GOOD NEWS!

 

 

Due to On Top of the World's decision to enforce some pre-2023 rules (of which we were unaware) that prevented people who live outside of OTOW and those without a gateway pass in Indigo and Weybourne from regularly participating in our meetings, the Freethinkers Steering Committee has decided to change our status from club to private group. This is a positive change for our members. All of our current members who were required to pay $5 per meeting will no longer need to do so beginning February 1. This also relieves some of the work assigned to our treasurer in compiling the data and paying OTOW. As a private group, we will not be able to participate in the club fairs, but overall we think it is a win-win!

 

 

 

SUNDAY MARCH 8, 6:30–8 PM

OCALA GAZETTE LISTENS
HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM

This month the Ocala Gazette invites Freethinkers to a listening session. Ever wish you had the opportunity to let the local newspaper know what you'd be interested in seeing as a headline? On March 8, our friend Jennifer Hunt Murty, Owner/Publisher of the Ocala Gazette will be back to present OG Listens, a feedback series that she debuted with readers in January. Many Freethinkers will remember Jennifer from her presentation last October about the Gazette's investigative reporting about the high number of deaths in custody at the Marion County Jail. She’ll talk about what led her to start doing these listening sessions and then she will hear what you have to say. What issues would you like to shine a light on? Bring your best suggestions! If you would rather not ask a question or offer a idea at the microphone, you can write your comment down before the meeting, and it will be read for you. Or you can send your comment to FreethinkersFlorida@gmail.com for inclusion in the session.

 

 

SUNDAY MARCH 19, 1–3PM

SOCRATES CAFE'
HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM

 

February’s Socrates Cafe was our best yet! We had 24 participants divided into three groups of eight discussing The Culture of Contempt. This month the topic of our session will be Is civil disobedience that is violent and likely illegal justified in modern democracies to force governments to listen and change? Socrates is an exercise in civil discourse about philosophical or contemporary topics. We all can learn something from others’ opinions and ideas by using the Socratic approach of asking questions of our tablemates to clarify, challenge, and expand upon statements. If you are looking for an in depth conversation, this is ithis!

 

 

 

LOOKING BACK AT FEBRUARY

 

On February 4, (un)Holy Humor with Dr. Rod Broker had us laughing. Rod showered us with cartoons that made us smile and regaled us with humorous stories. He also shared how during his many years as a Lutheran minister that he came to question whether what he was imparting to his congregation was actually something he believed himself. So after years of research and consideration, he decided he was a humanist who didn’t believe in a god, but thought that the human Jesus had qualities he wanted to emulate. It’s always good to hear how others came to freethinkers.

 

And on February 22, the Devil’s Advocate edition of Open Forum was a success! Some of us took on the devil’s advocate position despite our personal views on each of six different topics, each topic with its own table. This made for rousing debates and some very good points made on  both the pro and con sides of issues. When we do this, we find that issues are rarely black and white. Freethinkers is one of the few groups in OTOW that encourages intellectual discussion and healthy debate on important contemporary topics. And we are better for it.

 

COMING UP IN APRIL

 

So what do you know about lying and liars? On Sunday, April 12, Freethinkers will host R. Lee Walters, a private investigator and former FBI agent who will present Deception in Today’s Society. Mr. Walters retired after 24 years with the FBI, the last five as a Supervisory Special Agent. He led a multitude of fraud investigations in areas of banking, health care, investments and public corruption. He was one of the first agents assigned to the Whitewater Investigation of Bill and Hillary Clinton and was responsible for the conviction of the then sitting governor of the state of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker.

 

On Monday, April 13 from 6:30-8 pm, our  Banned & Woke Book Club will be discussing our current selection, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Almost everyone has heard about this dystopian novel as it was a best seller or from the award winning television series which took home an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Plan to join us at the Hobby Building Event Room to opine about whether you think this could possibly happen—or is just a figment of the author's imagination? Read the book, watch the series, or just check Wikipedia and let's talk about it. Register by emailing Glenn Cohen at gcohen2022@outlook.com or sign up at the Sunday meeting on March 8.  See you there!

 

And on Sunday, April 26, our own Domenica Genovese will present Photographer as Witness. This presentation will highlight photographers who documented child laborers, war casualties, vanishing native populations, Depression-era suffering, and civil rights struggles. These photographers bear witness to history as it unfolds, standing in the midst of events while historians write about them later.

Photography doesn't just record history—it shapes our collective memory and understanding of our world.

 

 

DOING GOOD FOR GOOD’S SAKE

 

March is Spring Cleaning Month in Florida!  Remember to bring any items you find while cleaning out your closet, garage, or pantry that would be helpful to unhoused individuals living rough on the streets or in the forest. Freethinkers Debby Levy and Roland Campbell will transport your unneeded camping equipment, clothing, and food items to their Monday night program which provides a hot dinner for the homeless in downtown Ocala. Shoes for both men and women are especially needed. Just bring your donations to any Sunday meeting and they will be sure they are distributed the very next day to people who really need them. For more info text or call Debby at 561-346-7401 or Roland at 917-742-6514. 

 

WOW!  Karen Henkel Reeves and her mat makers group who crochet water resistant mats for the homeless are overwhelmed with your generosity and now have a million used grocery bags (well, almost) to use for this purpose so we will suspend collection of bags for now.  Karen's been out with a wrist injury to her crocheting hand but will be back in action soon. If you want to help her out, she will be giving a lesson on how to crochet the mats on Wednesdays March 4 and 18 at 9:30 in the Art Room in the Hobby Building. If you are not talented at crocheting but would like to help, she can show you how to cut the bags into strips that are used in the mat making.  

 

     We are overwhelmingly grateful to all the Freethinkers who support Karen, Debby, and Roland in their volunteer efforts to help the homeless. You have no idea how far your donations go to help people who are living without shelter. Thank you for caring!

 

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

WELCOME COMMITTEE

 

Do you have a smiling face we can borrow for our Sunday meetings? The Welcome Committee could use 1-2 more people to greet members, direct first time attendees, distribute candy and attendance sheets for each table and collect the same after the meetings. Hours are 12:30–1 pm and 3–3:15 pm. Can you spare 45 minutes of your time? There is nothing better than making our members feel welcome. Email Kathy Bell at kbell4570@aol.com or text/call 863-455-6286. Must be available most meeting dates or if you prefer, you can volunteer to be a backup to the team on an as needed basis. Thanks!

 

The Freethinkers Florida Club at On Top of the World meets twice a month in the Hobby Building Event Room for presentations, discussions, and social time. If you are coming from outside On Top of the World, please email  FreethinkersFlorida@gmail.com for information on entry through the gate.

 

Both of our January 2026 presentations support the humanist commitment to environmentalism.