FreethoughtJournal.com

Freethought forums: an introduction

This 1000-word article is a summary of my 7600-word manifesto on freethought forums as a meeting format for advancing freethought in society. To learn about my meetings, this is a good place to start. For the full manifesto, see Freethought Forums: micro-communities fostering a rationally compassionate world.

Interactive small-group meetings fostering freethought

"Freethought forums" are accessible and adaptable interactive meetings for freethinkers, fostering fellowship, learning, and personal growth while actively promoting freethought principles in the broader world with a purpose of improving the lives of freethought proponents and those they influence. Freethought forums are not formal organisations but gatherings based on a flexible concept that individuals can adapt to suit their own goals in advancing freethought. The core idea is to enable participants to apply the reach and impact of freethought not just to intellectual topics but to all aspects of their lives and to influence the world for the better, whether indirectly through learning or through intentional freethought action beyond the meetings.

Freethought forums were conceived from a belief that the greatest need facing humanity today is for education promoting an intentionally holistic moral use of evidence and reasoning, and all talks and discussion in the groups must be based on this.

Freethought as epistemology, not ideology

Central to the purpose of the forums is the definition of freethought not as an ideology but as an epistemology—a method of acquiring knowledge based on evidence, reasoning, and intellectual independence. This means freethought does not endorse specific conclusions. Its essence lies in how one arrives at beliefs, rejecting appeals to assumed authority and insisting that beliefs should be proportionate to the evidence. This epistemological understanding distinguishes freethought from atheism, even though many freethinkers are atheists. Beginning with a presupposition, whether atheistic or theistic, runs counter to freethought's spirit, which demands openness to where sound reasoning and evidence lead.

The heart of the meetings: the prepared talks

The talks must embody freethought principles by doing one of the following with moral intent: providing insight into freethought itself; promoting freethought action; or using evidence and reasoning to challenge false beliefs or assumptions. The eligibility of talks can be defined by a single, motivating question: "Is your talk a necessary intervention in the world that uses evidence and reasoning to promote a more compassionate way of thinking and living?"

Everyone changes the world in some way. An intervention is an intentional act of stepping into a situation to alter its outcome, however small the alteration may be. To present a topic, you must go beyond simple affirmation of the known. You must present a call for change, and you must back yourself, claiming it is a change the world needs. Whether the talk confronts a widespread falsehood (corrective), unmasks hidden injustices or suffering in our systems (investigative), or challenges our own habits of thought and living (reflexive), it must be driven by a clear moral intent: to rethink the way we think so that we may change ourselves for the better and positively impact the world.

Simple, participatory, non-institutional freethought meetings

The initial implementation of freethought forums is on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia, in simple, informal, participatory, and deliberately non-institutional meetings. The meetings are private, by invitation only, and limited to adults aged 18 and over, with an ideal group size of 6-8 people (minimum 4, maximum 10). They are held no more frequently than fortnightly in various venues such as private homes, restaurants, or public spaces. The private nature of the meetings is crucial for avoiding public event classifications that might necessitate public liability insurance.

The meeting format is structured yet flexible. It begins with a 15-minute informal mingling time, followed by a 10-minute ice-breaker activity designed to foster connection. The host then delivers a brief 2- to 5- minute "pep talk" to reinforce the group's purpose and values. The core of the meeting is the "prepared talks" segment, which can last up to 100 minutes. Attendees can each give one or more 2- to 5-minute talks on freethought-related topics, with each followed by a brief Q&A session of up to 5 minutes. Speakers are required to prepare and rehearse their talks.

Following the prepared talks, there's a time for announcements and activities, allowing attendees to share brief, personally relevant updates on freethought-related initiatives. The meeting proper is followed by optional post-meeting social time. Typical meeting durations range from about 1 hour 10 minutes for 4 speakers to 1 hour 50 minutes for 8-10 speakers, excluding the announcement segment at the end. Participants are free to bring their own food and eat at any time, or buy and eat food during the meeting if it is held at a restaurant or cafe.

Contrasting freethought forums with Sunday Assembly

Freethought forums can be contrasted with the Sunday Assembly, a non-religious movement that models itself after institutional churches. While the Sunday Assembly movement makes a positive contribution to creating community for the non-religious, freethought forums have fundamental differences. Sunday Assembly's Start-Up Guide explicitly limits discussions on atheism, religion, and politics, prioritizing harmony and avoiding controversial topics. This approach, while understandable for maintaining unity, stifles the critical engagement with difficult truths that is central to freethought. Freethought forums, conversely, actively encourage robust discussion of a wide range of topics, including politics and religion, viewing such engagement as crucial for challenging falsehoods and promoting critical thinking, aligning with an explicitly "missional" purpose of advancing freethought principles in the world.

The non-institutional church background

Freethought forums are consciously inspired by non-institutional house churches that operate without formal structures, paid staff, or centralized finances. This inspiration is not about adopting religious theology but about drawing on a model that emphasizes participation, reduces administrative overhead, and focuses on relational community. The key insight from the house church model for freethought forums is that eliminating the need to handle pooled money removes the primary justification for institutionalisation, allowing for flexible, inclusive community that is easy to facilitate and grow.

Summary of purpose

In conclusion, freethought forums are dynamic, non-institutional spaces for the way that critical thinking and intellectual freedom engages with everyday life. They prioritize open inquiry and robust discussion, even on controversial topics, to equip participants to think clearly, act purposefully, and effectively challenge harmful ideas with evidence and reasoning, ultimately contributing to a more rational and compassionate society. The practical meeting format and structure are designed to facilitate this missional purpose, ensuring that the forums are not just social gatherings but catalysts for broader impact.

To read about the theory and practice of freethought forums in more detail, see Freethought Forums: micro-communities fostering a rationally compassionate world.

-- James Brecknell, Saturday, August 30, 2025.