The social went quite well last night. We had eight people show up, out of eleven RSVPs, which isn't bad at all for a first meeting. Two of my RSVPs had to proctor and take an exam that they had overlooked when sending the RSVP, otherwise would've been there. I had more than a few emails apologizing for being elsewhere committed last night. I was quite encouraged with this response and the apparent readiness on the part of lots of nontheists to get this group rolling.
We enjoyed some food, a little drink (and I mean little...I've now got enough beer left over to not buy any for quite some time!), and much-needed discussion and fellowship with like-minded people. If you attended, or not, you may want to know what was accomplished and where we go from here. I've got some notes and thoughts, from me and from the attending GF members (and guests/visitors), and general information below the fold:
We enjoyed some food, a little drink (and I mean little...I've now got enough beer left over to not buy any for quite some time!), and much-needed discussion and fellowship with like-minded people. If you attended, or not, you may want to know what was accomplished and where we go from here. I've got some notes and thoughts, from me and from the attending GF members (and guests/visitors), and general information below the fold:
What now?
If you attended, or not, you may want to know what was accomplished and where we go from here. The main thing is figuring out who we are, what we are going to do, and how. We do not want to propogate the negative sterotypes of a group which is focused on anti-theism (or, in particular, anti-Christianity or anti-Islaam...), atheistic evangelism, "just" having fun, or "just" being intellectual. We do want to provide a forum and social network for atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, Deists...etc. We do want to provide both heady discussions and casual banter. We do want to spread awareness of the existence of atheists and freethinkers, to inform the public about who we are and what we think. We do want to show people that atheism is a positive thing, to disrupt preconceived notions, especially atheism "just" being without a god or the notorious and false conception that atheist = anti-religion/angry/selfish/Communist/ Objectivist/straight/gay/white/male...ad nausem.
See the GF FAQ for more on how we encourage and exhibit diversity across all of those criteria. We know that the best way to dispel these preconceived notions is with positive activism, activities, and how our image and character are maintained as a group.
Obviously, a huge priority is growing the group -- bringing a friend with you to the next meeting, checking on the website (and contributing with posts and comments!), putting up flyers (you can spell it either way, "y" or "i"), and linking to the blog from your email signature, website. For more, see my page on helping out. It's really easy to sign up for Blogger and post comments and relevant articles when you find the time.
I am going to reserve a room on-campus for GF. We will not meet on campus more than twice a month. We will probably have a social (which is not considered an official meeting) at least once or twice a month. Members may host a party, in the capacity of an individual, not acting in the capacity of an GF officer, and invite other members to attend. If you want to know more about this, read the regulations that affect us as a student organization and how we have to handle this group to make it a success.
The format of our meetings will center largely on informal discussion and socializing. We may go out to eat after the meetings (or for a beer), but that is the individual's prerogative.
Notes/Minutae:
We spoke briefly of our mission as a group to grow, and how this may, at times, be perceived as (if not intended as) "Evanglistic Atheism". We are still discussing our methods and approaches to advertisement and how we will try to handle things. I want to point out, as I did last night, that what one person's motives are do not have to be reflected by the group as a whole. For those who want to really give some thought to the question, "should atheists evangelize?" a few important considerations are in order:
1) is atheism a postive thing? if so, should we promote it?
2) do most people describe their deconversions positively? are they glad they shrugged off superstition, fear, dogma, etc.?
3) unlike religious conversions, which are rendered absolutely impotent without emotional appeals (using fear, guilt, the hope of not dying), atheism and its adherents subscribe to rational thinking as the foundation of their worldview (almost universally). thus, should its methods of being promoted even be compared to those methods which rely heavily upon emotion? is asking people to question what they believe intriniscally different than asking them to believe a particular thing? especially when that particular thing is based on dogma, authority, tradition, etc.?
4) what unites atheists, besides the absence of god belief? this may seem an odd question, but whereas religions are "packaged" with all sorts of ancillary doctrines and information, all taken as a "whole", does atheism necessarily entail any particular philosophy? i would argue, "no." thus, atheism is not a religion, but one component of an individual's worldview, and not the whole of it.
There is a lot more to say about this. Read this recent article I found outlined the issues well, even if you don't agree with the conclusions, for more.
Louis put together a recommended reading list at the Alachua County Libraries. The list he submitted is not available yet through their website, but should be approved and included shortly. I will post the link back here (and in the sidebar) when this happens. A list of his selections, by category (which unsuprisingly closely follows my "Reading Rainbow" suggestions in the sidebar--if you would like to contribute your "favorite/recommended books" list, email gatorfreethought@gmail.com) is compiled in a nice trifold brochure that I can provide copies of upon request.
Thanks to all for attending, and I'm looking forward to the friendships and the conversations that are sure to follow.
If you attended, or not, you may want to know what was accomplished and where we go from here. The main thing is figuring out who we are, what we are going to do, and how. We do not want to propogate the negative sterotypes of a group which is focused on anti-theism (or, in particular, anti-Christianity or anti-Islaam...), atheistic evangelism, "just" having fun, or "just" being intellectual. We do want to provide a forum and social network for atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, Deists...etc. We do want to provide both heady discussions and casual banter. We do want to spread awareness of the existence of atheists and freethinkers, to inform the public about who we are and what we think. We do want to show people that atheism is a positive thing, to disrupt preconceived notions, especially atheism "just" being without a god or the notorious and false conception that atheist = anti-religion/angry/selfish/Communist/ Objectivist/straight/gay/white/male...ad nausem.
See the GF FAQ for more on how we encourage and exhibit diversity across all of those criteria. We know that the best way to dispel these preconceived notions is with positive activism, activities, and how our image and character are maintained as a group.
Obviously, a huge priority is growing the group -- bringing a friend with you to the next meeting, checking on the website (and contributing with posts and comments!), putting up flyers (you can spell it either way, "y" or "i"), and linking to the blog from your email signature, website. For more, see my page on helping out. It's really easy to sign up for Blogger and post comments and relevant articles when you find the time.
I am going to reserve a room on-campus for GF. We will not meet on campus more than twice a month. We will probably have a social (which is not considered an official meeting) at least once or twice a month. Members may host a party, in the capacity of an individual, not acting in the capacity of an GF officer, and invite other members to attend. If you want to know more about this, read the regulations that affect us as a student organization and how we have to handle this group to make it a success.
The format of our meetings will center largely on informal discussion and socializing. We may go out to eat after the meetings (or for a beer), but that is the individual's prerogative.
Notes/Minutae:
We spoke briefly of our mission as a group to grow, and how this may, at times, be perceived as (if not intended as) "Evanglistic Atheism". We are still discussing our methods and approaches to advertisement and how we will try to handle things. I want to point out, as I did last night, that what one person's motives are do not have to be reflected by the group as a whole. For those who want to really give some thought to the question, "should atheists evangelize?" a few important considerations are in order:
1) is atheism a postive thing? if so, should we promote it?
2) do most people describe their deconversions positively? are they glad they shrugged off superstition, fear, dogma, etc.?
3) unlike religious conversions, which are rendered absolutely impotent without emotional appeals (using fear, guilt, the hope of not dying), atheism and its adherents subscribe to rational thinking as the foundation of their worldview (almost universally). thus, should its methods of being promoted even be compared to those methods which rely heavily upon emotion? is asking people to question what they believe intriniscally different than asking them to believe a particular thing? especially when that particular thing is based on dogma, authority, tradition, etc.?
4) what unites atheists, besides the absence of god belief? this may seem an odd question, but whereas religions are "packaged" with all sorts of ancillary doctrines and information, all taken as a "whole", does atheism necessarily entail any particular philosophy? i would argue, "no." thus, atheism is not a religion, but one component of an individual's worldview, and not the whole of it.
There is a lot more to say about this. Read this recent article I found outlined the issues well, even if you don't agree with the conclusions, for more.
Louis put together a recommended reading list at the Alachua County Libraries. The list he submitted is not available yet through their website, but should be approved and included shortly. I will post the link back here (and in the sidebar) when this happens. A list of his selections, by category (which unsuprisingly closely follows my "Reading Rainbow" suggestions in the sidebar--if you would like to contribute your "favorite/recommended books" list, email gatorfreethought@gmail.com) is compiled in a nice trifold brochure that I can provide copies of upon request.
Thanks to all for attending, and I'm looking forward to the friendships and the conversations that are sure to follow.
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