The Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) Freethought Society is a local secular discussion and activist group that is the only local group of its kind. While everyone is welcome to attend meetings -- provided that people do not come to preach, proselytize, or provoke – the group exists to promote secular values, ensure the separation of church and state, provide a community for non-theists, and defend the rights of non-theists. The group is a collection of atheists, humanists, agnostics, skeptics, and other non-theists.
Organizer and chairman of the group, Rodney Collins, notes that there are many non-theists in the area, but few are active within the atheist community at large. He says that many atheists may feel afraid to 'come out,' but the NEPA Freethought Society is a great place for non-theists to meet like-minded individuals and discuss what they likely would not feel comfortable discussing with friends or family. “While churches preach messages of ignorance,” Collins says, “group members are concerned with the truth instead of what just feels good or what someone would like to believe. A local pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Michael Brewster,” Collins notes, “tells his parishioners that non-believers are enemies and adversaries who are trying to take away peoples' power of prayer.”
The perception of non-theists in Northeastern Pennsylvania is especially poor. Many religious persons do not understand what the term atheist means, what many atheists do believe, and think that atheists are in a constant war with religious persons. In December of 2009, when the NEPA Freethought Society, along with the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, filed a complaint against the Luzerne County Courthouse's religious displays, many religious people sent hate mail to NEPA Freethought Society members and left rude, nasty and ignorant comments on public forums and in news interviews. One person, in a news interview, said, “It's really evoked a feeling of sadness to see that a small group of minorities can come in and take away the rights as Christians and Jewish people have had for thousands of years.”
Collins says that “separation of church and state is not just important for atheists. It is important for everyone.” When the government is not involved with religion or promoting religion, everyone is represented as an equal member of the community. If one religion is promoted instead of another religion, those of other religions or no religion are excluded. Atheists are not taking the rights of people away when they defend the separation of church and state, but rather are protecting the secular character of the government and defending the rights of everyone.
NEPA Freethought Society member Steven Detweiler enjoys the conversations that take place at group meets. “Conversations aren't only about religion,” Detweiler says, “conversations are intellectual discussions about anything.” Many atheists feel that there is no reason to be part of a group for atheists or do not see the value in membership of an atheist group. Detweiler says “support, community, and awareness are three other good reasons for atheists to come to meetings.” Collins says that if someone at meetings says something that doesn't sound right, the person is often questioned and a discussion is had. “We're much different than Bible study groups where people just agree with each other,” Collins says. If those reasons are not appealing to atheists, food, drink and relaxation are always guaranteed at the group's meetings.
The NEPA Freethought Society's website on Meetup.com can be found here. Those who register can view upcoming meetups, participate in discussions on the group's messageboard, suggest meetings, and RSVP for upcoming events. In addition to monthly meetings that take place on the last Saturday of each month, 'Drinking Skeptically' meetups are scheduled for the second Friday of each month at 7 p.m. at Rodano's in Wilkes-Barre. The NEPA Freethought Society also participates in and attends community events such as the upcoming NEPA Pride Fest and the annual autism benefit walk in Forty Fort. Atheists need not feel alone in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
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