Alert! Do not go to the Sierra 2 site on this date. AOF will have no General Meeting on October 11. Instead, in tandem with the Sacramento Community of Reason, AOF will bring you Sacramento's Eighth Annual FREETHOUGHT DAY FESTIVAL, in CESAR CHAVEZ PARK, 10th and J Streets, Sacramento.
What is Freethought Day? It is a national celebration of reason, freethought and church-state separation, featuring speakers, live music, drama, comedy, educational displays and children’s activities. It occurs in early October to commemorate the day in 1692 when Governor Phips of colonial Massachusetts declared that courts may no longer admit "spectral" evidence. This was the first legal mandate that evidence be observable, confirm-able and "real." Effectively ending the Salem Witch Trials, his decision saved dozens of lives.
Today, Freethought Day is our opportunity to celebrate values and freedoms we too-often take for granted, values once seen as radical, even unthinkable; and to commemorate the bold thinkers who often risked their lives to bring us freedom of conscious and a government policy of neutrality toward religion.
The theme of Freethought Day this year is Stay Curious. Our featured speaker at will be Herb Silverman, President of the Secular Coalition for America and panelist for the Washington Post’s “On Faith” online column. A South Carolina citizen, Herb once ran for governor as an atheist (the "candidate without a prayer"). Later, when authorities denied his application for Notary Public on religious grounds, Herb took legal action. Seven years later, he won his case in court.
We will also bring you the popular James Israel Band, the Midtown Jazz band, the Coexist Comedy Tour, and other entertainment.
The event is free and open to the public. Join us. Celebrate your mind.
Where: Cesar Chavez Park, 10th Street and J Street, Sacramento.
When: noon to 5 PM, Sunday, October 11, 2009
For more details: go to http://freethoughtday.org, or call 916-446-3589. Volunteers welcome!
