Atheists, Agnostics, and Rationalists at UCI

This week on Thursday we will be having our famous Atheist Bake Sale! We will be selling baked delicious treats but unlike a normal bake sale you actually have two options for payment. For those of you who are a little less willing to part with your ethereal counterparts you can pay the traditional way by giving us 50 cents for a baked good. However, if you are feeling more adventurous you can sign one of our soul contracts and transfer ownership to AAR. In return you will get 1 very tasty cookie.

Is it worth it? Come find us on ring road and find out.

• A presentation by Lori Lipman Brown, the director of the Secular Coalition of America, on the importance of separation of church & state. It will be taking place in the Crystal Cove Auditorium (in the student center) from 6-9pm on Tuesday, October 28th.
  Lori Lipman Brown on The Colbert Report

PAST EVENTS:

• Potluck style BBQ at Stanford Park. Burgers (veggie and meatfilled alike) were grilled, frisbees tossed and a crazy tree walking contraption was precariously balanced on.

• We’ll be meeting at 4:30pm on Sunday (10/5) at the Edwards University Town Center 6 theatre (the one in the University Center -by Trader Joe’s) to watch the 4:50pm screening. Afterward, we’ll meet up again at the Steelhead Brewery to discuss the film with another group called Skeptics in the OC.

• AAR is participating in UCI’s Peace Flag Project:
  “In May 2008 Inner Ring Road will be circled with several hundred ‘Peace Flags’ whose aim will be to raise awareness about the 40+ ongoing armed conflicts in our world. Conceptually modeled after Tibetan prayer flags, which traditionally promote wisdom, peace, compassion, and strength, each Peace Flag will be a large square of colored fabric with a statement providing information about one of the many ongoing conflicts. The Peace Flags will be made by various campus groups and clubs, another facet of the project being to unite the UCI campus in a communal effort for peace and compassion.”

• A lecture about evolution by UCI’s Professor Ayala.Professor Francisco J. Ayala from UC Irvine’s Ecology and Evolution department will be giving a lecture on the topic of evolution entitled “Evolution Is a Fact and It Is the Unifying Concept of Biology.” Following his presentation will be a question and answer session. His books, “Darwin and Intelligent Design” and “Darwin’s Gift to Science and Religion,” will be made available for purchase and signing after the lecture.About Professor Ayala: Francisco José Ayala is a biologist and philosopher at the University of California, Irvine. He has been President and Chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His academic appointments at UCI include University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (School of Biological Sciences), Professor of Philosophy, (School of Humanities), and Professor of Logic and the Philosophy of Science (School of Social Sciences). He was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2001 and has authored 950 publications and 30 books.

Wednesday, April 30th from 5-6 pm in HIB 100.

Article in the New U about it.

• AAR and STR are hosting a theist-skeptic dialogue.
  The dialogue will consist of 2 skeptics, 2 theists and a moderator.
  The Garrison-Martineau Project is a civil dialogue consisting of three parts:
  The first part is dedicated to allowing each person to tell the story of their own personal theological journey (what they learned, when they learned it and the experiences that brought them there).
  The second part is dedicated to allowing each person to choose a current issue regarding the role of religion in public life and explain why that issue is of concern to them.
  The last part is dedicated to — food!
  The dialogue will take place at UCI in SSH 100 (Social Science Hall) from 7 to 9pm. Admission is free and food will be provided.
  “The Garrison-Martineau Project gets its name from the unlikely friendship between William Lloyd Garrison and Harriet Martineau in the mid-1800′s.
  Garrison was a staunch Christian and a tireless advocate for the equality of African Americans in the United States.
  Martineau was an avowed atheist and the first female sociologist as well as an activist for a variety of causes in England, including women’s rights and better treatment of the poor.
  In 1848, after Martineau openly embraced atheism, Garrison, a member of Martineau’s literary circle wrote her a letter expressing his respect for her character, her skepticism and her search for the truth.
  Today, The Garrison-Martineau Project aims to create the next generation of Garrisons and Martineaus by enabling ordinary people across the theological spectrum to come together face-to-face and have “the conversation mother warned you about” in a facilitated, productive and friendly manner.”

  -from the Garrison-Martineau Project website

• Members from AAR as well as other local secular groups went to protest a campaign started by Jacquie Sullivan of Bakersfield, California to change the mottos of city halls to “In God We Trust.”
  Unlike other city hall meetings where the council was unanimous in their decision to implement the divisive motto, the city of Villa Park decided to put it on the ballot. This was most likely done due to the amount of protest by our groups.

  For more information go to these links:

  In God We Trust-America

  Coverage of Villa Park Council meeting decision

Winter 08

• Everyone pitched in and crashed on the couch to watch Super Bowl XLII.

• Non-believers have blood. Lots of it! And guess what? Donating blood is medically proven to save lives –unlike passive prayer. We donated more than 10 pints of bloods altogether! That’s enough to help more than 30 people!

• We took a trip down to Santee in north San Diego to visit the Institute of Creationism Research. The museum featured such things as a diorama of Noah’s ark and biblical evidence challenging the theory of evolution.

• Ray Comfort of Living Waters attended January’s OC Atheists meeting. We carpooled to IHOP and had dinner with him. He generously paid for dinner and taped his conversations with many people there.Here is his blog on the experience: Dinner with 40 Atheists
  Don’t know who Ray Comfort is? He is best known by skeptics for The Atheist’s Nightmare:
  

Fall 07

• A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America that requires Christian youth to assume leadership roles in advocating the causes of their religious movement.
  JESUS CAMP follows a group of young children to Pastor Becky Fischer’s “Kids on Fire Summer Camp”, where kids are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in God’s army and are schooled in how to take back America for Christ. This film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America’s political future.

• Were you too shy or too attached to your dreary old soul to part with it last May? Well now you have a second chance to upgrade your soul to a truly tasty baked good!

Spring 07

• Would you sell your soul for free baked goods? Sign your soul over to AAR for a delicious brownie, cookie, or cupcake!

Event photos…

• Sam Harris, author of “Letter to a Christian Nation” and “The End of Faith” debated Chris Hedges, some dude, regarding [topic].

Event photos…

• Professor Cooke of the Physics and Astronomy Department at UC Irvine gave a lecture on the background of the Big Bang Theory and the scientific evidence that drives it.

• “The Root of All Evil?” is Richard Dawkin’s two-part television documentary series where he argued that the world would be better off without religion. In this documentary, Dawkins travels the world, interviewing religious leaders and visiting important places of worship. Following the film screening AAR held a panel discussion with the staff advisor to Campus Crusade for Christ. All other religious campus organizations refused to participate.

• May 3rd was National Day of Prayer…renamed by atheists to Gift of Life Day. AAR decided to organized and donate blood as a group. While religious people were passively praying to help others, we were actively engaging in an activity that is scientifically proven to save lives.*(Blood drive was rescheduled to May 5th due to shortage of staff at the blood donation center on Thursday.)

Event photos…