What we’re about
Do you believe in Science and Reason, but also understand that its the connections we form with other people which make our lives truly meaningful? Are you looking for a god-free spiritual community, where you can learn about yourself and the natural world, grow deeper and more meaningful relationships and cultivate a greater sense of wonder? Do you like having fun?
Check out Connections, a Humanist spiritual community where we create hope, connection, and try to understand what makes out lives meaningful. If you would like to learn more sign up for one of our on-line or in-person events.
Upcoming events
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Celebrate Humanlight 2025
First Unitarian Church of Baltimore, 12 W. Franklin St., Baltimore, MD, USPlease join us for a celebration of HumanLight with the Baltimore Coalition of Reason! HumanLight is a celebration of the winter season conceived by the New Jersey Humanist Network as a humanist or secular alternative to traditional religious celebrations. Learn more at HumanLight.org. We'll have live music, candle lighting, and a potluck dinner & desserts.
When: 6:00-9:00 pm, Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Where: First Unitarian Church, 10 W. Franklin St., 21201
Sign up for Potluck: https://tinyurl.com/humanlight-baltimore-2025
We hope to see you there!1 attendee
•OnlineFTI: The Spirit of Christmas
OnlineSouth Park got its fame from a small skit where there was a line that went something like: “And what’s Christmas about?” “Presents!” one of the characters answered. That’s what a lot of people think these days. But as thoughtful people, let’s take a look at what the spirit of Christmas is really about. What did Christ try to teach the world about 2000 years ago, and have we “gotten the message?”
A little about our host:
Garrett is a programmer turned award-winning software inventor turned entrepreneur (http://platerate.com/) is his company. His hobby is writing and discussing practical philosophy, and he does life coaching on request to help people live happy, moral lives. He is also the executive director of The Free Thinker Institute (http://freethinkerinstitute.org/), which aims to create a community that helps members increase happiness and decrease harm for themselves and those they can influence.
Format: Lecture and discussion
Note: social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.
To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zg
After registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off.
Here’s our legal notice:
For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.2 attendees
•OnlineFTI: How can we decide what is true? What sources are trustworthy?
OnlineIn philosophy this is called epistemology - The study of what constitutes knowledge, eg how can we know something is or is not true. I will reveal a high level overview of my perspective here: I don’t think we should believe we know anything with absolute certainty - To do us shuts us down to the possibility we may be wrong. We should learn things with a certainty level that its true. For example, that earth is an oblate spheroid and not flat, we can say with 99.9999% certainty, but let’s not call it 100%. Other things like whether time can flow backwards, we have much less certainty around because there isn’t a clear consensus on this alleged fact (FWIW, I think its inaccurate, I think time only moves in one direction).
A little about our host:
Garrett is a programmer turned award-winning software inventor turned entrepreneur (http://platerate.com/) is his company. His hobby is writing and discussing practical philosophy, and he does life coaching on request to help people live happy, moral lives. He is also the executive director of The Free Thinker Institute (http://freethinkerinstitute.org/), which aims to create a community that helps members increase happiness and decrease harm for themselves and those they can influence.
Format:
Lecture and discussion
Note:
social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.
To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zg
After registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off.
Here’s our legal notice:
For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.2 attendees
•OnlineFTI: Is Lobbying good or bad? Can we make it better?
OnlineLobbying plays a powerful role in shaping public policy, yet opinions about its impact vary widely. Some view it as an essential channel for individuals and organizations to make their voices heard, while others worry it gives disproportionate influence to those with greater resources.
Join the Free Thinker Institute for a thoughtful, curiosity-driven exploration of this complex topic. Together, we’ll examine what lobbying is, how it works in practice, and the different ways it can promote—or hinder—the public good.
In line with the Five Intentions, this event invites open dialogue, collaborative learning, and a deeper understanding of how systems of influence can be improved for everyone. Participants will consider questions such as:
- When does lobbying support democracy, and when might it undermine it?
- How do different groups—large or small—use lobbying to advance their missions?
- What reforms or innovations could make the process more transparent, equitable, or empowering?
Whether you’re curious, skeptical, or simply seeking clarity, this conversation is designed to welcome diverse perspectives while encouraging shared insight and constructive engagement. Join us as we explore how influence works—and how it could work better for a more collaborative, equitable world.
Peter will do a presentation about Lobbying, after which Garrett will make a short presentation about a proposal to make lobbying good for everyone: Absolute transparency. Garrett is the first to propose this form of radical transparency in lobbying: All communications between lobbyists and government officials should be fully visible to the public at large.
The hope is this transparency will prevent unethical laws from being put into law because of the paid influence of lobbyists, and lobbying can go back to its original intent: To help guide government to make decisions that will be good for citizens by treating businesses fairly.
A little about our host:
Garrett is a programmer turned award-winning software inventor turned entrepreneur (http://platerate.com/) is his company. His hobby is writing and discussing practical philosophy, and he does life coaching on request to help people live happy, moral lives. He is also the executive director of The Free Thinker Institute (http://freethinkerinstitute.org/), which aims to create a community that helps members increase happiness and decrease harm for themselves and those they can influence.
Format: Lecture and discussion
Note: social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation.
To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zg
After registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off.
Here’s our legal notice:
For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.2 attendees
Past events
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