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Bill van Druten (218) 724-4176
Yes! Spring has sprung and the time-honored gatherings at the home of our founder resume. The fellowship begins at 1:00, rain or shine. Please bring something to share: maybe a snack you’ve made or something from the garden or perhaps a potion to lubricate our conversation (e.g., wine). Discussion ranges from the weather to local bird sightings to the meaning of life. Leave your worries behind and prepare to laugh out loud. Keep in mind that we can park anywhere on Greysolon Road but not on 30th Avenue.
Religious Trauma: A Conversation
Join us for our next First Sunday meeting of the Lake Superior Freethinkers!
Sunday, May 4th
Presentation at 10 am.
We are delighted to welcome:
Arielle Lee and Alicia Joel
presenting
“Religious Trauma: A Conversation“
Alicia and Arielle will each share their personal stories growing up in constrictive religious households with emotionally destructive belief systems and will share their journeys coming out of it into healthier ways of thinking, being, and living. They each had a different response to this upbringing: one, the good compliant child taking on multiple layers of shame, and the other, the rebel, who questioned and resisted the belief system as a young child at every turn.
At the end of their talk, there will be time for questions and personal sharing. Alicia will also touch on the religious trauma support group that she started leading in January.
Arielle Lee:
Arielle Lee stands strong as a voice against Christian extremism, having educated herself on the practices of Christian nationalist organizations for decades, and surviving a childhood directly impacted by their practices. She was raised under the practices of James Dobson of Focus on the Family, the organization behind the Heritage Foundation and the authors of Project 2025. By the age of 18, Arielle had bounced between homeschool, Christian boarding school, and several denominations of Christian day school in addition to being forced to attend multiple different denominations of Christian churches. When Arielle isn’t fighting Christian nationalism, you can find her working in local theater and as a photographer, focused on community building, or doting on her two delightful corgis as an avid animal lover.
Alicia Joel:
Alicia Joel is a trauma conscious yoga guide, cuddle therapist, body worker, and Sacred Counsel Guide. She facilitates gatherings for people to explore connection to themselves and others and provides safe spaces for marginalized people including those in the queer, trans, neurodivergent, and ethically non-monogamous communities. Her goal is to bring more connection, understanding, and wholeness to the world.
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The Exvangelicals
Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church
Author, Sarah McCammon presented via Zoom at Lake Superior Freethinkers’ First Sunday meeting on April 6, 2025 at 10 am.
From the Publisher:
Rigorously reported and deeply personal, The Exvangelicals is the story of the people who make up this generational tipping point, including Sarah herself. Part memoir, part investigative journalism, this is the first definitive book that names and describes the post-evangelical movement: identifying its origins, telling the stories of its members, and examining its vast cultural, social, and political impact.
“An intimate window into the world of American evangelicalism. Fellow exvangelicals will find McCammon’s story both startlingly familiar and immensely clarifying, while those looking in from the outside can find no better introduction to the subculture that has shaped the hopes and fears of millions of Americans.” —Kristin Kobes Du Mez, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus and John Wayne
About the Author:
Sarah McCammon is a National Political Correspondent for NPR and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast. Her work focuses on political, social and cultural divides in America, including abortion policy and the intersections of politics and religion. She’s also a frequent guest host for NPR news programs.
McCammon is the author of The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, a 2024 book that is part memoir and part journalism, about the movement of people who grew up inside the powerful evangelical subculture and ultimately left in response to its increasing politicization.
The first definitive book that names the growing social movement of people leaving the church: the exvangelicals.
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Journey to Antarctica
Jay Krajic presented “Journey to Antarctica” at Lake Superior Freethinkers’ First Sunday meeting on February 2, 2025, at 10 a.m
“As a still photographer, I’ve always been interested in capturing the wild landscape. That’s all Antarctica is … wild. We were on the ice for four days and most of these shots were taken during that time.”
Jay Krajic, a native of the Chicago suburbs, earned his fine arts in photography degree in Utah. He worked for 20 years as a TV news videographer in Boise Idaho and in 2007 shot video for Idaho Public Television’s Outdoor Idaho. Jay currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota.
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Wisdom & Freethought
Click here for PowerPoint
Presented March 2, 2025
by Dr. Jim Lyttle
While it’s difficult to define wisdom, we notice unwise things we have done. What are the main qualities of people who are thought to be wise? Does wisdom come with age, correlate with intelligence, a great sense of humor, or being a kind person? Along with millennia of religious and philosophical speculation, we now have a body of research findings from academic psychologists. After laying out a few tested elements of wisdom, we will apply them to our own ideas of freethought and religious skepticism. Are we being wise?
Jim Lyttle is a long-time member of Lake Superior Freethinkers and served as announcer, secretary, chair, webmaster, and videographer. He lives in Duluth with his wife Jing and daughter Heather. Dr. Lyttle is a Canadian who traveled with his showband during the 1970s. He has degrees in philosophy, organizational behavior, and education, is a life member of Mensa, and is a retired university professor. Nonetheless, as a diagnosed ADHD sufferer, he has always struggled with wisdom.
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Laïcité: The French Law on Separation of Religion and State and its Modern Challenges
Presented January 5, 2025 at Lake Superior Freethinkers
The principle of Laicite in France is implemented through a number of policies, primarily based on the 1905 law. The French government is legally prohibited from recognizing any religion. The law was based on three principles: the neutrality of the state, the freedom of religious exercise, and public powers related to the church.
David Bellert, a board member of LSF, guides our learning and discussion through a number of issues concerning separation of church and state.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW THE EVENT HERE:
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Project 2025 — Plan or a Trap?
Presented November 3rd
Project 2025 is a conservative plan to prepare officials for a future Republican administration, focused on reversing progressive policies and shrinking government.
- Will Project 2025 prioritize specific religious perspectives, and if so, how will it handle the diversity of faiths in the U.S.?
- What role will religious freedom play in the project’s stance on issues like LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and education?
- How does Project 2025 plan to address potential legal challenges to its proposed reforms?
If you’re like everyone else, Project 2025 is at best confusing. This LSF First Sunday presentation will help a lot!
This event featured a compelling video, a summary by Dr. Charles Gessert, and an open forum discussion. Bring your questions.
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LSF Hosts Jen Schultz, candidate for US Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth District
Project 2025 &
US House Study Committee Healthcare Agenda
Schultz will cover the GOP plans for health care reform in 2025 if they succeed in controlling House & Senate, & possibly White House.
Jen Schultz is running for US Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional district attempting to unseat incumbent Pete Stauber. Jen has lived in Duluth, MN for 20 years, where she is an economist and full professor at UMD. She previously served eight years representing Duluth in the Minnesota Legislature.
Jen Schultz Presented at Lake Superior Freethinkers
Sunday, October 6th at 10 am
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Christian Nationalism: A Conversation With A Charismatic Pastor
Rod Froseth and Pastor Aaron Fregard discussed a few of the most concerning issues of Christian Nationalism on September 1, 2024.
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Joining Forces Against Christian Nationalism | Angela Denker Presentation
Angela Denker, author of Red State Christians, Presented at Lake Superior Freethinkers’ First Sunday Meeting on August 4th.
From The Author:
Join Red State Christians author Angela Denker on August 4th at Lake Superior Freethinkers meeting to discuss the growing popularity and influence of American white Christian Nationalism, and how to combat it in your community.
Denker, an ELCA Lutheran pastor and veteran journalist, has been researching white Christian Nationalism since 2018, and she also recently served three years as a rural parish pastor in Southwestern Minnesota, where a majority of her parishioners voted for Trump.
During this meeting, Denker will help us define Christian Nationalism in historical, sociological, and theological terms, help us understand its roots and how it’s being weaponized in American politics, as well as an introduction to the Lutheran Theology of the Cross as a tool of resistance against Christian Nationalism: a framework that’s helpful regardless of peoples’ personal faith background, beliefs, or lack thereof.
She will also talk with attendees about self-care in a time of Christian Nationalism, and how to engage in this work without becoming overcome by burnout or a sense of loneliness – as well as why religious and non-religious Americans alike need to work together across belief differences to fight against Christian Nationalism and for the separation of church and state. Make sure to bring your questions and examples from your context to share in Q&A and discussion time.
Rev. Angela Denker is an ELCA Lutheran pastor and veteran journalist. Her first book, Red State Christians, was the 2019 Silver Foreword Indies award-winner for political and social sciences. She has written for many publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, and FORTUNE magazine, and has appeared on CNN, BBC, SkyNews, and NPR to share her research on politics and Christian Nationalism in the U.S. P
Angela’s new book, Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, will be released on March 25, 2025.
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Opportunity! LSF Supports Life House
We reached our goal!
Each year Lake Superior Freethinkers enjoys the opportunity to support a local community organization with any kind of need — an additional nudge, project, or simply ongoing support. For 2024 the LSF planning committee chose Life House, a Duluth organization that provides comprehensive supportive services to meet the needs of youth and young families ages 14 to 24 who are unstably housed and/or navigating various challenges in life.
Lake Superior Freethinkers set a goal to raise $1000 for Life House which will be generously matched with an additional $1000 community partner grant by Freedom From Religion Foundation of which LSF is a local chapter.
Tax-deductible donations
…can be made by check payable to either “Life House” or to “LSF” (with “Life House matching funds” in the memo). Mail to: Charles Gessert, Treasurer, PO Box 3219, Duluth, MN 55803-3219
Video Player
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Climate Grief: From Coping to Resilience and Action | Dr. Shawna Weaver Presentation
Dr. Shawna Weaver, author of Climate Grief: From Coping to Resilience and Action presented for Lake Superior Freethinkers on July 7, 2024.
From the author:
My work has enabled me to study reefs in Australia and California, to work with wildlife in Peru, India, and Thailand, and to consult with thought leaders throughout the world.
I have more than a decade of experience as a mental health practitioner, and more than a decade of experience in environmental education. I support people in learning about climate change, in processing climate change emotionally, and in developing strategies to respond to both in ways that feel empowering and attainable. I work with people of all ages, helping them communicate their fears, identify their strengths, and take action.
The secret to a healthy, happy life
is figuring out how to live well
in spite of and within
a heavy and uncertain world.
Pick up your copy of Climate Grief before the meeting on Amazon in Kindle or paper or ask for it at your local bookseller. Or wait for the meeting, buy one there and ask Dr. Shawna to sign a copy for you!
Climate Grief: Finding Resilience in a Volatile World
Shawna Weaver, Author of Climate Grief: From Coping to Resilience and Action, will speak at Lake Superior Freethinkers on Sunday, July 7th at 10am.
Seldom do you spot such diverse perspectives represented in a book. Shawna Weaver’s 2023 work, Climate Grief: From Coping to Resilience and Action, reflects the fact that Shawna has been around. A couple of chapters in I began to notice the almost circular scope of perspective on this topic of climate.
The journey is long; we change and grow in ways that are more like walking through a labyrinth than running down a straight road.
Weaver earned a PhD in Sustainability Education, runs marathons, enjoys a plant-based diet, is a musician in Duluth, MN, and teaches in environmental education. These are pieces of her life and experience that you feel support this book because she isn’t only talking about it, but lives and feels it.
I learned two new expressions straight away from Weaver’s research and practice. Ecopsychology is that field of study where Weaver draws from the intersection of how we relate to our environment and how our behavior toward our planet impacts human life experience. Ecotherapy is that unique brand of psychotherapy that she has developed in which her practice with clients occurs in natural settings and experiences. Ecotherapy faces the grief where the grief dwells.
Weaver doesn’t explain our climate grief experiences away. Those of us living in Northern Minnesota know that we don’t live in a climate refuge as many outsiders claim. It’s a delicate and unique place. We know it’s changing: the lake is warming, ticks have arrived where they never were before, and white-tailed deer abound.
It’s not the same.
The most inspiring change-makers among us are those who keep learning and changing as they learn. They refuse to preserve a problematic status quo.
Weaver takes us on a tour of natural and oh-so-common biases and binary thinking and how when favored they lock us into a vortex of personal and social self destruction. There are ways to break free when we can see ourselves as we really are.
Any conversation about grief would be lacking without investigation of the work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. And Weaver adds one, the work of David Kessler, a practical and natural stage of meaning-making.
The secret to a healthy, happy life is figuring out how to live well in spite of and within a heavy and uncertain world.
I began to notice while working through the chapters on grief stages that I wasn’t only examining my own experiences with grief about climate change, but many other areas of my life where I may have checked out of the grief process or perhaps never even noticed that I was grieving.
The book is practical. Anyone can find a strategy that will suit them right where they’re at. Shawna invites you to start where you are, care for yourself and become involved in some way that is natural to you. I felt hopeful even though the tempest is already upon us.
I felt sad many times reading Climate Grief. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad sadness. It’s a sweet sadness that allows me to care for myself, and in caring, I’m caring for my community and climate as well. We all benefit when we respect our grief.
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Sunday, June 2nd @ 10:00 am
Mission and Ethics in the Catholic Social Tradition:
Current Challenges in the Age of Trump
The paradox of Catholic Social Teaching and support for authoritarian, fascist leadership by certain members of the Catholic hierarchy and “faithful” is a scandalous feature of the 2024 elections. The discussion will examine some of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching that are in conflict with the ideas and practices of Trumpism. The role of some Catholic bishops and their enablers will be highlighted and critiqued.
Daniel Dwyer has worked in Catholic health care for over 40 years in local, regional, and system level leadership positions. He has served as a mission and ethics leader, educator in ethics and moral theology, medical social worker, and family therapist.
As always, we’ll gather on the first Sunday of the month at the Central Hillside Community Center (12 East 4th Street, Duluth) to hear the presentation, a reflection from one of our members, a question and answer session, and a brunch afterwards. The side door opens at 9:30 and the event begins at 10:00 am, wrapping up by 11:30. Then we’re all invited to the meeting-after-the-meeting at Pizza Lucé.
PIZZA LUCÉ 11 SUPERIOR ST DULUTH MN (218) 727-7400
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This Saturday, May 25th
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Gerald “Gerry” Henry Filiatrault
March 31, 1940 — May 7, 2024
Gerald “Gerry” Henry Filiatrault, 84, of Duluth Township, passed away peacefully with family beside him on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at St. Luke’s Hospice following a long hospitalization. Gerry was born March 31, 1940, in Duluth to Henry and Mercedes Johnson Filiatrault. He attended St. James grade school and Cathedral High School graduating in 1958 from Denfeld High School. He often recounted tales of an adventurous childhood growing up in West Duluth.
After high school, he studied vocal music at Julliard in New York for a year and later sang professionally in the Twin Cities. Music remained a life-long passion and he sang with the Duluth Symphony Chorus and other groups throughout the years. He was a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and worked in real estate for much of his life. He also worked as a QRC. In his later years, he was employed by Trillium Services where he patiently assisted clients with daily activities.
He was a former long-time member of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth where he served on the board for a number of years. He was an active member of Lake Superior Freethinkers where he enjoyed the discussions and good friendships. He was a proud Democrat, followed the news closely, and loved to talk politics. Gerry celebrated his 49 years of sobriety and was a believer in and practitioner of the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Gerry had a zest for life and was always ready to engage in lively conversation. He treasured time spent on his island in Burntside Lake and took his morning coffee with gratitude for living with a view of Lake Superior.
We will celebrate Gerry’s life at an informal gathering of family and friends on Saturday, June 8th starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Duluth Township Hall, 6092 Homestead Road, Duluth, MN.
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A Very Special Dinner
Wednesday, May 15th @ 5:30 pm
Sue Anderson’s Retirement Dinner
We will meet at the Other Place this Wednesday to celebrate the retirement of our Social Director Sue Anderson. At the age of 95, she is stepping down and we all want to honor her and thank her for her energy and devotion over so many years. Will you join us? Just click the logo below to check out the menu.
3930 E CALVARY RD, DULUTH, MN (218) 733-0214
This Week
Join Us for Happy Hours!
Thursday, May 2nd @ 4:00 pm
Central location, free covered parking, good eats, giant cheap margaritas, magnificent conversation: what’s not to like? On the first Thursday of each month, we gather to gab and giggle and gossip and goof around. Without you, it just wouldn’t be the same. The festivities begin at 4:00 pm. There are reserved tables with a friendly staff and a seat just for you. Why not invite a friend?
600 E SUPERIOR ST #201 DULUTH MN 55802 (218) 727-1978
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Sunday May 5th @ 10:00 am
The Threat of Theocracy in 2024
LSF Co-Chair Dr. David Cole will present a video on Souls by Bart Erhman and an audio segment on the group Moms for Liberty. A discussion will follow.
Bart Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an American New Testament scholar focusing on the historical Jesus and early Christianity, he has written or edited 30 books including three college textbooks and six New York Times bestsellers.
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Moms for Liberty is an American conservative political organization that advocates against school curricula that mention LGBT rights, race and ethnicity, or critical race theory. Founded in January 2021, the group began by campaigning against COVID-19 responses in schools such as mask or vaccine mandates.
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David Cole received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California, San Diego. He has taught at San Diego State University, the University of Delaware, and here at UMD. Dr. Cole has also written on philosophy of language, epistemology, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence.
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As always, we’ll gather on the first Sunday of the month at the Central Hillside Community Center (12 East 4th Street, Duluth) to hear the presentation, a reflection from one of our members, and a brunch/discussion afterwards. The side door opens at 9:30 and the event begins at 10:00 am, wrapping up by 11:30. Then we’re all invited to the meeting after the meeting at Pizza Lucé.
PIZZA LUCE 11 SUPERIOR ST DULUTH MN (218) 727-7400
Social Dinner
Spring has sprung !
A Note About Email:
New rules require us to use a professional (non-free) email address, so messages now come from DoctorBill@LSFreethinkers.org. If you are not getting these messages, please sign up again using the form that is linked HERE.
$2,000+ to One Roof!
On December 18, 2023, the Lake Superior Freethinkers donated $2190 to its 2023 community partner, One Roof Community Housing.
The funds donated to One Roof included a $1000 community partnership grant from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and $1190 in matching funds donated by Lake Superior Freethinkers members.
One Roof is a non-profit organization committed to providing housing services, and to building and sustaining affordable homes and healthy neighborhoods. One Roof Community Housing has been featured in recent news articles, emphasizing its role in bringing more affordable housing to Duluth, especially housing to meet the needs of seniors.
The Lake Superior Freethinkers is delighted to support One Roof Community Housing, as the two organizations have a good working relationship. One Roof has provided space for the Lake Superior Freethinkers to convene its monthly “First Sunday” programs over the last year. Several LSF members have worked with One Roof staff to maintain appropriate building security, to arrange audio-visual equipment for LSF programs, and to assure that the Community Center meeting room is set up for the next users.
Allen Loken
Dr. Allen E. Loken, 75, transitioned out of this life on May 8, 2023, at his home in Duluth, MN, with the love and comfort of his wife Kimberle, son Troy, and daughter Kari by his side.
Allen was born in Cambridge, MA, and raised in Minneapolis, MN. He grew up in a loving family with sisters Evonne, Gwen, Lynette, and brother Warren. Some of his fondest memories included time spent on the Loken and Buehler farms in South Dakota with his grandparents and cousins, as well as summers on Pickerel Lake where he first met his wife, Kim.
Allen graduated from West High School in 1966 and went on to the University of Minnesota. After graduating from the U of MN’s School of Dentistry, Allen, Kim, and Troy moved to Burlington, VT for his residency. There they met lifelong friends, Fred and Pat Gonzales, with whom they enjoyed skiing and sailing trips over the years. His early career included working for the Public Health service in Gallup, NM and Red Lake, MN, before returning to the Twin Cities to complete his specialty in Orthodontics.
In 1979, Allen and Kim moved to Duluth to set up his practice and raise their family. He shared his passion for adventure and love of the outdoors with his wife, children, and grandchildren – skiing, snowboarding, sailing, windsurfing, and tennis – to name just some of his favorites. His adventures took him whitewater rafting, kayaking, horse-packing, and mountain biking with the UMD Outdoor program. He also frequently took his family camping, canoeing, and to warm destinations on sailing or windsurfing trips to escape the cold Duluth winters. He enjoyed numerous ski trips out West and camping trips in Northern Minnesota with his high school friends.
Fortunate to retire early, he was able to enjoy 20 years of uninterrupted birdwatching, guitar playing, New York Times crosswords, reading, and spending quality time with Kim, as well as Troy and Kari and their families. He remained gripped by wanderlust and traveled whenever he had the chance. He delighted in spending his summers on lakes, including racing sailboats on Lake Superior – even once winning the Richardson Cup – and he always looked forward to and cherished a family week each summer on the shores of Pelican Lake at Fair Hills Resort. In more recent years, he and Kim took once-in-a-lifetime vacations to the Galapagos, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.
Avid birdwatchers, Allen and Kim traveled on birding trips from coast to coast, following migration patterns and working on identifying species to add to their yard, county, state, and life lists. He especially reveled in birding trips with Minnesota Birding Weekends (MBW) and learning from leaders Kim Eckert and Craig Mandel. He and Kim even proudly accomplished “a Minnesota big year.” Allen also actively participated in the community of Lake Superior Free Thinkers and deeply treasured his conversations with its founder Bill van Druten.
Jan Resberg 1947-2023
Jan Marc Resberg of Superior, Wisconsin was born in Duluth, Minnesota on December 9, 1947 to Alvin and Irene (Patnaude) Resberg. He passed away on March 11, 2023 of pancreatic cancer. He felt grateful for having had the many experiences life offered him and for the hundreds of people who allowed him to share in their stories and journeys. Friends and relatives often described his life as an adventure starting as a Benedictine Monk and ending, as he would say, a devout atheist. He would describe his life as one of service and serendipity.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his niece Kimberly Omer-Holland, and cousin Jack R. McDonald. He is survived by his brother Tim (Kathy) Resberg, sisters Beth Williams, Kathy Resberg, nephews and nieces Eric (Julie) Resberg, Aaron (Tracy Meyers) Resberg, Chris (Mandie) Resberg, Mike (Jesse) Gannucci, Britt Williams, Andrea (Cullen) Flaherty, Paige (Mike) Claflin, Amy (Mike Derrick) Resberg. His aunt Carol (Jack) Paquette, Margaret Patnaude, special cousin Bob McDonald, many grand nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.
A sincere thank you to the healthcare professionals at St. Luke’s Hospice and Superior Rehabilitation Center.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, May 7 from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Black Woods Event Center in Proctor, MN. Memorials are preferred and may be directed to Heifer International, Proctor Area Historical Society, or Lake Superior Freethinkers.
Lake Superior Freethinkers 