So Hemant over at friendlyatheist.com recently posted my story on his blog.

I hear it makes an entertaining read.

Interesting article in USA Today:

Key findings from the survey:

•Faith is fluid: 44% say they’re no longer tied to the religious or secular upbringing of their childhood. They’ve changed religions or denominations, adopted a faith for the first time or abandoned any affiliation altogether.

•”Nothing” matters: 12.1% say their religious identity is “nothing in particular,” outranking every denomination and tradition except Catholics (23.9%) and all groups of Baptists (17.2%).

•Protestants are fading: 51.3% still call themselves Protestant but roughly one third of this group were “unable or unwilling” to describe the denomination in which they fit.

•Immigrants sustain Catholic numbers: 46% of foreign-born U.S. adults are Catholics, compared with only 21% of native-born adults. Latinos are now 45% of all U.S. Catholics ages 18-29.

Read the whole article here.

Time: Tuesday, 4pm – 6pm

Location: HUB 309

Topic: Should religion be an opiate for the masses

Facebook: http://washington.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10549185627

“I’m an atheist, but people need religion. What are you going to put in its place? How are you going to comfort the bereaved? How are you going to fill the need?” is an argument Richard Dawkins commonly gets. His response to this argument is detailed here: http://richarddawkins.net/article,318,Im-an-atheist-BUT—,Richard-Dawkins

Is religion helpful even if it were not true? Do people need it to stay moral or have purpose in their lives and should atheists be trying to convert people away from religion if it provides obvious benefits to a person’s life?

Time: Tuesday, 4pm – 6pm

Location: HUB 209A

Topic: Ask a Jew

Facebook: http://washington.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22019710036

In association with Hillel, we are holding a Q&A session about Judaism. If you are curious about what Jewish people believe, why they believe it and what their experiences are, come along.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

4:00 The History of the Earth Made Easy, pt 1
The History of the Earth Made Easy, pt 2

The Origin of Life Made Easy
Natural Selection Made Easy
The Theory Evolution Made Easy
Human Evolution Made Easy

(created by PotHoler54)

@ Gowen Hall 301

5:00 Follow-up discussion, Q&A
@ Gowen Hall 301

6:00 Darwin Fish Fry
@ McMahon 8 – Special Darwin Day Menu

-For Members-

Spread the word! D-Day posters available in our pigeon hole in the SAO office, second floor. I need someone to take ~30 flyers to Terry/Lander, specifically.

Please help us table! To sign up for a time, please post a comment to this post. We will be tabling Monday & Tuesday.

-Resources-

Darwin Day 2008 Poster
Darwin Day 2008 Brochure
Darwin Day 2008 Button Sheet

-Important Updates-

Room has changed to Gowen 301 to fit a larger capacity

The head chef of the McMahon 8 is agnostic, and would is happy to hold a Darwin-Day feast! Dishes will (definitely) include Darwin Fish, (maybe) primordial stew, (maybe) Darwin’s Finches (chicken), and some other surprises. In response, the post-event meal will now be held in the McMahon 8.

*We’ve been featured on www.secularstudents.org!*

*We’ve been featured on www.friendlyatheist.com!*

Time: Tuesday, 4pm – 6pm

Location: HUB 309

Topic: Does the soul make sense?

Facebook: http://washington.facebook.com/event.php?eid=8147678683

Almost universally, religion makes some claim about what happens to a person after death. Whether it be reincarnation or heaven or becoming one with Xenu, some non-material part of the person manages to persist and transcend death. But what is the nature of the “soul” and does it exist?

What is the soul? How does it change over the course of our life? What do different religions have to say about the soul? What does science have to say? Does the concept of the soul make sense or is it part of our human longing to make sense of the universe and find purpose?

Personally, this is the meeting I’m the most excited about this quarter. I think it’s a fascinating question and I hope to learn a lot from people with different perspectives.

If you’re on the list but haven’t yet made it to one of our meetings, this is the one I recommend you try and attend.