AOF Activities & Events

Many freethinkers have adopted the week of Thanksgiving (~November 24) as Church/State Separation Week, to offer concerned and active citizens an opportunity to educate others about the importance of a clear division between Church and State. The hope is that this secular holiday will rally us and provide a platform to celebrate one of this nation's finest contributions to civilization.

Secularist societies such asAmericans United for the Separation of Church and State, the Institute for First Amendment Studies, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the American Atheists and the Institute for the Secularization of Islamic Society, as well as others united for a secular government, have supported this celebration.

In humanist circles, some also celebrate November 24 as Evolution Day, marking as it does the anniversary of the first publication of The Origin of Species (Nov 24, 1859). For the most, however, the focus is on church/state separation this week. Carles Darwin has his own secular holiday (see: February 12).