As usual, the discussions will continue at the downtown Elephant & Castle pub once we leave the library.

Tuesday, 03 August 2010

19:00 – 20:30

Room 7, 6th Floor, Stanley A Milner Library, Downtown Edmonton

RSVP here!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010
7-11pm
The Billiards Club
10505 82 Ave

RSVP HERE!

Also, the old canard “There are no atheists in foxholes.” continues to circulate in the public consciousness, despite the clear tradition and fine examples of freethinkers in both the US and Canadian military who nobly serve their countries while being true to their own beliefs. Our own resident foxhole-dweller, Paul Welke, will shatter this myth, and provide comment and insight on his experience within the Canadian Armed Forces.

One group, founded by Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein in 2005 to address the growing concern of religion in the military, is the Military Religious Freedom Foundation . The MRFF also maintains a blog. Another such group is the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers , which among other issues advocates for secular counselling for the ranks to access, a role traditionally filled only by the military chaplain. The financial support for such a chaplain in under constitutional scrutiny in the US for potentially violating the doctrine of separation of church and state, and this doctrine may be a way to stem the tide of undue influence on American military power in the future.

Join us for a round table discussion on these issues and more at the Edmonton Public Library, one of our monthly series of subjects intended to provide for thoughtful discussions among our members and the public. All are welcome to attend.

We look forward to seeing you and hearing your voice!

Tuesday, 06 July 2010

19:00 – 20:30

Room 7, 6th Floor, Stanley A Milner Library, Downtown Edmonton

RSVP here!

This was our largest Solstice Party to date, and we hope they keep getting larger!

Some Damp Atheists

Our pirate-costumed group, including a significant and wonderfully costumed UAAA contingent, marched down Jasper Ave. with our Flying Spaghetti Monster (more photos coming soon). More than one spectator requested a touch from His noodly appendages during the parade, and we received plenty of cheers.

Afterward, at the table in Churchill Square, we had many, many people stop by to say that they were glad to see us there, exclaim over the FSM, and generally make the day a whole lot of fun. Thank you also to everyone who purchased a SEA membership, t-shirt, pen, or just donated some change. We couldn’t afford these events without you.

For anyone sad that they missed us, you can still come out to the Summer Solstice picnic next weekend!

After the parade is over, SEA has a coveted booth on Churchill Square. We will need volunteers to man the booth until 7:00 pm. The booth will be next to the pool in front of City Hall.

RSVP HERE!

This is a potluck. There are small wood-burning BBQs on site. We’ll also have a Coleman stove. We also recommend bringing your own lawn chairs or picnic blankets as picnic table space may be limited. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited on city parkland, so this is a dry event.

Veiw Map

Summer Solstice Party
Saturday, 19 June 2010 at 16:30
Emily Murphy Park Edmonton, AB
RSVP HERE!

Recently one of our members responded to Margaret Somervile’s article which was published in the Edmonton Journal :

If you’ve paid any attention to the media over the last week — for instance, regarding whether the G8 “maternal and infant health initiative” should include abortion, or The Current’s and The National’s programs on CBC that focused on Marci McDonald’s new book, The Armageddon Factor, that raises alarm about the rise in political power and influence of the “Canadian religious right” — you’ll find this secularist truism espoused front, centre and behind the scenes: Religion and religious voices and views have no valid role to play in the public square. Indeed, many secularists are openly hostile to any such participation. But are they correct?”

Read more of the article

Letter to the Editor by Frank Friesacher

Margaret Somerville has created a straw man (or rather, men and women, in this case): where are these secularists who argue that freedom from religion means that “religion has no valid role to play in forming our shared  values and has no place in the public square?” This is certainly not the mainstream understanding of secularism, which predominantly focuses on the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and the right to freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the state.

To the extent that secularism seeks to critique religion beyond the scope of such governmental imposition, it is a recognition that while faith and religious belief contain universal human truths, they do so not because religion is the source of wisdom, but rather, religion is a by-product of civilization. Human achievement and thought are the true sources of wisdom, as recognized by humanist perspectives. The fact that, through the bramble of superstition and inanity found in much religious myth and practice we can see these pearls of insight, does not mean that we should accept the old canard that it is through belief in the supernatural that such knowledge is attained. Religion was humanity’s earliest attempt to understand a dangerous and unknown world; it remains a relic, sometimes innocuous, but often very harmful.

Therefore, while there are legitimate arguments on both sides about the morality of such issues as abortion and euthanasia, reasoned solutions do not come from pronouncements from bearded men (never women, historically treated by most faiths as chattels) written thousands of years ago who were unaware that the earth is round, that bacteria cause disease, and that the brain is the seat of consciousness. The moral reasoning of the issues of our day, Ms. Somerville correctly notes, “is connected with [some people's] religious beliefs”. However, correlation does not equal causation. The far more fruitful pursuit is for reasonable people to engage directly on the moral issues, considering universal principles such as suffering and compassion for one’s fellow man, and not to invoke ancient commandments based on fanciful and competing sky gods or fairies. For from engaging in debate, religious proclamations on what is right and wrong bring discussion to a standstill.

Ms. Somerville invokes supposed “secular religions” and “scientism” to suggest that secularists are just like religious adherents, but of a different shade. This is akin to labeling baldness as merely another hair colour. Aside from being wrong on this classification, she confuses secularism with atheism. The fact is that most people in Western democracies embrace secularism in the daily lives, regardless of their faith or lack thereof.

In short, the straw man proposed here is that secularists seek to stifle free exchange of ideas, when nothing is further from the truth. The rich irony is that it is religion itself which has routed out dissent through state-sanctioned murder, torture and violence for most of human history. Voices which seek to declare universal truths through revelation are free to do so on the public square or on the street corner, but no longer from the throne, from Parliament, or from city hall. It is time for society to end its childhood superstitions and enter adolescence.