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Archive for July, 2009

A sampling of banned books

A sampling of banned books

The Metro State Atheists of Metropolitan State College in Denver are sponsoring a food drive this fall, with the goal of raising hundreds of dollars worth of non-perishable items.  However, the event, which is set to happen during Banned Books Week, is not your typical food drive.  During the week of September 26 – October 3rd, students will be asked to donate food, in exchange for books that have been censored by various authorities.

“Food for Freethought is a food drive that…encourages freethought, freedom of expression, and freedom of inquiry,” explains club President, Joel Guttormson.  The books banned range from Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, a play about raunchy sex, to the Pentagon Papers, about government corruption.  While the list contains disparate works, the common thread is that authorities have chosen to silence the authors’ ideas.

To donate to the Metro State Atheists’ worthy cause, follow the PayPal link or go to their homepage.

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On July 17th – 22nd, Reed Secular Alliance President, Leslie Zukor, attended the Center For Inquiry’s Civic Days in Washington, DC.  The following are Zukor’s reflections about the experience.  We hope that you will enjoy what she has to say.

Leslie Zukor and CFI Founder, Paul Kurtz

Leslie Zukor and CFI Founder, Paul Kurtz

Although I had been to Washington, DC before, I never had the chance to lobby my representatives.  In high school, I had been part of the Close-Up and Presidential Classroom Foundation’s trips to the nation’s capital.  While I had enjoyed the experience, going to Washington, DC was more about meeting legislators, rather than influencing them.  However, the Center For Inquiry’s Civic Days changed all that.

Toni Van Pelt explains the process of lobbying

Toni Van Pelt explains the process of lobbying

Directed by the CFI Office of Public Policy’s Toni Van Pelt, the conference’s 20 attendees were treated to a crash course in lobbying for secular principles.   Van Pelt explained the problems with Charitable Choice, namely, Congress’s efforts to allow religious organizations to provide social services, when they discriminate in hiring and employment.  She also expressed concerns about the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, regarding homosexuals in the armed forces.

The Lobbying Group, including Melody Hensley, Toni Van Pelt, and Leslie Zukor

The Lobbying Group, including Melody Hensley, Toni Van Pelt, and Leslie Zukor

In addition to discussing Charitable Choice and “don’t ask, don’t tell”, on Friday, June 17th, CFI unveiled its “Credibility Project”.  The Credibility Project is an analysis of nearly 700 global warming deniers, who were named in James Inhofe’s Senate Minority Report.  While many of those cited are indeed scientists, only 10 – 15% are actually scientists with original, peer reviewed research.  In short, there are more meteorologists than scientific experts named in Inhofe’s list.

Brian Baird explains the threat of global warming

Brian Baird explains the threat of global warming

While it was great lobbying Congressional offices, I was a little disappointed with the lack of access to our elected officials.  During the whole conference, we only had the opportunity to hear one Congressperson speak, and that was Brian Baird of Washington State.  Although I do understand that our legislators are busy, I attended a US Capitol Historical Society event later in the week, and there were three to four Congresspeople at a single event.  Despite the lack of distinguished speakers, I did enjoy my stay in Washington, DC.

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Chris Calton

Chris Calton

RSA:  When did you first realize you were an atheist/agnostic?

CC: I have a hard time pinning down exactly when I realized that I was agnostic.  I unequivocally accepted Jesus as my “savior” when I was about four.  I wish I could say that I didn’t realize what I was doing, but I think I understood the idea behind it.  Of course, at four, we all have a hard time using our capacities to accurately analyze our decisions.  So I, at the same time, deny the idea that we freely choose a religion at a young age.

My path towards agnosticism began at around eight, when I first heard the Noah’s Ark story.  Having feverishly read Ranger Rick magazines, I knew that the Kangaroo did not live in the Middle East, but rather inhabited Australia.  I brought this to my Sunday school teacher’s attention, whose response was “God can do anything.”  In which case, I didn’t see much purpose for a flood to wipe out humanity.

From then on, I still considered myself a Christian, but I never read the Bible. It brought up too many questions, and besides, I knew it had to have been edited at some point by someone who had an interest in doing so.  To make a long story short, I ended up removed from my Church around fifteen and had already begun exploring other religions at thirteen. Primarily religion from Ancient Greece, Far East and Gnosticism – yes, a broad selection of faiths.

I finally became a de-facto atheist after realizing the weight of scientific evidence against supernatural explanations.  This was, as irony would have it, brought to me by a Christian friend of mine with whom I was having a spirited discussion about the historicity of Jesus. He had mentioned a video of a famous atheist, whom I now know is Dawkins, unable to answer a question about giving an example for the increased information in the genome.  Naturally, this was a creationist ploy, and I quickly discovered as such.  Dawkins’s eloquence was attractive, that was the start of defining myself as Agnostic.

RSA:  What are your interests, academics-wise?

CC: Political Science and Psychology, interestingly enough.  Both fields offer a strong case for the idea that God was created by man, to control particular individuals and society at large.

RSA:  What do you envision as your eventual career?

CC: I will probably run for Senate sometime later in my life.  On the way, I plan on working in some capacity that satisfies my strong international curiosity and adventurous spirit.  To be more specific, I’m looking at the State Department.

RSA:  What are your hobbies?

CC: I absolutely love traveling, white water rafting, camping, and hiking.

RSA:  What are your favorite atheist/agnostic books?

CC: Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali,

The Mind’s I by Daniel Dennett,

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins,

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and

God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

RSA:  What do you see as the greatest threat to secularism?

CC: The greatest threat to secularism is the near monopoly that religious organizations have on altruism and humanitarian work.  Interestingly enough, the atheist and agnostic demographic occupies the highest portion of society in income and education. Why Atheists and Agnostics cannot form equally powerful humanitarian organizations is beyond me.

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