Discussion Prompt:
Most of us have culture we treasure, be it a book, movie, song, album, poem, painting, architectural masterpiece, fashion design, or other creative work of human genius that affected us in profound and lasting ways. Sometimes a work changes how we understand the world or ourselves. Sometimes it introduces us to an idea, perspective, or experience we had never considered. And sometimes it simply gives us an extraordinary experience of beauty, joy, wonder, humor, or emotional connection.
And when something affects us deeply, we often want to share it.
Religions have a word for spreading the good news about something you believe can transform other people: evangelism. We may not have a gospel to preach, but many of us have books we press into other people’s hands, movies we insist our friends need to see, albums we think everyone should hear, or works of art we wish received far more attention than they do.
So, for this Freethinkers’ Forum, we’re going to do a little secular evangelizing.
Think of a work of human culture that has been particularly meaningful to you—and that you want other people to experience. It could be something famous that you think deserves its reputation, an overlooked work you wish had a larger audience, or something that has special significance because of when and how you encountered it. What is a cultural treasure that you want to evangelize about?
Related questions:
- What work has had a lasting impact on you, and why? Did it change how you understood yourself or the world?
- What book, film, album, artwork, or other work do you find yourself recommending to others? What do you want them to appreciate about it?
- Can art and culture genuinely change our beliefs, values, or behavior—or do they mostly give expression to things already within us?
- What works have helped shape your worldview as a humanist, freethinker, or non-religious person—even if they aren’t explicitly about humanism or religion?
- Have you discovered something you love because someone else passionately recommended it to you?
- And, of course, evangelism doesn’t guarantee conversion. What work do you love that other people just don’t seem to “get”?
Come prepared to spread the good news. Tell us about something that moved you, challenged you, delighted you, changed you, or simply made your life richer—and make your case for why the rest of us should experience it too.
When & Where:
The forum is on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 6:30 pm in Community Room B at the Keith Summey Library, located at 3503 Rivers Ave in North Charleston.
You can bring food! We are allowed to have food and drink inside the community room at the library (we just can’t have heat sources). Since we are meeting around dinner time, we invite people to bring take-out dinner or snacks. We also have the space from 6 pm, so welcome people to come early to socialize before we begin the discussion.
About the Group:
The Freethinkers’ Forum is a monthly gathering facilitated by the Secular Humanist of the Lowcountry to discuss topics of interest to freethinkers, atheists, agnostics and other non-religious people. The purpose of these gatherings is to foster respectful dialogue of interesting and intellectually stimulating topics. The focus is discussion and so we will not have speakers.
***All participants are asked to familiarize themselves with and agree to follow our code of conduct.