The Fredericksburg Secular Humanists (FSH) is the Fredericksburg, Virginia chapter of the Washington Area Secular Humanists (WASH). Most of our members consider themselves freethinkers, non-theists, atheists, or agnostics. We welcome individuals who are interested in learning and intellectual explorations, and are willing to accept that not all questions have easy answers.
The Fredericksburg Secular Humanists meet regularly on the second Sunday of each month from 2:30 to 4:30 P.M. at the Salem Church Library in Fredericksburg unless otherwise noted. Topic presentations are followed by informal discussions by the group. Dessert, coffee, and tea will be provided.
Events
Meetings and events are announced on our Meetup page (http://www.meetup.com/FredericksburgSecularHumanists/).
As is the case with all WASH chapters, our meetings are free and open to the public.
Contact Information
Chapter coordinator: John Pell
Contact: fsh@wash.org
Links
Secular Coalition for America
A Brief History of FSH
FREDERICKSBURG SECULAR HUMANISTS The Fredericksburg Secular Humanists, (FSH) were pleased to be accepted as the eighth chapter of WASH at the WASH Board meeting on Saturday, July 22, 2006. (The FSH petition to join WASH contained fourteen signatures and was presented to the Board by the chapter coordinator.) FSH can trace it’s beginnings to the Unitarian Universalist Infidels (UUI). Timothy Travis, a member of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship of Fredericksburg (UUFF), formed the UUI in 2001. The Infidels were a group of UU’s who had grown dissatisfied with the UUFF’s shift away from its Humanist beginnings. The UUI met in the UUFF building. In the fall of 2002, a group within the Infidels formed FSH. The group began meeting in the local library. We were determined to form an independent group which would be separate from any religious organization. In our new group of Secular Humanists, being an atheist or agnostic was the norm. Our Coordinator was Landon Elswick who also provided almost all of the programs. Once we were established as a secular group, we began to attract an occasional new member. The new member might not have chosen to attend our meetings if we had been meeting in a church building. At a more fundamental level, our roots stretch back to the Secular Humanists who formed the UUFF in the 1950’s. Several members of this hardy group regularly attend our FSH meetings. We cordially invite all people who are interested in Secular Humanism to join in the discussions at our meetings.
—Pat Chen, Former FSH Chapter Coordinator