Cry, Bang, then Laugh

You'll get the title in a second...

Check out Karen Armstrong's piece in the Guardian, "Bush's fondness for fundamentalism is courting disaster at home and abroad". It may contain a spurious quote.

I also wanted to share a resource that clears up the misconceptions surrounding the Big Bang in layman's terms and with adequate detail, via Angry Astronomer.

Finally, check out these two hilarious Youtube movies to start out your week:
1) Daily Show Report (in the "Constitution Schmonstitution" series): The Faith Based Faith of Stephen With a 'ph'
2) Kids in the Hall present: The Dr. Seuss Bible
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Technorati tags: Humor

Meeting 6: 8/3

We will meet this coming Thursday at 7 PM in CLB 414 to talk about the upcoming Fall semester and accomplish some group business. I also hope we can have an "enlightening" conversation about some topic, volunteer a few ideas here in the comments section. We will probably walk somewhere close to campus to grab a bite and/or beer after the meeting.

Click HERE for a campus map showing CLB. It is at 17th St [Buckman] and Univ. Ave. See you at 7!

Big Picture

On our trip to Buffalo, besides getting to eat at the Anchor Bar, and scarfing down lots of wings at the original joint that invented them (along with a few pitchers of Guinness), we actually got some great ideas and resources for this freethought group at UF. Read on...

I am going to list some of the things we need to implement, in order of priority (by time or general impact):

1. Presenting the group -- this includes the time-sensitive need for a poster and display materials for tabling (or banners) in Turlington Plaza (and at the IDEAL student org fair in the fall semester), it also includes finalizing, then printing up and using, some of the materials that Davy already made up for general circulation, especially the handouts and business cards (these and these). This category also includes putting together a simple set of "talking points" about our purpose and activities to broadcast ads via UF media, esp radio (850AM, 104FM, 89FM/90FM) and TV programs (WUFT-TV), as well as programming external to campus. Kelli Wood has graciously volunteered to help with PR. It is also important to remember that newspaper op-ed sections are an important way to communicate our message and group with the community. I will be making some contacts with the Alligator and Gainesville Sun editors to make sure they know about us if they ever want to present alternative views on religious and political pieces. I encourage you all to submit letters to the editors regularly in response to issues involving church/state separation, religious pseudoscience, etc., in the news.
   


2. Fall schedule -- the regular meetings of GF will occur every two-three weeks, alternating between three formats. See the schedule page for a list of topics:
• i) Formal speaker on predetermined topic -- this can include a short lecture, a short reading of a work, a media presentation on some topic, or any combination of the three, followed by open dialogue and Q&A. The speaker should have anywhere between 10-20 minutes, with a small margin of error, and so most of the meeting will consist of the dialogue/Q&A, but it should always be directed toward the speaker.
  
• ii) Semi-formal discussion -- we will come in to discuss some predetermined topic amongst ourselves, perhaps we will try to allow these sort of meetings to directly follow (i) to continue the discussion on the topic presented. These discussions will not be led, but will be moderated to be kept on point.
  
• iii) Social events -- eating, drinking, and being merry. Pretty straightforward. The only question is, after we start to grow, where we will hold these events. Restaurants have worked will thus far for groups from 8-15 persons, but we will have to book a large room on-campus once we start to grow larger, and use SG funds for food.


3. Campus-wide events -- These would be large events with PR/publicity drives, and an effort to get large attendance from non-GF persons. These would also require some SG funding, but I have looked into it and it wouldn't likely be a problem. Also, we have the freedom to choose to charge admission to any of these events (preferably a small one to keep attendance high). Includes:
• bringing in a special guest speaker, such as Eddie Tabash or Dan Barker, for a presentation on something of interest such as Church/State Separation, ID/Creationism, political issues of relevance to secularism (eg abortion), etc.
  
• bringing in a special debater (including either Eddie or Dan) and an opponent (such as William Lane Craig or someone similar)
• a presentation or movie prepared by GF, such as Dawkins' Root of all Evil, or Flemming's The God Who Wasn't There, or any similar atheist/secular/freethought movie or media presentation
• GF members debate with another religious or political group, perhaps Campus Crusades for Christ. Regardless of whether this particular proposition comes to fruition, we certainly need to make contacts within their group (and our other "cultural competitors") and be willing to provide them with some time should they have any similar forums or ideas where an alternative view/voice would be welcome at one of their events.
  

I have started a page for each of these three (click on the bold title directly after the number) where I elaborate further and invite your comments and feedback (demand it, you might say).
1. GF Fall 2006 Schedule
2. GF Group Presentation
3. GF Campus-wide Events

Campus-wide Events

1. "Is Christianity Based On A Lie?": Green-Price debate.

2. "Does God Exist?": Eddie Tabash speaks at UF. We hosted atheist Eddie Tabash to discuss (audience Q&A included) the existence of God on Sunday, March 25th at 2 PM in Norman Hall 137. See details here.

Campus-wide events -- These would be large events with PR/publicity drives, and an effort to get large attendance from non-GF persons. These would also require some SG funding, but I have looked into it and it wouldn't likely be a problem. Also, we have the freedom to choose to charge admission to any of these events (preferably a small one to keep attendance high).

Group Presentation

Presenting the group -- what I am specifically referring to with this category is how we present the group to the campus via media and our advertising efforts.

This includes the choice of poster and display materials we use when tabling -- both in Turlington Plaza and at the IDEAL student org fair in the fall semester. It also includes the distribution of flyers or handout materials, (e.g., business cards) that we have here. I think some of our group's materials and designs are completely innocuous and wouldn't offend even the most sensitive person -- this handout comes to mind. But then there are those images and phrases that will raise hackles no matter how we frame the context, and some of which are calculated for exactly that response in order to impel dialog (e.g., this one). What we have to do is strike a delicate balance between promoting our values and outlook with generally appearing militant and inviting controversy. This is a problem faced by all freethought groups. We aren't evangelical in nature, but we want to be an organized voice which we feel needs to be heard on social and political issues.

Group presentation also includes putting together a simple set of "talking points" about our purpose and activities to broadcast ads via UF media, esp radio (850AM, 104FM, 89FM/90FM) and TV programs (WUFT-TV), as well as programming external to campus. The simplest (and likely best) talking points for AAFSA come from our constitution, which states our purposes as:

1. To provide an open and supportive environment for, and enhance the educational experiences of, local freethinkers.

2. To promote the examination, discussion, and advocacy of: freethought generally, philosophical issues related to the existence of god(s) and skepticism towards supernatural claims.

3. To promote ethics through secular humanism, responsibility, science, rational thought, critical inquiry, and the worth of the individual.

4. To ensure the separation of church and state.

I recommend that we use #2 & #3 as our major purposes, and thus our talking points. When someone asks a question such as, "What is GF about?" I think #2 best represents our group's purpose, but connotes some intrinsic negativity, while #3 is a more positive message. A solid reply to, "What is GF about?" would fall along the lines of,

"We exist to promote the voice of reason and secular humanism at UF. We are a positive group, affirming the success of applying the scientific method and naturalistic worldview to all areas of human affairs -- ethics, politics, religion, and so forth."

Something to that effect. We aren't a group that is going to demand a canned response, but it is just important to be able to explain and frame our group's purposes and intents in a positive and concise manner in the media.

I'm very proud of our impact in the media. Most people have read about us in the campus paper, or heard about us via word-of-mouth from that resource, from a LTE we've gotten published.

It is important to remember that newspaper op-ed sections are an important way to communicate our message and group with the community. We all need to try to make some contacts with the Alligator and Gainesville Sun editors to make sure they know about us if they ever want to present alternative views on religious and political pieces. I encourage you all to submit letters to the editors regularly in response to issues involving church/state separation, religious pseudoscience, etc., in the news. We need your help here, as no one of us has the ability to solely represent our views collectively, nor to submit as many letters as we all can together. LTEs and op-eds are probabilistic in nature, and so the larger the value of n, the more likely we'll get one published. There are two alternative/progressive publications that I'm aware of in Gainesville -- The Iguana (where we are already listed in the directory), and Satellite Magazine. These sorts of outlets would be much more accommodating to host columns and op-eds from our members, and so it is important to use them whenever possible.

The major way we are going to get known on-campus aside from these media sources is through tabling at Turlington Plaza and at IDEAL's SOF. Our literature from organizations like the CFI, SSA, AA, etc., at the table pretty well represents our group and views. Also important to have there is our working schedule for the fall and a sign-up sheet for interested parties.

Fall 2006 Schedule

Fall 2006 schedule -- the regular meetings of GF will occur every two-three weeks, alternating between three formats. There are likely to be breaks in the rotation, and I was thinking that it may be good to use (ii) for group business and event planning. The dates below are tentative and flexible, but we will try to hold to the schedule unless there are good reasons to reschedule events and meetings.

It is imperative that you check the Meetings Page close to each scheduled event, as this page will not be updated, but that one will.

The following schedule are the tentative meetings of GF:

Thu, Aug 3 -- 7 PM -- CLB 414 -- Business
Thu, Aug 24 -- 7 PM -- CLB 414 -- Business
-- First two weeks of classes, from Aug 23 - Sep 1, we'll be emphasizing tabling and advertising on-campus
Thu, Sep 7 -- 7 PM -- TBD -- Speaker, Election afterwards
Tue, Sep 26 -- 7 PM -- TBD -- Speaker: Prof. D. Gene Witmer, followed by Discussion
Tue, Oct 10 -- 7 PM -- TBD -- Discussion/Business
-- I plan for us to have our first campus-wide event during this time, a guest speaker or public debate
Mon, Nov 6 -- 7 PM -- TBD -- Speaker, Discussion
Mon, Nov 20 -- 7 PM -- TBD -- Speaker, Discussion
Mon, Dec 4 -- 7 PM -- TBD -- Discussion/Business

Important dates I've considered in making the schedule:

Mon, Aug 7 -Fri, Aug 11 -- Sum B/C Exams & End of Classes
Wed, Aug 23 -- Fall Classes Begin
Mon, Sep 4 -- Labor Day Holiday (no classes)
Tue, Nov 7 -- Election Day
Fri, Nov 10 -- Veterans' Day Holiday (no classes)
Thu, Nov 23 -- Thanksgiving Holiday (no classes)
Wed, Dec 6 -- Fall Classes End
Mon, Dec 11 - Fri, Dec 15 -- Fall Exams
Mon, Jan 8, 2007 -- Spring Classes Begin

Please give me feedback if there is something I'm missing, or not considering in making the schedule.

I have listed the basic meeting formats below, along with tentative topics:

i) Formal speaker on predetermined topic -- this can include a short lecture, a short reading of a work, a media presentation on some topic, or any combination of the three, followed by open dialogue and Q&A. The speaker should have anywhere between 10-20 minutes, with a small margin of error, and so most of the meeting will consist of the dialogue/Q&A, but it should always be directed toward the speaker.

ii) Semi-formal discussion -- we will come in to discuss some predetermined topic amongst ourselves, perhaps we will try to allow these sort of meetings to directly follow (i) to continue the discussion on the topic presented. These discussions will not be led, but will be moderated to be kept on point. Another use for these meetings is to get group business and event planning accomplished. I was thinking it may be good to plan to have two of (i) and then one of (ii), so that we come in with the two topics from the last two formal speakers, and I will invite the persons coming to the meeting to bring a topic with them for discussion at either that meeting or at the next one.

iii) Social events -- eating, drinking, and being merry. Also free-for-all discussion. Pretty straightforward. The only question is, after we start to grow, where we will hold these events. Restaurants have worked will thus far for groups from 8-15 persons, but we will have to book a large room on-campus once we start to grow larger, and use SG funds for food. I've already checked on SG funds, and it doesn't seem a difficult proposition. I will be procuring funds for a campus-wide event speaker first, and after that, perhaps we can get a budget. The budgets for groups are always proportional to the size of the groups, so we need to get up regular attendance before limiting our resources.

Topics for discussion, and their respective UF departments, include, but are not limited to (please leave suggestions!):

• Physics: cosmology (especially the origins of the cosmos), astrophysics (stellar evolution and the Big Bang), quantum mechanics, general relativity
  
• Biology: evolution vs. creationism, human evolution, general evolutionary theory and its underpinnings
  
• Chemistry: abiogenesis (reviewing tenable natural explanations of the emergence of the chemistry of life), biochemical basis of aging and disease (telomere shortening, oxidation), physical considerations in extending human lifespan and transhumanism
• Medicine: medical ethics, medical perspective on transhumanism and future capabilities of regneration, stem cell research
  
• Philosophy: foundations of knowledge (epistemology, Kant), topics in the phil of religion (Swinburne, Plantinga, Aquinas, Van Till, etc.), ethics (utilitarianism, Euthyphro dilemma)
• Comparitive religions: history, beliefs and cultural origins of the various world religions (broad and general)
• Mathematics: number theory, chaos theory, Bertrand Russell's view of the primacy of mathematical knowledge
  
• Apologetic Presentations: for any Rabbi, Shiek, Priest, Pastor, etc., courageous enough to be willing to come speak to our group and offer up a formal defense of their faith -- hopefully, all faiths can be equally represented, but this is likely a pipe dream
  

If you know any professor with a specialty in any of these areas, who you think may have an interest in presenting on one of these topics, please post a comment or contact me about it.

Looking forward to an active and productive semester!

Campus Crusade for Christ Letter

I just emailed the following to ccc@ufcampuscrusade.com to attempt to start a cooperative dialogue between our group and UF CCC:

Dear Campus Crusade for Christ at UF Staff,

I am writing you to inform you of our group on campus, and to extend an invitation to interact with us for what I see (and hope you will) as mutual beneficence.

I'm thepresident of AAFSA, the Atheist, Agnostic & Freethinking Student Association at UF. As you may or may not know, the group has come and gone under various other names, acronyms, and leadership since the late 90's. Basically, our purpose is to provide a focal point for campus skeptics, atheists, agnostics, secularists, and nontheists to come together, learn, and advocate the use of reason and science as tools of inquiry into every area of human endeavor (including, but not especially focused upon, religion). We do not view you, or any other religion, as our "enemies". We of course come to many different conclusions in many areas of philosophy and politics, but we hope you agree that dialogue is the best way to deal with diversity, rather than conflict and hostility.

And that is why I am writing you -- to extend the invitation to dialogue with us.

In this sense, I think we share a mission, although we of course come to differing endpoints: to present ideas to those who wish to learn and allow them to form their own conclusions. We are indeed cultural competitors, but we both face other competitors in the free exchange of ideas, or the marketplace of culture and philosophy. From postmodernism, to Eastern philosophy, to New Age religions, to pseudoscience, to the paranormal (UFOs, psychics, magic)...there are many perspectives on our universe, and our place in it, which a secular humanist such as myself and rational Christians likely see eye-to-eye on. Of course, there are many areas where we do not, as well.

And it is in this sense that I think we can cooperate. I would be very interested in having forums on-campus and debates on-campus with the sole intent of displaying the differences in the worldview of Christianity with modernism/secular humanism. I'm sure you agree with me that the purpose of the university -- to learn and expand the boundaries of our horizons, is often not accomplished in a lecture hall, but in the dorm room, or the campus lawn. I'm also sure that we agree that learning/adopting a philosophy from popular culture, without critical inquiry, is a mistake. As a former Christian, I know that I can say I've interacted with a number of Christians who were not prepared to face the "tough questions", and had no "answer for the hope they have" (1 Pet 3), and as a result often left the faith or church. And as I'm sure you'll agree, these same ideas and questions will be presented to all of us at some time -- from the pulpit, from the professor in philosophy class, or from popular culture and media.

So the real question is -- is it healthier to dialogue with those with whom we find disagreement, and try to reach a mutual understanding, or to give each other our own "sphere of influence" and avoid discourse? Obviously you can benefit from presenting your own answers in rebuttal/response to these questions that your students will surely face, and my group can benefit from the same.

I sincerely find no logical argument against unfettered discussion and candor between groups. I find many logical arguments FOR such discussion, as evidenced by the growing polarization of our culture in politics, and the growing conflicts between secularists and those who wish to infuse religion and religious views into governmental function. The war in the Middle East is just the effect of these such root causes -- disparities in worldview. Could such conflicts be avoided through rational discourse? Could much peace be gained from simply following the Biblical advice, "come, let us reason together?" Perhaps we disagree on the answer, but I think we do agree that if there is even a remote possibility that they could, that it is worth expending effort to procure harmony in our diversity.

We have no choice but to tolerate each other, irrespective of condoning each others' views.

If you would like to invite me, or one of my group members, to a CCC meeting in order to dialogue, or hold an event such as, "ask an atheist" or an open forum in which we discuss our differing perspectives, I would be delighted and honored to participate. If you feel that such an event would be antithetical to your mission (as you may feel you'd lose the hearts or minds of someone in your group to a different philosophy), then I understand, and would ask if you would rather have a debate-style format? If neither of those seems suitable to you, perhaps you have a better idea, or something more palatable and amenable to your mission and goals?

I hope to converse with you in the future. I look forward to what I hope will be a long and fruitful cooperation. You may contact me via email or phone at any time.

With warm regards,
D

*revised formatting 6/20/07
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Technorati tags: Campus Crusade for Christ

Members Weigh in on Views

[**UPDATE: See all media coverage here]

First, GF member Chelsea Pavey gets quoted in the USA Today for her work at Camp Quest. Her main remarks:

These chats are one of Quest veteran Chelsea Pavey's favorite parts of camp, along with songs such as John Lennon's Imagine or a German folk song that translates as My Thoughts Are Free, she says.
"I always cheer when Ted Turner (the media mogul who regularly denounces religion) comes up, because he's from Atlanta, like me," says Pavey, 20.
She began attending the original Camp Quest in northern Kentucky when she was 10. This summer, she was a counselor at its camp in Hamilton, Ohio.
"I've never faced much prejudice," Pavey says, "but friends and campers have had people make fun of them or tell them they're going to hell, or they're devil worshipers. They get teased and taunted.
"But not here. Here, we think alike about religion, even if we have diverse backgrounds."

Then, GF member Eric Toedter gets a spot on Point of Inquiry radio show. The CFI interviewed about 20 people, so I'm not sure if this episode includes all of the ones they are going to air, or if they're going to spread them out over the next few episodes. Point of Inquiry is a great (educational/informing) show, well worth listening to.

Apocalyptic Flowchart

Anyone else notice the inordinate recent fascination with the end of the world (as we know it)? I thought the following flowchart, by Bruce Campbell, was humorous...enjoy:

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Technorati tags: Apocalypse

The Power of Faith

Behold, the power of faith:

MySpace Group

Due to the fact that many people use Myspace in lieu of Facebook, and that many people do not have e-mails with a ".edu" domain, Sam suggested, and I decided (I'm the decider), that we implement a simple Myspace group with those persons in mind.

http://groups.myspace.com/gatorfreethought

I have much more to comment on, but having just returned from the conference, I have a lot of catching up to do here at work. We had a blast in Buffalo, and I learned a lot and have a lot of ideas and events to implement. I'll be writing more soon.

Brain Glut

More stuff to feed your brain on:

1. Intelligent Designer Found: His name is Phineas J. Schwartzfeld [and see ID comic]
   
2. Dembski's UPB Dashed: Math whiz demolishes the use of probabilities by creationists
3. Obama Mentions Faith: Mistake, or good thing?
   
4. PZ Weighs in on Faith Issues: See scientists and faith -- #1, #2
5. Psalms 14:1: Are atheists "fools"?
6. Growth of Godlessness: Point of Inquiry interview with Tom Flynn
7. Smalkowski Verdict: Atheist family found not guilty
8. Jewish Family Flees: Christian community ostracizes for faith
9. Harris Poll: Breaks down faith by race, age, and education
10. Carnival of the Godless: New and Old
11. Ruckus in the Blogosphere: The Raving Atheist makes some serious waves, leading many to question if he has converted

Just thought you may want some reading material this Sunday. After all, we aren't in church.
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Technorati tags: Atheism

Meeting 5: Saturday, July 8th 7 PM

So it's time for another GF meeting. I want to meet this coming Saturday, July 8th, at around 7-ish. Please weigh in with suggestions on the venue.

**UPDATE** Since no one cared to make suggestions, let's meet at the Swamp at 7 PM. See you all there. **

Remember that the following weekend, five members will be gone to the CFI trip. We will be flying out of Jacksonville at 5PM on Thursday, July 13th, and returning around 5PM on Monday, July 17th.

I am presently working on a schedule for the remainder of the summer and fall. The format will be staggered: 1) formal speaker with Q&A, 2) semi-formal topic-centered discussions and business, and 3) completely informal social gatherings. Every two weeks, we'll have one of those meetings, hopefully cycled through regularly. I am going to lay out topics on everything from ethics to cosmology, from readings (very short) in philosophy to slide shows on abiogenesis, for 1 & 2. We can also still go out after 1 & 2 to eat/drink afterwards, obviously. I'll be posting the schedule ASAP.