This month we had a very important day and a very new kind of holiday. The beginning of Free Thought Day started in 2002, so this special holiday is only 14 years old. Free Thought Day is celebrated every year on October the 12th. The purpose of Free Thought Day is to remind people that we need to keep a separation and a wall between religion and our governments.

Long long ago in America there was a very dark time when some people were attacked and killed because they seemed different. The attackers said that the women who were killed were witches, and that these women were very bad. There were many people who were hurt because they were called “witches” and these trials were called the Salem Witch Trials.

These crazy trials happened because the churches and the government were too close together. The church could make the government do things, and the government could not do anything without the church powers.

Since that time, there is a long history of Americans and Canadians who work hard to separate the power of the church and the power of the government.

Free Thought Day was made to remind people that we need to have science and clear thinking in society. Free Thought Day was made to remind us that we must not have church and government mixed up again. Free Thought Day reminds us that science is important, and that we can find many true things in our world if we think carefully and use our minds. This problem is not a big problem in Japan, but it is a very big problem in my country, and also in the United States.

When a country like Canada or America decides something, we need to have agreement with other people. We need to have rules and law that is for everyone. Because there are so many different cultures and languages in North America, we need to work hard to communicate and work together. There are different religions, but there can not be only ONE religion that people can join. In North America there are Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and many people who do not have a religion.

If people have a religion, that is okay, but not everyone needs to have the same religion. Different people can believe different things. That should be okay. So, to have a government that is not being pulled by all kinds of religions we need to have a way that everyone can live together in the same country. Free Thought Day is a good reminder that we need to have peace and harmony so we can live together in the same world. Reason, science, working for progress, and talking together can help us have a safe society, a safe country, and a safe world.

I hope that every day can be a Free Thought Day. We need to always look to science and to our studies to help us and to make society better. Happy Free Thought Day!