
What we’re about
Free Thinker's Forum: A UU Humanist Discussion Group
Do you ever wonder how we humans got here, what life is all about, and how we can best live together with our fellow inhabitants of the cosmos? Humanism promotes and extends the use of rational inquiry without supernatural considerations, followed by compassionate action in all human interactions. If this sounds like you, please join us!
We are people from all faiths or none, freethinkers, humanists, atheists and agnostics, who come together to discuss collaboratively-chosen topics, listen with open minds, share with open hearts, work together on social activism projects, and enjoy supportive community. Our general format is a short presentation followed by an hour or so of open discussion of the subject. Your topic suggestions are welcome in this interactive, socially and intellectually nurturing group. We aim to learn from each other and celebrate our diversity. All are welcome, and all outlooks on the topics are respected.
We currently meet the second Sunday of every month from noon to 1:30 in a hybrid format, in person at UU Santa Fe on Barcelona at Galisteo, and via zoom. To get the zoom link, go to our meetup site under events, and click on the event you wish to attend, then you can access the zoom link at the Online event icon.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Freethinkers Forum: What Do American Jews Believe?Link visible for attendees
While most Jewish Americans believe in some higher power or spiritual force, the vast majority do not believe in the “God of the Bible.” What do they believe? In this talk, we will discuss how Judaism is much more than a religion, and how liberal-religious and secular Jews find meaning in Jewish culture, history, identity, and community beyond religious expression. We will also universalize the phenomenon, to discuss the wider implications for secular and humanistic people of all backgrounds. Must secular people reject religious tradition wholesale, or might we be throwing the baby out with the bathwater?
Paul Golin, our discussion leader, is the executive director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism (www.SHJ.org), the community-organizing umbrella of a 60-year-old congregational denomination of American Jewry. He also serves as lead staff for SHJ’s pluralistic social justice initiative, Jews for a Secular Democracy (www.JFASD.org), mobilizing Jewish voices to defend the separation of religion and government. Paul is a writer, speaker, advocate, and consultant on issues including secularity, intermarriage, disaffiliation, and inclusion. He co-authored two books and his writing has appeared in the Forward, Jewish Week, Huffington Post, and elsewhere. He is the white Ashkenazi half of a “Jewpanese” (Jewish/Japanese) multiracial household and administers the Jewpanese page on Facebook.
Freethinkers Forum meets the second Sunday of every month from noon - 1:30 pm in a hybrid format, in person at UU Santa Fe on the corner of Barcelona and Galisteo, and via zoom. To get the zoom link, go to Events on our meetup site, and click that you will attend, then you can access the zoom link at the Online event icon.
We are a gathering of freethinkers and humanists, people from all faiths or none, who come together to discuss collaboratively-chosen topics, to listen with open minds, share with open hearts, work together on social activism projects and share supportive community. Our general format is a short presentation followed by an hour or so of open discussion of the subject. All are welcome, and all outlooks on the topics are respected. We aim to learn from each other and celebrate our diversity!
For more information, or to suggest topics or activities, contact:
Jim Applegate: leasecow42@gmail.com
Kalb Bair: torvannn@gmail.com
Dorothy Bracey and the Action Team: dorothy@dorothybracey.com
Roger Brumley: rellisbrumley@msn.com
Mim Chapman: mimcsf@gmail.com
Gail Funk: freethinkerssf@gmail.com
Mary Ellen Gonzales: maryellengonzales@gmail.com - Separation of Church and StateUU Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Freethinkers Forum is thrilled to announce a special event, with the President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Rachel Laser. A graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School, Rachel was raised as a Reform Jew, and served as the deputy director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, running interfaith campaigns on LGBTQ+ equality, immigration reform, gun-violence prevention, and paid sick, family and medical leave. She directed the Culture Program at Third Way, a Washington, D.C., progressive think tank specializing in understanding and reaching moderates. There, she launched the “Come Let Us Reason Together” initiative, which mobilized evangelical Christians and liberals to find shared values and work together on abortion and LGBTQ+ equality.
Rachel has written op-eds for major publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, and appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, and ABC. We are honored that she has chosen to come from Washington, D.C. be with us here in Santa Fe, sharing her passion for working together to protect our country from the tyranny of the White Evangelical Right and other forces threatening our democracy and freedom. The event is free and open to the public, and will include time for Q/A and discussion, followed by light refreshments.
Please pass the word to your friends, and gather with us at UU Santa Fe, 107 W Barcelona at Galisteo. Like most of our Freethinkers Forums, it will also be available via zoom. To get the zoom link, go to Events on the Freethinkers meetup site, and click that you will attend, then you can access the zoom link at the Online event icon.
We are a gathering of freethinkers and humanists, people from all faiths or none, who come together to discuss collaboratively-chosen topics, to listen with open minds, share with open hearts, work together on social activism projects and share supportive community. Our general format is a short presentation followed by an hour or so of open discussion of the subject. All are welcome, and all outlooks on the topics are respected. We aim to learn from each other and celebrate our diversity!
For more information, or to suggest topics or activities, contact:Jim Applegate: leasecow42@gmail.com
Kalb Bair: torvannn@gmail.com
Dorothy Bracey and the Action Team: dorothy@dorothybracey.com
Roger Brumley: rellisbrumley@msn.com
Mim Chapman: mimcsf@gmail.com
Gail Funk: freethinkerssf@gmail.com
Mary Ellen Gonzales: maryellengonzales@gmail.com