The concept of "freethought" must be distinguished from the concept of "free thought." Free thought is critical reflection that does not depend on appeals to tradition, authority, or dogmatically held positions. Many reflective people are free thinkers in this sense, including many religious believers. Freethought, however, is a historical tradition of thought and discourse that traces primarily back to the Enlightenment and combines free thought with doubt or disbelief regarding supernatural views, particularly traditional religions. Individuals for Freethought is made up of many free thinkers, both religious and atheist/agnostic, all interested in furthering Freethought. (Definitions borrowed with permission from CFA.)
Meeting times and locations are listed on the events/meetings page. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Occasionally meetings will be held at another time or place for various reasons. It is best to be subscribed to the IF Listserv to receive notification of any changes to this schedule. Business meetings are held when needed, usually at least once a month, to give the officers a chance to handle club business, and anyone may attend these. Things discussed at business meetings range from scheduling speakers and planning events to reviewing finances and changing the club constitution. General meetings take many different faces. Often a speaker will present or the group will discuss issues pertinent to themselves and freethought, either by prearrangement or spontaneously generated. Free Thought/Free Speech meetings are a forum for members and guests to present things of interest to them, ranging from poetry to recent events in the scientific community to humorous articles and beyond. In addition, other events may be included at a meeting or held at a predesignated time and place, such as a 'Religiously Incorrect' (based on 'Politically Incorrect' with Bill Maher), the annual Soul Auction (fundraiser), Superstition Bashes (Friday the 13th), public debates, and parties, including End-of-Year, End-of-Semester, Halloween, and Campout/Cookouts.
It is relatively easy to become a member of IF. You are considered a member once you have attend two meetings in a year and thereafter attend at least two meetings each year. Another way to become known to the group is to sign-up for the IF Listserv and participate in discussion either there (via e-mail) or on this site's forum. Active participation will ensure that others recognize you as a member. For more information on this, please contact any of the officers.
No. KSU does require us to be a predominantly student organization and have at least 4 officer positions filled by KSU Students. However, we have many members who are not KSU students or students at all and invite all persons to join or participate in IF. We even occasionally have non-student officers!
KSU IF is an independent campus organization comprised of people from all nationalities, genders, age groups, education levels, and cultural backgrounds. It's members include non-theists, humanists, open-minded religious persons, and other persons who are skeptical of paranormal claims and/or who value independent thought. It does not prescribe to any one particular social structure, religion, or government. However, KSU IF does enjoy the privilege of membership and/or participation with the following umbrella organizations:
There are two general ways to find this information out. First, you can visit out 'Events' page on this site. However, only official events will be listed here. The other more common way is by subscribing to the IF Listserv. Members often send out notifications of parties, speeches, and other events. If you wish to receive notifications of just official IF events via e-mail, you can alter your subscription to the listserv to only receive 'Announcements.'
For further questions, please contact us at freethought@k-state.edu.