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ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS IN THE NEWS

Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:13 am
by L.Wood
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"It's part of a national campaign by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and is a reaction to the state's display of a creche on the Capitol grounds each year. The national group was behind the now famous winter solstice display in the state of Washington that has stirred conservative commentators. This is the season for Christians, dammit. Everybody else needs to shut up and like it. And spend money, of course.

The photo was taken Dec. 21, during a Human Light/Winter Solstice observance by members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Fayetteville Free Thinkers and the Freethinkers of Central Arkansas.

Ark Times story and commentary here.

RELEASE FROM CENTRAL ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS

Seasons Greetings,

The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers would like to declare our intensions for the “Beware Of Dogma” billboard that greets you as you enter North Little Rock from the Main Street Bridge. We are in a season where Americans are celebrating. We celebrate logic, reason, critical thinking, and most important, we celebrate life!

Our first intension would be to encourage you to remain critical, and logical, and to continue to use your reasoning skills in ALL aspects of your life. Exercise these mental tools all 7 days of the week.

Second, we want any of you who think that you are alone in your skepticism of religion to know that you are not, even here in the great state of Arkansas. Atheist-friendly people are welcome to make new friends through http://www.ARfreethinkers.ORG.

Lastly, we want theists to know the atheists, agnostics, Brights, freethinkers, heretics, infidels, nullifidians, heathens, secular humanists, and skeptics, also live here among you. Many more of us feel more threatened by you than you may feel by the presence of this billboard. Many of us aren’t comfortable with the thought and consequences of announcing, or even, no longer hiding, our skepticism of religion. We all live here though, so let’s be mindful of others, isn’t that one of the lessons to learn and share during your holiday too?

The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers, now a 501c non-prophet group (pun intended), would love to thank the Freedom From Religion Foundation of Wisconsin for sponsoring the billboard. Similar secular campaigns in D.C. ask “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” Being good for goodness’ sake, now that’s something that we think we all can agree on.

Happy Holidays America,

Arkansas Society of Freethinkers

Dogma is a settled or established opinion, belief, or principle. Dictionary.com lists its first definition as, “a system of principles or tenets, as of a church.”

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Re: ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS IN THE NEWS

Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 6:36 pm
by Doug
DOUG KRUEGER writes:
I'm the guy last in line on the left, but not the one with his arm raised.

I went to Little Rock to give my Powerpoint presentation on "The Future of Atheism in the U.S." It was a good time with some good folks.

Re: ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS IN THE NEWS

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:40 pm
by Doug
A article about the nativity scene at the Arkansas capitol and the Central Arkansas Freethinkers' attempts to draw attention to the problem:

What we’d like to see is the nativity scene taken off state property,” said Arkansas Society of Freethinkers member Kirk Dixon of Little Rock. “We don’t believe that they ought to display religious displays on public property. It’s fine if they want to put it on church property, but there is such a thing as separation of church and state, and they’re violating it.”

The groups have objected before to the nativity scene, which is owned by a nonprofit group and erected each Christmas season on the south edge of the Capitol grounds, but state officials have shown no inclination to abolish the tradition.

“It’s privately maintained, it’s located on the periphery of the Capitol grounds and it’s merely a component of the Capitol’s overall holiday decorations celebrating all aspects of the holiday season,” said Natasha Naragon, spokeswoman for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels.

Doug Krueger of Fayetteville, a professor of philosophy and world religions at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville and a member of Fayetteville Freethinkers, said the only aspect of the season celebrated in the decorations is a Christian viewpoint.

“It’s a pretty blatant way to endorse that particular religion at the expense of other points of view,” Krueger said.

Supporters of the nativity scene say it is appropriate for the holiday being celebrated.

Read the rest here.

Re: ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS IN THE NEWS

Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:18 am
by Doug
Today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Sat. Jan. 10th).

From LeeWood, of the Freethinkers of Central Arkansas:
"The article by Frank Lockwood is in today's paper. Look for the Religion section and it's on the front page, below the fold, but with a huge picture of our billboard lit up at night. Like the TV coverage, I didn't detect the negative slant one might have expected. We might want to thank them for running the story and garnering us more attention."

See the newspaper article of Jan 10, 2009, Religion section, Page 14. That's the front page of the religion section (4B).

"Atheist organization lands billboard in NLR"
The online version only allows subscribers to view it, or I'd link to it. Very nice nighttime photo of the billboard.


Special thanks to Susan Heffington for bringing it to my attention.

Re: ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS IN THE NEWS

Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:32 pm
by Randall Doc Fleck
LOL... I'm the guy pointing. Gosh that was a cold day.

Re: ARKANSAS FREE THINKERS IN THE NEWS

Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:31 am
by Randall Doc Fleck
Tulsa group has become an affiliate of ffrf and is interested in placing a billboard on I-244 or I-44.

Taken from an excerpt of an email I recently received:
"...one must be a member of FFRF to join the Tulsa Chapter of the FFRF ($40.00 -- visit http://www.ffrf.org to join) and that by joining FFRF you will be expected to be "active" both physically and economically (Economic "activity" in many ways, is just as important as "physical" activity)... Send any questions and e-mail addresses [of people who might be interested in taking an active roll] to williamdusenberry@yahoo.com"
I'm personally pleased to see this kind of activity happening in such a nearby community.