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September October 2023 Freethought Society Ezine

Click here see the September/October 2023 Freethought Society (FS) Ezine.

In the Ezine you will find the following:

  • The Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum Rededication Event
  • The Most Remarkable American Most People Have Never Heard Of
    by Seth Andrews
  • Tom Flynn’s “Afterlife” in Dresden, New York
    by Tim Madigan
  • Presentation of the Robert Green Ingersoll Cornhole Game
    by Margaret Downey
  • A New Humanist/Freethought Book & A Letter From The Author
    by Sarah Bakewell
  • My Creed
    by Robert Green Ingersoll
  • Dedication of Tom Flynn Memorial Gazebo
    by Margaret Downey
  • Photos of the Robert Green Ingersoll Museum Reopening Event
  • The Connection Between Robert Green Ingersoll and Thomas Paine
    by Margaret Downey
  • About Woody Kaplan
    by Herb Silverman
  • Freethought Society Activities Calendar
  • Donation and Information Page

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 (EIN: 23-2738574).

The Freethought relies on small donations to make ends meet. Please support freethought, educational programs, and much more by starting a monthly recurring donation of $5 today. We made it easy for you to donate. Please visit: https://www.ftsociety.org/donate/


If the Ezine inspires you to become more actively involved with FS, please provide us with your contact information, including your phone number 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 always stay informed.

The Freethought Society News Editorial Staff

Secular Day of the Dead 2023

The Freethought Society will once again cosponsor an international Secular Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Secular Zoom event on ThursdayNovember 22023. The bilingual event will start at 4:00 PM (PDT)/7:00 PM (EDT). Other sponsors are Hispanic American Freethinkers, Black Nonbelievers, Center For Inquiry, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the Secular Coalition for America.

If you would like to see a pre-event video addressing the “appropriations” question, please log into to the event 15-minutes early. We will be showing the 2022 educational and entertaining video created by Secular Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Secular board member Memo Benumea. The video can also be seen any time at the below link:

A Secular Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Secular event is a celebration of life. Nontheist Hispanics view this day as a perfect way to remember the legacies of dead loved ones in a way that does not require prayer, church, or religious dogma. To nontheists our legacies are our afterlife. More and more people are abandoning their religious upbringing but still want to celebrate the beauty of their culture. This is why a Secular Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Secular event was created.

The 2023 event will include many secularly designed Hispanic traditions and rituals that celebrate life legacies, cultural heritage, and our one and only life. All are welcome. 

We are pleased to host author Hector A. Garcia as the 2023 keynote speaker. Garcia is the author of Alpha God: The Psychology of Religious Violence and Oppression and Sex, Power, And Partisanship. 

Actor Jon Huertas will open the program with a special message. He has starred in the television series This is UsCastle, and many others. He is also a Hollywood director and producer. 

The 2023 Secular Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos Secular program will include musical performances and unique presentations by Rolando ÁvilaMartin BonfilAbraham Lopez LeFuenteDaniel Zepeda, and Salvador Leon Beltrán.

Attendees are encouraged to participate in the honoring ceremony. Three-to-five-minute videos can be sent to the following event organizer: margaret@FtSociety.org. Videos must be received by October 8, 2023. If honoring the life of a loved one on the evening of the event, please keep memorial remarks under five minutes.

Prizes will be awarded for the best Zoom box decor, face painting, honoring table, and hair/hat adornment. 

Below is the international event registration link as well as the Freethought Society Meetup page link:

Pre-Registration Required: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsd-qtpj4qGtOCULSJDr-IaO17vI8OVwJY

Freethought Society Meetup Link: 

https://www.meetup.com/freethought-society-meetup/events/295954816/

May June 2023 Freethought Society Ezine

Click here to see the May/June 2023 Freethought Society (FS) Ezine.

In the Ezine you will find the following:

  • Major Changes Develop in California After Freethought Society Prison Reform Conference
  • Why Should Atheists and Freethinkers Care about Prison Reform?
    by Margaret Downey
  • Thanks for the meme-ories!
  • Commandments
    by Herb Silverman
  • Freethought Society Four-Month Calendar
  • Donation and Information Page

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 (EIN: 23-2738574).

The Freethought relies on small donations to make ends meet. Please support freethought, educational programs, and much more by starting a monthly recurring donation of $5 today. We made it easy for you to donate. Please visit: https://www.ftsociety.org/donate/

If the Ezine inspires you to become more actively involved with FS, please provide us with your contact information, including your phone number 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.

Check for upcoming events at:

The Freethought Society News Editorial Staff

2023 Thomas Paine Birthdate Proclamation Celebration

January 29, 2023

Hear ye, hear ye! It’s time to celebrate the birth of Thomas Paine! The Zoom celebration will take place on SundayJanuary 292023 at Noon (PST)/3:00 PM (EST). Registration at the below link: 

bit.ly/PaineProclamation

The 2023 Thomas Paine birthdate celebration is sponsored by the Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA), Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), Secular Student Alliance, Center For Inquiry (CFI), and The Freethought Society.

The theme of the 2023 event is “Thomas Paine Birthdate Proclamation Celebration.” TPMA board members will each read a Thomas Paine Day proclamation as an example of how a proclamation can be written to honor the life of our freethought hero. Thomas Paine Day is celebrated on June 8th every year. In Europe his date of death is used as an official time to reflect upon and honor his life accomplishments. Paine died on June 8, 1809. 

Actor Ian Ruskin will be reading a New Rochelle, New York proclamation. Author, comedian, and monologist Julia Sweeney will be reading a City of Philadelphia proclamation signed by former Mayor Edward G. Rendell. Another City of Philadelphia proclamation, signed by former mayor Michael A. Nutter, will be read by author and educator Christopher Cameron. Actor John de Lancie and his wife Marnie Mosiman de Lancie will be reading proclamations from the cities of Lancaster and York, Pennsylvania. Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of FFRF will be reading the Urbana, Illinois proclamation. President and CEO of CFI, Robyn Blumner, will be reading the Bordentown, New Jersey proclamation. Author and educator Frances Chiu will read the Cherry Hill, New Jersey proclamation. Author, producer, and director Ann Druyan will read a Pennsylvania House of Representatives Thomas Paine Day Resolution.

thomas paine portrait

The 2023 June 8th Thomas Paine Day will be enhanced when more proclamations are written and approved by mayors, governors, and city councils. Instructions on how to write a Thomas Paine Day proclamation will be provided by Margaret Downey, the president of TPMA.

Representative Jamie Raskin will share updates on the Congressional front along with a heartfelt welcome.

In September 2022, Representative Victoria Spartz became a co-lead of House Bill 6720 (a Congressional Bill to endorse a Washington, D.C. monument to honor Thomas Paine). She will also deliver a welcome address and convey why she supports a monument to Thomas Paine.

The keynote speaker is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of London Greg Claeys. His speech “Thomas Paine’s Collected Works: A New Edition,” will provide an update about efforts to uncover previously unattributed Paine writings. 

Providing the celebratory music are selections from a new musical The Crossing. The play places Thomas Paine and his American Crisis front and center. The Crossing was written by Jason Huza and John Allen Watts. Three songs from the play will be featured: “These Are The Days” is a song that opens and closes The Crossing; “On The Wheel of Time” is a duet sung by the characters Elizabeth and Abigail; and “Rights Intrinsic” showcases Thomas Paine’s vision for a new world.

November December 2022 Freethought Society (FS) Ezine

Click here to see the November/December 2022 Freethought Society (FS) Ezine.

In the Ezine you will find the following:

  • Thomas Paine Washington, D.C. Monument Project Updates on House Bill 6720
  • Photos from the Thomas Paine Memorial Association’s Meeting with the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission
  • Congressman Jamie Raskin’s July 27, 2022 Presentation to the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission
  • Theology by Herb Silverman
  • Now Available at The Freethought Society Website: An Archive of Herb Silverman Articles
  • Learning to be an Atheist by Staks Rosch
  • Freethought Society President and Spouse Featured in Voting Advertisements
  • 4th of July: Time to Celebrate America’s Secular Founding by Margaret Downey
  • Announcing the 2022 Religious Recovery Retreat
  • Life Behind Bars: Compassion and Reform Flyer
  • Freethought Society Three-Month Calendar
  • Donation and Information Page

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 (EIN: 23-2738574).

If the Ezine inspires you to become more actively involved with FS, please provide us with your contact information, including your phone number 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.

Check for upcoming events at the FS Meet Up page
Like FS on Facebook!
Follow FS on Twitter

 

The Freethought Society News Editorial Staff