Free Religious Association
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The Free Religious Association (FRA) was an American freethought organization that opposed
organized religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established. Organized religion is typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), a ...
and aimed to form in its place a universal rational religion free of dogma or theology, based on
evolutionary Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
science.Parsons, Gerald. (1988). ''Religion in Victorian Britain, Volume 2''. Manchester University Press. pp. 304-305.


History

The Free Religious Association was formed in 1867 in part by
David Atwood Wasson David Atwood Wasson (1823–1887) was an American minister and Transcendentalist author, an essayist and poet. He was early influenced by Thomas Carlyle, an influence he would shed; he is usually regarded as a disciple of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Lif ...
,
Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (''née'' Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongs ...
, and Reverend William J. Potter. to be, in Potter's words, a "spiritual anti-slavery society" to "emancipate religion from the dogmatic traditions it had been previously bound to". It was opposed not only to organized religion, but also to any
supernaturalism Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
in an attempt to affirm the supremacy of individual conscience and individual
reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
. The FRA carried a message of the perfectibility of humanity, democratic faith in the worth of each individual, the importance of natural rights and the affirmation of the efficacy of reason. The first public assembly was held in 1867 representing something akin to a town meeting with an audience ranging from Progressive
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
, liberal
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, radical Unitarians,
Universalists Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...
,
agnostics Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...
,
Spiritualists Spiritualism is the metaphysics, metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spir ...
, and scientific
theists Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to ...
to promote religious freedom.Burr, Nelson Rollin. (2015). ''Critical Bibliography of Religion in America, Volume IV, Parts 1 and 2''. Princeton University Press. p. 258.
Robert Dale Owen Robert Dale Owen (7 November 1801 – 24 June 1877) was a Scottish-born Welsh social reformer who immigrated to the United States in 1825, became a U.S. citizen, and was active in Indiana politics as member of the Democratic Party in the Ind ...
was present at the first meeting. The first person to join the association at the original meeting was the famed American individualist
Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...
. It caught on and many FRA members helped to lead communes based on their values on equality and self organizing organizations.
Thomas Wentworth Higginson Thomas Wentworth Higginson (December 22, 1823May 9, 1911) was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, politician, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionism movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with ...
,
Charles Eliot Norton Charles Eliot Norton (November 16, 1827 – October 21, 1908) was an American author, social critic, and Harvard professor of art based in New England. He was a progressive social reformer and a liberal activist whom many of his contemporaries c ...
and
Francis Ellingwood Abbot Francis Ellingwood Abbot (November 6, 1836 – October 23, 1903) was an American philosopher and theologian who sought to reconstruct theology in accord with scientific method. His lifelong romance with his wife Katharine Fearing Loring form ...
were members. In 1892, its Vice Presidents included the abolitionist
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
and the
humanists Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...
Felix Adler and
Moncure Conway Moncure Daniel Conway (March 17, 1832 – November 15, 1907) was an American abolitionist minister and radical writer. At various times Methodist, Unitarian, and a Freethinker, he descended from patriotic and patrician families of Virginia an ...
. The association existed until 1914. Its 47th annual meeting proceedings were published with the title ''World Religion and World Brotherhood''.


''The Index''

The Free Religious Association became formally associated with ''The Index: A Weekly Paper Devoted to Free Religion'', which became its semi-official periodical.Lippy, Charles H. (1986). ''Religious Periodicals of the United States''. Academic and Scholarly Journals. Greenwood Press. p. 253. It was edited by Francis Ellingwood Abbot until 1873 and then by his assistant A . W . Stevens.
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
subscribed to ''The Index'' and until his death sent Abbot donations (as much as £25 one year). Abbott was the owner of ''The Index'' until 1880. After this, it became the property of the Free Religious Association. In 1881, it changed name to the ''Free Religious Index'', but was restored to its original name after eleven months. W.J. Potter became the official editor and his assistant Benjamin F. Underwood did much of the editorial work. The December 30, 1886 issue was the final edition of ''The Index''. In February 1887, ''The Open Court'' journal became the official publication of the Free Religious Association.''Writings of Charles S. Peirce: A Chronological Edition, Volume 8: 1890–1892''. Indiana University Press, 2009. pp. xxiii-xxxiv. By the end of 1887, Underwood resigned and Paul Carus became editor and Edward C. Hegeler's
Open Court Publishing Company The Open Court Publishing Company is a publisher with offices in Chicago and LaSalle, Illinois. It is part of the Carus Publishing Company of Peru, Illinois. History Open Court was founded in 1887 by Edward C. Hegeler of the Matthiessen-Hegeler ...
published ''The Open Court'' journal until 1936.Mott, Frank Luther. (1938). ''A History of American Magazines, Volume 4''. Harvard University Press. p. 302.


Free Association of Religious Teachers

An organization calling itself Free Association of Religious Teachers was formed in 2010 which claims spiritual descent from the FRA. It is currently active in offering free teaching and certification in various aspects of interspiritual ministry and transodox theology.


References

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External links


The Index: A Weekly Paper Devoted to Free Religion
- HathiTrust Freethought organizations Nontheism Religion in the United States