KZSM — A new voice and your voice
As your true community radio station, KSZM.org serves as an open forum for individuals and groups to express their beliefs and explain their world views. The most recent addition to our programming, “Freethought Radio,” broadcasts Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. “Freethought Radio” originates in Madison, Wisconsin, and is sponsored on KZSM.org by the Hill Country Freethinkers Association.
HCFA was established in the greater San Marcos area over six years ago as an educational, charitable and social organization. It traces its origin to Freethinking German immigrants who came to the Texas Hill Country between 1840 and 1860 seeking freedom from political and religious tyranny. HFCA meets monthly to discuss topics such as freethought as a philosophy of life, humanism, ethics, science, psychology, philosophy, and religion. Its charitable activities have included providing meals at the Southside Community Center shelter, raising money for the Hays County Food Bank, and sponsoring educational events with other organizations in the area.
The approximately 20,000 German Freethinkers who immigrated to the US in the nineteenth century included prominent doctors, newspaper publishers and reporters, philosophers, scientists, and inventors. Most Freethinkers opposed slavery and supported the Union during the Civil War; many were killed by the Confederates and their sympathizers.
Freethinkers have been labeled atheists or agnostics, but it is more accurate to say that they considered the idea of a deity irrelevant and developed secular ceremonies to mark life’s passages. They revered science and intellectual pursuits and opposed superstition. They were intolerant of abuses by both the church and the state.
The Freethought Radio broadcasts carry on the traditions of the Freethinkers, protecting the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state. The program is hosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The show offers programming for non religious listeners, featuring music and interviews with authors and activists. Their guests include Richard Dawkins, Ron Reagan, Betty Rollins, Christopher Hitchens, Steven Pinker, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
By underwriting Freethought Radio on KZSM. org, the members of the Hill Country Freethinkers Association express their values and present their world view. Community radio provides a platform for the full range of values and opinions that exist in a diverse area like ours. You, or your organization, can make your own voice heard by underwriting a broadcast or creating a program of your own. To learn more, contact KZSMSanMarcos@gmail.com.
