Freethought Organizations
Four exceptional freethought organizations are are listed below:
The Freedom From Religion Foundation: http://ffrf.org
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. strives to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism. It is a non-profit, tax-exempt, educational organization and has received ten consecutive four-star (top) ratings from Charity Navigator, including a perfect score in 2019 – an achievement received by less than 1% of the thousands of charities tracked by that organization.
Some of its many activities are as follows:
Accepts reports of church/state violations and
Accepts and assesses requests to deal with church/state violations (see website for details).
Mounts legal challenges to certain church/state violations.
Holds five different student scholarship essay contests. (In 2019 nearly $115,000 was granted in scholarships and various awards.)
Publishes the only freethought newspaper in North America (see Freethought Publications page).
Is involved in radio & audio activities, and operates billboard campaigns.
Sells freethought related books and products & provides information on secular funerals.
Holds conventions, presents various freethought awards, and more.
The Center for Inquiry: https://centerforinquiry.org/
The stated mission of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) is to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
CFI is an umbrella organization for a number of activities. Its skepticism extends beyond religion into such things as paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs. In one of its website pages the organization lists the following items under the heading, “WHAT WE DO.”
1. CFI publishes Skeptical Inquirer magazine which educates and promotes scientific literacy, critical investigation of pseudoscience, and deals with scientific evaluations of extraordinary claims and myths.
2. CFI publishes Free Inquiry magazine which covers the issues around religion, ethics, history, and world affairs from a humanistic point of view through articles and features from the best writers and thinkers in the world.
3. The Richard Dawkins Foundation promotes scientific literacy and works to advance secularism around the world.
4. Secular Rescue supports secular activists and bloggers in the Middle East and Bangladesh in their pursuit of safety from persecution.
5. CFI’s Office of Public Policy works in DC to ensure fair and equal treatment for the non-religious, to defend America’s secular constitution, and to protect the role of science in health care and policy.
6. TIES provides educators with free online resources and workshops to help them teach evolution, natural selection, and diversity.
The Secular Student Alliance: https://secularstudents.org/.
The Secular Student Alliance aims to “empower secular students to proudly express their identity, build welcoming communities, promote secular values, and set a course for lifelong activism.” As of this writing, it boasts of 304 student organizations, 1,672 secular programs at schools, and 28,753 students impacted.
The national home office provides various forms of support to existing and startup organizations. Students wishing to join one of the organizations should visit their website, where they can enter a location and find the nearest chapter.
The Clergy Project: https://clergyproject.org/
“The Clergy Project’s Mission is to provide support, community, and hope to current and former religious professionals who no longer hold supernatural beliefs.”
Many clergy become non-believers over time (the orgainization has passed the 1,000 former clergy milestone mark). Some come out while others remain in the ministry, hiding their unbelief under stress, and feeling there is nowhere they can turn. The clergy project is a support group of like-minded members with a strong eye to privacy and security for those who require it (one can identify oneself solely with a pseudonym if desired). Applicants for membership are screened, and a transitional assistance grant may be available to help in finding a new vocation.
Even if you do not fall in the above category, you may wish to visit the site as many of the members have published their interesting stories online.