James Hamlin

I posted a thread about this in February when I found this board, and I have finally done it.

The Freethinkers/Skeptics Club will soon be a student body organization at my high school. Even though it is late in the school year, I have decided to found this club and hold one or two meetings. I already have a successor lined up because I am graduating this year. The Constitution is written and pending approval. Even though the Student Body President is in the Christian Club, I think it'll go through rather quickly since I have several friends in student government.

My question for you all is, what should I do in these first two meetings and what should I plan to do for any future meetings? My purpose was to provide a forum for philosophical thoughts and ideas outside of a specific and structured religious framework. I have ideas, but I have to appeal to high school students. Basically, the discussions must be interesting and meaningful, but not particularly technical. I was considering a debate with a Christian Club member (I'm pals w/ the president of the club ) to draw attention, but I am still undecided. All suggestions will be appreciated.

ZiprHead

I think the debate idea is a good one. Probably for the first meeting though, you will want to devote time to introductions and discussions of the purposes of the group, maybe some personal stories of deconversion, the hassles of life as an atheist, meeting procedures, future goals, etc.

Good job on starting the group!

GaryP

Our Mission

The CFA is dedicated to promoting and defending reason, science and freedom of inquiry in education, and to the enhancement of freethought, skepticism, secularism, humanism, philosophical naturalism, rationalism, and atheism on college and high school campuses throughout North America and around the world. The CFA consolidates international resources toward this end.

Are you aware of this group?


http://www.campusfreethought.org/about.htm

James Hamlin

Thank you for that link, Gary! I'm going to contact them ASAP. If it takes too long to have my group join the CFA, then I will have to pass the responsibility on tho my successor. Again, thank you for notifying me of that.

GaryP

It's wonderful that you are doing this.

Good luck with your project.

Jamie_L

Early meetings may be a venue for just figuring out what everyone else in the club wants out of the club. Also for introductions, and some general group-therapy sessions for everyone dealing with the common problem of being a stranger in a strange superstitious land.

Other good things for clubs to do are to organize events with speakers - maybe some local skeptics. You could have video-tape viewings of Penn & Teller's Bullsh!t off Showtime. You could check out your school library and see if it's lacking in good skeptical reading material - if so, you might have some fundraisers to buy some books for the library.

You may also want to organize occasional social events - picnics, raft trips, that sort of thing. Sometimes a club is just a good venue to get together and socialize with people who share a common thread that you might not have with your usual group of friends.

Just some thoughts.

Jamie

Richard1366

Whatever you do, don't make it an "anti-christian" club, make sure everyone understands the absolute absurdity of other religions, i.e. Mormonism and the golden tablets read with the magic glass, Islam and its creation by Muhammed and his elevation to heaven, etc.

eldar1011

I'm not sure I'd make it an "anti-[fill-in the blank religion]" club, at all. I take a positive approach would be best, at least at the outset. Promote freethinking not only with regards to religion, but to other things as well. I find that some theists, particularly those organized in a religious club, can be very thin-skinned.

Backlash can be a terrible thing.

James Hamlin

Thank you for the suggestions. Local skeptics may be hard to find in my rather conservative community, but that sounds like one of the most interesting ideas. This is basically going to be a discussion group with some local activism. We won't be anti-religious, necessarily, but pro-thought and pro-reason. They may be the same thing in some respects.

Paperstreet

I liked the idea of Penn and Teller: Bullshit being shown. Make sure you show the one on creationism.