FAQ

NAFA stands for North Alabama Freethought Association.

(Back to Top)

NAFA has a lot of opportunities to meet fellow members and like-minded individuals. We have our monthly dinner on the third Friday of each month. Every Saturday NAFA has a Coffee Social. In addition, we have Movie Night, picnics (weather permitting), camping trips, guest speakers, and lots more! To find out when the next event is coming up, check out the calendar.

(Back to Top)

NAFA is a Freethought group. Freethought is an umbrella term for individuals that do not adhere to religious dogma or doctrine. Many "labels" fall under the Freethought umbrella, including: Agnostic, Atheist, Bright, Freethinker, Humanist, Materialist, Naturalist, Rationalist, Secularist, Skeptic, Universist, and others. In addition, some non-mainstream theists, such as Deists and Pantheists have felt comfortable in the group. It should be noted that NAFA is a group OF Freethinkers FOR Freethinkers. While this does not preclude theists from joining, it does mean that NAFA was founded for Freethinkers to talk with like-minded individuals without fear of repercussion. Fundamentalists and other religious adherents would not feel comfortable in the group and may cause NAFA members to feel uncomfortable. This means active proselytizing is NOT allowed in NAFA.

(Back to Top)

Currently, NAFA does not have membership dues. NAFA relies on the generous donations of its members to help pay for the Web Page, signs, and other activities that come up. If you would like to donate to NAFA, please click on the PayPal logo on the home page.

(Back to Top)

NAFA welcomes members of all ages. NAFA members are as young as 3 and as old as 91. NAFA also has a Teen Forum for our teenage members. Parents are reminded that conversations at NAFA events are sometimes adult-orientated and sometimes may be inappropriate for younger children. As long as the parent of the child is comfortable with the child there, then NAFA is as well. NAFA should also note that we do not label children "atheist," "agnostic," "deist," or even theistic labels such as "Christian," "Muslim," etc. NAFA adheres to the view that children do not know what they are and cannot be labeled in religious terms any more than they can be labeled in political or social terms. Children attending NAFA events are free to engage in conversation and ask questions. They are equally free to label themselves, but adults will not label them. NAFA often has "family friendly" events where children are encouraged to attend, such as the NAFA Picnic, pool parties, and field trips. If an event is not appropriate for children it will be annotated in the event listing.

(Back to Top)

NAFA was originally conceived in the winter of 2002. In March of 2003 NAFA held its first meeting at a bar on Governor's Drive in Huntsville. NAFA considers March 2003 to be its official start-up date. NAFA is five years old and still going strong, still growing, and still supporting the non-theist community in north Alabama.

(Back to Top)

As of March, 2008 there are 158 subscribers to NAFA email. On average, 25-30 members attend the monthly dinner. NAFA started out in a bar with two members attending. Those numbers slowly grew as Huntsville residents found out about NAFA. Currently, people can find out about NAFA via Meetup.Com, MySpace, and many others. NAFA is constantly growing and getting new members. NAFA is proud to call Huntsville and north Alabama home and to support NAFA members through friendship, conversation, and both social and educational activities.

(Back to Top)

For general inquiries and information, please send an email to nafa@thenafa.org. If you have a specific question for the Organizer or Assistant Organizers, please go to the NAFA Contact Page and click on the appropriate individual.

(Back to Top)