Taylor- Freethought is a term that has a historical context and is not simply unfettered thought. It is characterized by "thought unrestrained by deference to authority, esp. in matters of religion". Freethinker is defined as "one who forms his opinion independently of authority or tradition, esp. in matters concerning religion". I suggest reading Susan Jacoby's Freethinkers to get a feel for the historical meaning which, by the way, is replete with reason and rational thought.
Virtually all the actual members that I know do use rational thought and reason to find truth. Members pay dues and fill out a form that portrays the group (see below) though they do not commit by signing a statement. This is a very good point we should take up. The googlegroups discussion board and MFA Listserve are open to anyone who signs up and is not necessarily representative of MFA's statement of purpose as per our bylaws or our membership. That statement follows: The Memphis Freethought Alliance is composed of atheists, agnostics, skeptics, non-theistic naturalists, secular humanists and others who share our vision. We are joining together to defend the separation of church and state, the need for freedom from religion, and to counter religious myths and other supernatural beliefs with rational, scientific and other secular philosophical concepts. Our purposes are as follows: a.. We foster an environment suitable for free speech and exchange of ideas. b.. We provide a forum for educational films and lectures. c.. We defend the constitutional separation of church and state as well as oppose government sponsored religious events. d.. We defend the teaching of scientific theories over non-scientific theories in public school science classes. e.. We oppose pseudoscience, flim-flam, fraud, myths, misleading information, and hoaxes in the media. f.. We recognize the civil rights of atheists, agnostics, secular humanists and others who do not believe in god(s) or other supernatural forces. g.. We seek to improve society through secular humanism, science and critical thinking, and rational philosophical discourse. h.. We provide a fellowship for people who share these purposes listed above. While this statement and associated points may include more than forming opinions from reason and rational thought, none of it is particularly contrary. Science, reason and rational thought are the pillars upon which our small organization (not the discussion board) is based. I do think our mission statement should be tweaked and perhaps more focused and this was precisely what our last meeting addressed. Being the stalwart defender of science that you are, I would love for you to join us sometime, that is, if you are still in the area. Preston ----- Original Message ----- From: "Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Memphis Freethought Alliance" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2008 11:32 AM Subject: Re: MFA Feedback - Taglines > > <<"A non-prophet association" >> > > That's funny the first time you hear it, but not after that. I > wouldn't use it. > > Since you call the organization "free" thought rather than "rational" > thought, I'm not sure you can legitimately use "reason" in any slogan, > since your members have not precommitted themselves to valuing only > reason to discover truth. Perhaps you should communicate something to > the effect of being anti-dogma. > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
