A number of years ago, while serving on the board of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, I was at a meeting to design a holiday display for the greater atheistic community. Our President, Margaret Downey, came up with the idea for a Tree of Knowledge. Admittedly, I was originally opposed to the concept, but Downey quickly won me over.
The Freethought Society Tree of Knowledge went up next to the Crèche, the Christmas Tree, and the Menorah on the lawn of the Chester County courthouse in West Chester, Pennsylvania for three years in a row. Christians were outraged, but the world did not end and God did not punish the town for having the atheist display.
Last year however, the County Commissioners were able to exclude the Tree of Knowledge display from the courthouse lawn by including a toy train to represent the non-theist community. One argument they made was that the Tree of Knowledge was not a “traditional” atheistic display.
So let’s make it a tradition! Margaret Downey has put out a call for atheists everywhere to create their own Tree of Knowledge. She wrote a short guide for creating one in the public square that can be downloaded for free. This guide may also help you to create a Tree of Knowledge in your own home.
If you choose to create a Tree of Knowledge in your home or community, please e-mail a photo to Margaret Downey at margaret@ftsociety.org.
The Philadelphia Ethical Society is going to put up their Tree of Knowledge on December 4th at noon following their 11am service entitled, “The Spirit of Giving.” The Philadelphia Ethical Society is located at 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.
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