January February 2019 eZine Newsletter

By Patti Butcheck, on January 5th, 2019%

Freethought Society Newsletter

Click here to see the January February 2019 eZine Newsletter.

In the Ezine you will find the following articles:

The 2018 Attempt to Display The Tree of Knowledge
by Margaret Downey
Photos of the 2018 Philadelphia Tree of Knowledge
More Photos of the 2018 Tree of Knowledge
Do You Listen to Your Conscience?
by Hugh Taft-Morales
2018 Trees of Knowledge Around the United States
The Declaration of Independence and Thomas Paine’s Influence
By Gary Berton
Donation and Information Page

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. 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.

Like FS on Facebook!

Follow FS on Twitter.

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January-February 2015 FS Newsletter

By FS Editor, on December 31st, 2014%

Click here to read the newsletter: January-February-2015-FS-News-Web

In the newsletter you will find the following articles:

The First Secular Day of the Dead Celebration by Margaret Downey
The Lively Celebration of the First Secular Day of the Dead by Victoria de la Torre
Photos of the First Secular Day of the Dead
Voting Beneath the “Head of Christ” by Wayne Trotta
Advocating for the 2014 West Chester, PA Tree of Knowledge by Margaret Downey
The Las Vegas, Nevada 2014 Tree of Knowledge by Margaret Downey
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2014 Tree of Knowledge by Margaret Downey
Promotional Flier for the February 13, 2015 Anti-Superstition Bash and Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center Event by Carol Everhart Roper
School District Under Fire for Hosting Scouts Assembly by Tim Cwiek (First Published in the Philadelphia Gay News on December 11, 2014)
The Movie Scene by Dennis Middlebrooks
The Freethought Society’s 2015 Four-Month Calendar
Donation and Information Page

Click here to read the newsletter: January-February-2015-FS-News-Web

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.

Like FS on Facebook!

Follow FS on Twitter.

The Freethought Society News Editorial Staff

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The 2014 Philadelphia Tree of Knowledge event 12/7/2014

By FS Editor, on November 13th, 2014%

The 2014 Philadelphia Tree of Knowledge

Book This Event for a Secular Holiday Season

Please plan to celebrate the 2014 winter season in a festive freethought fashion by attending a Tree of Knowledge decorating special event! The Tree of Knowledge will be placed in the lobby of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia (EHSP) at 11:00 AM on Sunday, December 7, 2014. The Freethought Society (FS) is proud to join with EHSP for this celebration of openness, education, and freedom of conscience. EHSP is located at 1906 South Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome!

The Tree of Knowledge will be decorated around noon following an EHSP program featuring an address by Hugh Taft-Morales entitled, “Great Awakenings.”

Taft-Morales will explore the First Great Awakening that brought an angry god to America at the beginning of the 18^th century, the Second Great Awakening fueling public social reform early in the 19^th century, and the 20^thcentury wave of progressivism that woke government up to its responsibility for ordinary citizens. Taft-Morales will conclude by advocating for a contemporary “great awakening” of secular government and a culture of humanism and freethought.

The Tree of Knowledge became a winter symbol for the nontheist community in 2007, originally placed on the lawn of the Chester County Courthouse in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Despite appeals for openness and acceptance, Chester County Commissioners have prevented the nontheist community’s symbol from being included in any the traditional winter holiday display since 2010. EHSP welcomed The Tree of Knowledge display with excitement and full support for the diversity it represents.

Margaret Downey, President of FS said, “This is the fourth year that we’ve celebrated the winter season with a Tree of Knowledge at the Ethical Humanist Society. It started as a symbol of inclusion and sharing in this region but The Tree of Knowledge has since become a tradition, not just in Southeastern Pennsylvania, but throughout the world.”

Visitors are encouraged to bring two color copies of the front of a favorite book to the December 7^th event. A laminator and other craft materials will be available for those color copies to be made into an ornament. The ornament can be placed on the Ethical Society’s Tree of Knowledge or used for a home display.

Downey and FS board members Jennifer Taylor and Patti Butcheck will be making the ornaments at 1:00 PM in the upstairs meeting room.

Enjoy the Taft-Morales EHSP presentation on Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 11:00 AM, and stay for The Tree of Knowledge decorating party and noon! Both events are free and open to the public.

To view photos of previous Tree of Knowledge displays, see: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xaadwcswcszxvij/AAA2JyLkjtUEpQJq6lV72DZta?dl=0

For more information, contact:

Margaret Downey, FS President

Phone: 610.793.2737

Email: Margaret@FtSociety.org

Hugh Taft-Morales, EHSP Leader

Phone: 215.735.3456

Email: LeaderHugh@phillyethics.org

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January-February 2013 Freethought Society Newsletter

By FS Editor, on January 23rd, 2013%

January February 2013 FS Newsletter PDF Final

The 2012 Tree of Knowledge Report by Margaret Downey
The Freethought Society’s 2013 Four-Month Calendar
The Pastafarian 2012 Holiday Display Request by Margaret Downey
FS Tree of Knowledge and the Ethical Humanist Society by Margaret Downey
The Integration of Religion and Government by Douglas Heisler
The 2012 Human Tree of Knowledge Report by Margaret Downey
Photos from the 2012 Human Tree of Knowledge Event
Promotional Flier for the September 13, 2013 Friggatriskaidekaphobia Treatment Center Event
Hurricane Sandy Emergency Relief Fund Update
Freethought Society’s St. Croix Flier

January February 2013 FS Newsletter PDF Final

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Human Tree of Knowledge, December 1, 2012

By FS Editor, on November 14th, 2012%

: 2010 Human Tree of Knowledge, West Chester Courthouse

The Freethought Society (FS) continues to demand the right to display a Tree of Knowledge on the grounds of the Chester County Courthouse.

A 2012 display request will likely be denied, therefore supporters must be prepared to conduct a “Human Tree of Knowledge” event/protest rally. The event/protest rally schedule will include the distribution of ornaments and participants will be invited to say a few words about how much certain books mean to them. Please plan to participate on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at the Chester County Courthouse located at the corner of High and Market Streets (2 North High Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania). The event will start at 3:00 PM and will include speeches, singing, photo opportunities and a press conference.

Please email FS to volunteer (volunteers@FtSociety.org) for one of many jobs that need to be done ahead of time (new ornaments, press releases, media training, etc.).

Should the FS petition to include The Tree of Knowledge in the 2012 display be approved, an actual tree will be decorated. FS supporters will be notified by email, and/or a notice will be posted on the Freethought Society listserv and website.

At 5:30 PM, a post-event dinner (Dutch Treat) will take place at Kildare’s Irish Pub, located at 18 West Gay Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania, 19380. The restaurant is located just one block from the Chester County Courthouse. For directions to the restaurant call, (610) 431-0770.

To reserve dinner seats, please call the FS office at (610) 793-2737 by November 28, 2012.

PLEASE RSVP via our Meetup or Facebook pages!

NOTE that this event is the first of a Tree of Knowledge Weekend, with the second event, decorating the tree, taking place at the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. More details here: https://www.ftsociety.org/?p=2409

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