All Freethinkers CLUB Meetings and Events are held at:
On Top of the World Hobby Building Event Room
9125 SW 98th Street, Ocala 34481
2025 Sunday Meeting Dates:
January 5th and 19th
February 2nd and 16th
March 9th and 23rd
April 6th and 20th
May 4th and 18th
June 8th and 22nd
July 6th and 20th
August 3rd and 17th
September 7th and 21st
October 5th and 19th
Novermber 2nd and 16th
December 7th
PROGRAMS FOR AUGUST
SUNDAY August 3, 1-3 PM
OTOW HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM
GOD TALK: THOUGHTS AND THEORUES ON THE
ORIGIN OF RELIGION
Where, when and how did religion begin? What role did it play and what purpose did it serve? Many of us know Dr. Rod Broker from his frequent visits to our podium. He is a retired academic and counselor and a former Lutheran minister who has pastored a number of churches and run not for profit organizations. After forty years of religious ministry, his critical thinking brought him to the path of humanism as a non-theist. In his recent presentation to Freethinkers in June, Rod discussed Jesus (the historical figure) Without God with a record breaking 59 of us in attendance.
In this presentation we will learn about the development of the belief in supernatural gods who need to be appeased in order to secure favorable outcomes, ranging from good weather, to successful hunts, to victorious conquests to claim the fertile lands of other tribes. And of course some of these beliefs continue today, in a manner of speaking.
SUNDAY AUGUST 17, 1-3 PM
OTOW HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM
FREETHINKERS OPEN FORUM
Open Forum returns on August 17. Six tables, six different topics. Topics are listed below so that you can decide which table is for you:
1. Society. God is dead so why do we still need churches? No other institution (except the military) provides such a depth of belonging and meaning.
2. Government. Constitutional Convention. If there was a Constitutional Convention and you could change any one thing in the Constitution, what would it be and why?
3. Psychology. Why do “seniors” have difficulty developing close relationships? Is this statement even true?
4. AI/Sci-Fi. Transfer my consciousness, I can live forever. If, upon the death of your physical body, you could transfer your consciousness to a computer, would you?
5. Health Care: Health insurance companies and profits, single payer systems, Medicare local issues and policy issues. Thoughts?
6. Politics. The three keys to a good immigration policy are listed below. Or are they? What do you think?
• Completely stop all illegal immigration.
• Hugely expand legal immigration.
• Move illegal aliens to legal status as soon as possible.
MONDAY AUGUST 25, 6:30-8 PM
OTOW HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM
BANNED AND WOKE BOOK CLUB
A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. This electrifying and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before.
James has won multiple awards and is in development for a forthcoming movie to be produced by Steven Spielberg. But don't wait for the movie—read it now and let's talk about it! You can register by replying to this email or by signing up at our next meeting on August 3.
LOOKING AHEAD
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 1-3 PM
OTOW HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM
THE PRECEPTS OF BUDDHISM—A PERSONAL JOURNEY
Brenda Foster at O-An Zendo Meditation Center in Julian, PA, where she will take the Buddhist precepts
Join us for a uniquely insightful presentation as we welcome fellow Freethinker Brenda Foster who will share her journey into Buddhist philosophy as a guideline for living. From a foundation in Catholicism and prayer to a deep exploration into Buddhism and meditation, Brenda will illuminate how these seeming distinct paths converged in her life and led her to Freethinking. She will outline some of the parallel messages in the teachings of the historical Jesus and the message of Buddha, and offer a fresh perspective on arriving at personal truth. A Q&A period will follow.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 1-3 PM
OTOW HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM
ORBITS AND ICE AGES; THE HISTORY OF CLIMATE
Did you know we are in a climate Ice Age? It seems counterintuitive as we are experiencing some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded. We will watch a video lecture given by Daniel Britt—Orbits and Ice Ages: The History of Climate.
Dr Britt is the Pegasus Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences at the Department of Physics at the University of Central Florida. He was educated in geology at the University of Washington and Brown University. His career includes service in the US Air Force as an ICBM missile launch officer and an economist for Boeing. Britt has served on the science teams of four NASA missions to Mars, comets and asteroids. He currently does research on the physical properties and mineralogy of asteroids, comets, the Moon and Mars, and is the director of the Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science (CLASS). He has served as chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society and the Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America.
We have invited members of the Ocala Citizens' Climate Lobby to join us for an informative discussion. We hope you will be there, too.
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