West Michigan Freethought Group on the Move
by Ed Brayton
West Michigan Freethought Group on the Move
Ed Brayton
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The West Michigan Freethought Association is making big changes. This thriving group of skeptics, non-believers and freethinkers in West Michigan has now become the official Michigan chapter of the Center for Inquiry, an international organization whose purpose is “to promote and defend reason, science, and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor.” This is a major step for an organization that has grown from only a few members to several hundred over the last decade.
The Freethought Association was started in 1997 by Jeff Seaver, Don Hansen, and Charles Leedy. They initially met in Hansen’s house and had fewer than a dozen members, but as they grew they had to find larger and larger venues in which to meet. The group currently meets at the Women’s City Club on Fulton St. in Grand Rapids. In 2001, they officially incorporated as a 501© 3 non-profit educational organization and they’ve continued to grow since that time.
So what is a freethinker? Their website defines a freethinker as “One who has rejected religious authority and dogma in favor of rational inquiry and speculation.” This fits well with the mission of the Center for Inquiry, which was founded by Paul Kurtz, a retired philosophy professor from the University of Buffalo. He has founded several organizations, including the Center for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) and the Council for Secular Humanism, all of which aim to foster a similar goal, “to contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of science and reason, and their applications to human conduct.”
This goal is advanced by a wide range of publications. Their flagship magazines are Free Inquiry and The Skeptical Inquirer. They also publish several peer-reviewed journals, including The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, and Philo. In addition to these periodicals, they are affiliated with Prometheus Books, also founded by Kurtz, which publishes many books along these same lines.
Jeff Seaver, founder of the West Michigan Freethought Association and now executive director of CFI-Michigan, is excited to join his group with this prominent organization, but he points out that it’s not a one-way street; CFI benefits as much from the union as the Freethought Association:
“We’ve worked with CFI for a number of years. In 2001, they brought me out to participate in a leadership conference and over the years have helped line up some nationally known speakers that we would not otherwise have had access to. A year ago, an ongoing conversation about a closer relationship began to pick up momentum as it became clear that we were doing a lot of things right that CFI’s other local groups could learn from. At the same time CFI has continued to expand its resources, which are a direct benefit to our local organization. The alliance is of mutual benefit to both of us.”
Seaver says this sets the stage for continued growth for his group and notes that it has already had an effect in that area. Their inaugural event as CFI-Michigan was a speech by Susan Jacoby on September 12th. Jacoby is the author of the book Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. That event attracted a record 190 people, their largest single gathering. Some of their upcoming events, with well known speakers discussing controversial subjects, should draw similar numbers as the group continues to grow.
On October 24th, Edward Tabash from Americans United for Separation of Church and State will be speaking about the threat of the religious right to our freedom. And on November 28th, CFI founder Paul Kurtz will be speaking about humanism and its prescription for a life well lived. For more information, check out CFI-Michigan’s new website.
Full Disclosure: I am not a member of this organization, but I have been an invited speaker at their events in the past.
