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In the Ezine you will find the following:
Thomas Paine Day Celebrated Liberty, Equality, and Democracy in New Rochelle by Margaret Downey
Photos From the June 7, 2026 Thomas Paine Day
Photos From the 2026 Freethought Trail Trip
Why Traveling the Freethought Trail Matters More Than Ever by Margaret Downey
Bipartisan Bill Would Place Thomas Paine Memorial Among America’s Most Honored Founders in Washington, D.C.
Advertisement for Thomas Paine Collected Writings
“America Beyond 250” Held in Philadelphia
Photos From the “America Beyond 250” Event
Heaven is Here: A Remembrance for Humanist Ted Turner by Olga Bourlin
Upcoming Events of Interest to Freethinkers
Freethought Society Calendar Page
Donation, Volunteer, 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).
Love coffee, tea, or cocoa? Support the Freethought Society while enjoying your favorite beverage using our GivingBean link. Both one-time and subscription delivery options are available, in bags or pods.
The Freethought Society 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, so….
A Beautiful Thomas Paine Day in New Rochelle, New York by Margaret Downey
Photos and Commentary from the 2025 Thomas Paine Day
Presentation Report: Thomas Paine’s Relevance in the Gilded Age by Margaret Downey
Thomas Paine Honored by the United States Postal Service
A Poem by Phyllis McGinley
Paine Represented at No Kings Day in Pennsylvania
Portraying Thomas Paine in 2026 and Celebrating the Birth of the United States of America
Review of Janice Selbie’s “Divorcing Religion: A Memoir and Survival Handbook” by David Madison
Do you have an interesting journey story? Please submit!
Freethinkers Compelled to Uphold a Secular Constitution
Commentary and Photos by:
Dan Brin
Howard Katz
Brian Von Wert
Betty Bauserman
Sunny Lyon
Aimee Brett Kass
Marian Shapiro
Jamie Mullen
Flag Day by Herb Silverman
Freethought Society Calendar Page
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).
Love coffee, tea, or cocoa? Support the Freethought Society while enjoying your favorite beverage using our GivingBean link. Both one-time and subscription delivery options are available, in bags or pods.
The Freethought Society 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, so….
Hear ye, hear ye! It’s time to celebrate the birth of Thomas Paine! The Zoom celebration will take place on Sunday, January 29, 2023 at Noon (PST)/3:00 PM (EST). Registration at the below link:
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.
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.
Society Secular Student Alliance “Adopt a Student” Information
How Does an Atheist Hospice Nurse Reconcile Death? by Jeff Magy
Grief Beyond Belief Information
Freethought Society Three-Month Zoom 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!
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.
Please join the Freethought Society (FS), the Thomas Paine National Historical Association (TPNHA), the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), the Center for Inquiry (CFI), and the American Humanist Association (AHA) as we celebrate the 2021 Thomas Paine Day via Zoom on Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
The program begins at 3:45 PM PST/6:45 PM EST with a 15-minute Thomas Paine-themed concert by songwriter and recording artist James Klueh. BYOB to participate in toasts throughout the event. Melissa Myers (representing CFI) and Margaret Downey (representing FS) are the event co-hosts.
After an introductory statement from Congressman Jamie Raskin, co-sponsor organizations will welcome everyone to the event (Annie Laurie Gaylor, Robyn Blumner, Mandisa Thomas, Gary Berton and Margaret Downey). A summary of the life and work of Thomas Paine will be presented in sections by co-sponsor representatives:
Mandisa Thomas (AHA) Tom Flynn (CFI) Andrew Seidel (FFRF) Margaret Downey (FS) Gary Berton (TPNHA)
Sculptor Zenos Frudakis will show the progress of the Thomas Paine statue project and Dan Barker, co-president of FFRF, will perform his original song The World is My Country. After a short break a question-and-answer portion of the event will begin. Toasts and favorite Paine quotations are welcome
