By Steve Petersen
In part one of our November show, guest Ryan Sutter provided an overview of the popular fantasy series Discworld, by British author Terry Pratchett. During part two, Ryan offered a continuum of atheist approaches, from the fictional worlds of Pratchett, to the friendly scientist approach of Carl Sagan, to increasingly more polemical angles of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. James Zimmerman hosted.
For our December show, James Zimmerman interviewed Scott Lohman on the secularism of Star Trek. Scott provided an historical overview of the erstwhile show, from its origins to its becoming a cultural phenomenon. He then discussed how the series treats the ideas of gods, miracles, and immortality. Scott gave examples of specific episodes that dealt with these themes, including the original series' "Return of the Archons," The Next Generation's "Devil's Due," and "Death Wish," from Star Trek: Voyager. Scott also noted the treatment of omnipotence and afterlife as interpreted in the Star Trek motion pictures The Final Frontier and Generations.
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Read more: November/December Cable Show Report
Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Thomas Jefferson wrote this with great hope as he and the founders crafted the new Republic. But we have a huge problem in modern America because the value placed in science is losing its cachet. Politicians are ignoring or disputing the policy impacts that science is suggesting.
The challenges to our society are growing more dire as climate change and evolution denialism are badges of honor worn by many current potential presidential candidates, and in the meantime growing numbers of people are refusing to vaccinate themselves and their children against diseases for fear of a non-existent tie between vaccines and autism.
The United States has given up its leadership role in science and technology, and Shawn Lawrence Otto has been working to restore science to its rightful role of informing public policy. As one of the founders of the Science Debate 2008 program to urge the candidates in that presidential race, he has been analyzing the situation and proposing solutions that may save us all yet.
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Read more: Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America
Nominations for the Minnesota Atheists board of directors will occur during the business portion of our January 15th, 2012 meeting. Elections will be held during the business portion of our February 19th, 2012 meeting.
Nominations will open and close at the January 15th meeting. We will publish candidates’ statements in our February 2012 newsletter.
There are nine positions to fill, elected in the following order: President, Associate President, Chair, Associate Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and three Directors-at-Large. Our bylaws provide that anyone who runs for one position and loses may run again for any other position that has not yet been elected.
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Read more: Minnesota Atheists Board of Directors Nominations and Elections
The one on top is in Minneapolis and the one on the bottom is in St. Paul.
American Atheists is helping Minnesota Atheists finance the two billboards that were recently revealed. One is in the warehouse district on North Washington Ave. (near 10th Ave. North) in Minneapolis and the other is on University Ave. (near Lexington Ave.) in St. Paul.
Even though the billboards are up, they're not fully paid for with donations. Our General Fund is making up the difference but it would be great to save that money for other efforts. Please consider donating to the billboard fund. If there is any money left in the Billboard Fund after we have collected enough money it will either be invested in future billboards or be moved to our General Fund.
Donate now
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By Eric Jayne
Every year around Christmas, the church I belonged to as child held a Nativity play for the congregation. The performers consisted of about 20 kids from the elementary and middle school aged youth groups. It’s possible that I played different parts, but I can’t remember being anything other than a shepherd year after year. Strangely though, shepherds are not even mentioned in the birth narrative written in the book of Matthew. In fact Mark and John don’t even mention the miracle birth at all! Only in Luke is there a mention of shepherds. While this may appear to be a somewhat minor discrepancy between the two accounts there are many more significant discrepancies that have been merged together and supplemented with elements not even mentioned in either narrative to form the Nativity (and crèche) commonly celebrated by Christians everywhere.
Many reading this are aware of Herod the Great and his alleged infanticidal campaign to slaughter every boy two years old and younger in and near Bethlehem. This story is written only in Matthew and it’s the only place where the wise men come into play.
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Read more: Gospel Goof Ups: How the Bible Makes a Compelling Case Against the Nativity
In part one of our November show, guest Ryan Sutter provided an overview of the popular fantasy series Discworld, by British author Terry Pratchett. During part two, Ryan offered a continuum of atheist approaches, from the fictional worlds of Pratchett, to the friendly scientist approach of Carl Sagan, to increasingly more polemical angles of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. James Zimmerman hosted.
