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.
.
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
.
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.
.
Read more: Gospel Goof Ups: How the Bible Makes a Compelling Case Against the Nativity
By George Kane
I hate to portray atheists as victims. After all, religions are so good at wallowing in self-pity that we can never hope to match them. Christians always don the mantle of victimhood whenever they are forbidden to use sectarian prayers as part of public meetings, or to teach creationism in public schools. Muslims scream that they are the victims of bigotry if an ink drawing of Mohammed is published in a newspaper – and they kill people for it.
I also despise victimhood because it is unseemly and personally corrosive. Nevertheless, there are times when we must call attention to anti-atheist bigotry, to assert legal rights where applicable and to shine a light in the faces of the bigots. Two recent examples deserve to be well known.
The Center for Inquiry’s Michigan chapter booked Richard Dawkins for a speech at The Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester Hills Michigan, near Detroit. When the owner of the club saw Dawkins interviewed by Bill O’Reilly on October 5, and realized that Dawkins is an atheist, he cancelled the event. The Wyndgate’s representative explained that the owner did not wish to associate with individuals such as Dawkins, or his philosophy.
.
Read more: News and Notes
A joint production of Humanists of Minnesota and Minnesota Atheists. Hosted this year by Humanists of Minnesota
Sunday, December 18, 2011 at The Doubletree Park Place Hotel
1500 Park Place Boulevard, St. Louis Park
(Highway I-394 and Park Place exit just west of Hwy 100)
Featuring The Freethought Follies: A Theatrical and Musical Celebration of Rational Thinking
Written and Produced by Area Humanists, Atheists and other Freethinkers
Music by the Freethought Band
Social Hour 5:00 P.M. (cash bar) ~ Dinner: 6:00 P.M. ~ Entertainment: 7:00 P.M.
.
Read more: 12th Annual Freethought Winter Solstice Celebration
