does not depend on belief in a deity or supernatural ideas but, rather, on people’s connections to one another and to life on our imperiled planet.
As a columnist, Krattenmaker specializes in beliefs and values in public life. He is also the author of three award-winning books: Onward Christian Athletes, The Evangelicals You Don’t Know, and, most recently, Confessions of a Secular Jesus Follower, which was named one of the top two religion books of 2016 by the Religion News Association.
The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to host Professor Christopher Cameron on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 3:00 PM (EDT)/Noon (PDT) for an online Zoom presentation entitled “Black Freethought from Slavery to Civil Rights.” His talk is based on his book, Black Freethinkers: A History of African American Secularism.
Learn how you can obtain the Zoom link by registering as a member of the FS Meetup.
Cameron’s talk will explore the origins of black freethought among 19th century slaves, many of whom could not reconcile notions of a loving God with their condition on Earth. The talk will then examine freethought in the 20thcentury as well as cultural and political movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, radical leftist politics, and the Black Power movement. Cameron argues that religious skepticism was prevalent among some of the most prominent voices in African American history, including Frederick Douglass, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Huey Newton, and Alice Walker.
Cameron is a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with research and teaching interests in African American and early American history, including slavery, the antislavery movement, religious and intellectual history. His first book, To Plead Our Own Cause: African Americans in Massachusetts and the Making of the Antislavery Movement, explored the relationship between Puritan theology and the rise of black abolitionism, arguing throughout the work that African Americans were central to the development of the antislavery movement in America.
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Women of Color Beyond Belief: Where Do We Go From Here?
The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to host Mandisa Thomas on Saturday, July 11, 2020 at 3:00 PM (EST)/Noon (PST) for an online Zoom presentation entitled “Women of Color Beyond Belief: Where Do We Go From Here?”
Please join the Freethought Society Meetup group to learn how you can obtain the Zoom link. The link is:
In 2019, Black Nonbelievers, Black Skeptics, and the Women’s Leadership Project hosted the first-ever conference that featured nontheist women of color. With the constant call to action in addressing diversity and inclusion, how can the secular community better work with and support the organizations who serve this need?
Thomas will discuss the conference goals and the work that women of color offer in the secular movement. She will also advise on improving communication with people of color and subject matters pertaining to race, reproductive justice, and other issues that affect marginalized demographics.
Thomas currently serves on the boards of the American Humanist Association and American Atheists. She was the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association’s 2018 “Person of the Year,” the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s “Freethought Heroine” for 2019, and the Secular Student Alliance’s 2019 Backbone Award winner.
As President of Black Nonbelievers, Thomas works to encourage more people of color to come out and stand strong with their nonbelief in the face of such strong religious overtones.
The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to host Bailey Harris and Elle Harris on Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 3:00 PM (EST)/Noon (PST) for an online Zoom meeting entitled Getting to Know Bailey Harris and Elle Harris.
Please join the FS Meetup group to learn how you can obtain the Zoom link. Only Meetup members can obtain the Zoom meeting link.
Bailey Harris published her first book My Name is Stardust when she was only eight years old. Her second book is Stardust Explores The Solar System. The third book in Bailey’s Stardust book series is Stardust Explores Earth’s Wonders. All the books use simple, charming stories and have beautiful artwork to inspire curiosity about the world and universe. At the same time, these books teach the scientific method and demonstrate the importance of evidence-based reasoning, using accessible real-world examples.
Bailey’s nine-year-old younger sister Elle Harris has just written her first book, Elle the Humanist. This book is a warm introduction to humanism and ethics as only a lovely young lady can tell it.
Both Elle and Bailey will be live via Zoom on Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 3PM (EST) to tell you how they came to be writers and what inspired them at such a young age to be advocates of Humanism and science. They will both read from their books so you may want to log in with your own children at your side.
There will be time for a question and answer period.
Don’t miss this opportunity to get to know Elle and Bailey. They are our hope for the future!
The Zoom waiting room will open for a Pre-Event Social at 2:45 PM (EST)/11:45 AM (PST). Music will be provided and there will be an opportunity to chat.
Bailey and Elle will be live at 3:00 PM (EST)/Noon (PST).
To purchase Harris books, please use the following links:
Using the above links automatically increases the Freethought Society’s AmazonSmile donations, if the Freethought Society is designated as your donation recipient. To add or change your dontation recipient to the Freethought Society, follow these simple instructions.
The Freethought Society (FS) is pleased to host Professor Christopher Cameron on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 3:00 PM (EDT)/Noon (PDT) for an online Zoom presentation entitled “Black Freethought from Slavery to Civil Rights.” His talk is based on his book, 
