Here’s what we’ve come up with so far. We’re still working on the details, but from this you’ll get a feel for what the event will be like.
12:50 – 1:00 Registration
1:00 – 1:10 Opening Ceremony
1:10 – 1:40 Open Forum 1: Coming Out as a Freethinker
How did you reveal your being a freethinker? Is it even necessary? What would you suggest to other freethinkers who have yet to be true to themselves by revealing who they are to others? Should there be support groups for those on the fence?
1:40 – 1:50 Tribute to Freethought Heroes in History , including Darwin
1:50 – 2:10 Open Forum 2: Freethought Fallacies
What are the common misconceptions that people make about different kinds of freethinkers? What do we do about them? What are the definitions even freethinkers cannot agree about among themselves? What does it mean to be an agnostic? An atheist? A humanist? A deist? A freethinker?
2:10 – 2:40 Open Forum 3: Freethinkers in Relationships: Romance and Family
What is it like to be in a romantic relationship with a religious partner? Is it possible to be in love and leave out matters of faith, especially when both of you believe this is the most important thing that influences a person’s life, for better or for worse? Religion plays a central role in most Filipino familes. What are the challenges that freethinkers face in the context of family relations?
2:40 – 2:50 Break/Tribute to George Carlin
2:50 – 3:20 Open Forum 4: Freethought in the Philippines
Is the Philippines ready for freethought? What is the current state of secularism, science, and freethought in the nation? Should we even address these issues when poverty still denies our countrymen food to eat, clothes to wear, and homes to live in? Or should we put the promotion of free thought, science, and reason in the backburner?
3:20 – 3:50 Open Forum 5: The Practical Freethinker
A lot of people, many freethinkers included, believe that the Philippines is not ready for freethought, that freethinkers should not be evangelical, let alone militant. What then is the practical application of one’s freethinking? How can a freethinker help society without being too idealistic? What is the “low-hanging fruit” or quick win that freethinkers should aim for? How can freethinkers help society take baby steps in their desired vision?
3:50 – 4:00 Closing Ceremony
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Good news 🙂
Can't wait to find out what that video is all about 🙂 (if in case I haven't seen it before)
How do we propose to pay tribute to Carlin in the space of ten minutes? (2:40 – 2:50) Maybe we can show a video of his. I've got one called 'Carlin on Religion'. Dont know if they have the facilities to show movies in the next venue though?
Our tentative venue, Fully Booked U-View, definitely has the facilities to show movies in style 🙂
I think a tribute to the late George Carlin is a fantastic idea. For secularism, his wit, panache, and humor will be missed. For theism/deism, his hard hitting harpoon of criticism will also be missed (albeit not in the same way as we do 🙂 ).