VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 OCTOBER 2010 The Minnesota Atheist From Darwin to Hitler? How Creationists Revise History Once again in Christian Delusion (2010), edited by October, Minnesota John Loftus. Atheists is honored His talk will be preceded by a to have as our Minnesota Atheists business speaker Dr. Hector meeting and followed by a trip to a Avalos. restaurant. One of the most Please join us. persistent arguments being used against evolution is that it led to the Holocaust. The movie, Expelled: IF YOU GO N o I n t e l l i g e n c e Allowed makes this What: Minnesota Atheists a r g u m e n t a cornerstone of its Monthly Meeting followed creationist agenda. by Dr. Avalos’ presentation Dr. Avalos will refute Where: Roseville Public this myth, and he will expose the real roots of the Holocaust in Christian anti-Judaism. Library, 2180 Hamline Ave N Dr. Avalos is Professor of Religious Studies (Hamline & Cty Rd B) at Iowa State University, where he was named When: Sunday, October 17th Professor of the Year in 1996 and Master 1:00-1:15 p.m. - Social Time Teacher in 2003. He received his Ph.D. in Biblical and Near Eastern Studies from 1:15-1:45 p.m. - Business Harvard in 1991, and is the author of Meeting numerous books, including Fighting Words: 1:45-2:00 p.m. - Social Time The Origins of Religious Violence (2005) and 2:00-3:30 p.m. - Presentation The End of Biblical Studies (2007). His talk is 4:00 p.m. - Dinner a version of a chapter he wrote for The Panda Garden Buffet INSIDE: 1706 Lexington Ave. N. Radio Program Update.........................see page 4 • (Lexington Ave. & Larpenteur • Get an Acting Gig.................................see page 7 Ave.) • Disproving Christianity.......................see page 14 Roseville, MN 55113 • Project 42.............................................see page 18 PAGE 1 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 OCTOBER 2010 IN THIS ISSUE... MINNESOTA ATHEISTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS [email protected] Published by Minnesota Atheists, P.O. President’s Column 3 Box 120304 Back on the Air! 4 President: August Berkshire New Brighton, MN 55112 612-284-4495, [email protected] Recent Events 5 [email protected] 612-338-4548 www.MinnesotaAtheists.org News and Notes 6 Freethought Follies Ad 7 Associate President: Laura Hutt Editorial Board, [email protected] [email protected] Dropping Jehovah 8 James Zimmerman, editor Cryptogram 9 Chair: George Kane [email protected] You Will Read This Title 10 [email protected] 651-488-8225 Chief Photographer: Richard Trombley LaCrosse Gay Pride 11 50 Years Ago... 12 Associate Chair: Steve Membership/change of address: Steve Petersen Petersen, [email protected], Highway Cleanup 13 [email protected] 651-484-9277 Pew Forum’s Survey 13 651-484-9277 Public Relations: George Kane, Book Review 14 Treasurer: Brian Knoblock [email protected], 651-488-8225 Volunteer Opportunity 15 [email protected] Atheists Weekly Email (AWE): George Treasurer’s Report 15 Kane, [email protected] Secretary: Rick Rohrer Cable Report 16 [email protected] Cable: Steve Petersen, Vote! 17 [email protected], 651-484-9277 Director-at-Large: Karen Burke Membership Report 17 [email protected] Webmaster: Cody Peterson, Project 42 18 [email protected] Director-at-Large: Mike Things To Do.... 19 Haubrich, [email protected] Podcasts: Grant Hermanson, [email protected] Director-at-Large: Cody Minnesota Atheists Peterson [email protected] Copyright 2010 Minnesota Atheists. practices positive, Minnesota Atheists is an affiliate of inclusive, active, friendly MNA Meetup members: 752 Atheist Alliance International, American neighbor-hood atheism Life memberships: 28 A t h e i s t s , A m e r i c a n H u m a n i s t in order to: Association, Council for Secular Provide a community for Humanism, and International Humanist • Honorary Members and Ethical Union. atheists; Dan Barker • Educate the public about Gerald Erickson, PhD Submit material for the newsletter to atheism; and Annie Laurie Gaylor [email protected]. Submissions • Promote separation of state Dick Hewetson may be edited. Publication is not guaranteed. and church. Robert M. Price, PhD Minnesota Atheists Mission Statement Minnesota Atheists is dedicated to building a positive atheists community that actively promotes secular values through educational programs, social activities, and participation in public affairs. PAGE 2 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 OCTOBER 2010 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Freethought Cooperation August Berkshire Cooperation among atheist and humanist groups of goodwill is always an admirable goal. For Student Skeptic Society many years Minnesota Atheists has been a [UMD, Duluth] - Providing leader in this area. In just this year, we have a debater for a debate that worked cooperatively with the following groups: will occur in December. Humanists of Minnesota - Ongoing co-hosting L a C r o s s e A r e a of summer picnics and the winter solstice party. Freethought Society - Making their group’s brochures available at Sharing a booth at the La Crosse Gay Pride event. festivals at which we have tables. Working Providing pamphlets on atheism for them to cooperatively on our Atheists Talk radio show. distribute. Providing a PowerPoint presentation on Working together on the local appearance of atheism that they can use themselves at schools. speakers Sean Faircloth and George Erickson. Secular Student Society [UW, La Crosse] - Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Providing a speaker for one of their meetings. (CASH) - Ongoing co-hosting of summer picnics. Providing a debater for a debate that will occur in Providing pamphlets on atheism for them to November. distribute to fellow students. Sharing a speaker American Humanist Association - Providing this November. speakers for their national convention. Camp Quest of Minnesota - Providing Atheist Alliance International - Providing volunteers and donations. Making their group’s speakers for their national convention. Conducting brochures available at festivals at which we have a joint membership mailing. tables. Foundation Beyond Belief - Becoming a Or Emet (Society for Humanistic Judaism) - founding Partner. Providing a speaker for one of their meetings. Our Speakers Bureau, chaired by Laura Hutt, is Friends Free of Theism [St. Cloud] - Working working on even more outreach. together on our Adopt-A-Highway cleanup in In addition to the above-mentioned specific Rice. Sharing a booth at the St. Cloud Gay Pride help that Minnesota Atheists offers other atheist event. and humanist groups, our Atheist Weekly E-mail, Secular Student Alliance [SCSU, St. Cloud] - edited by George Kane, advertises freethought Providing pamphlets on atheism for them to events throughout Minnesota and the border cities distribute to fellow students. Providing a debater of Fargo and La Crosse. for a debate that attracted about 1000 people. At most of the festivals at which we have tables Rochester Area Freethinkers - Sharing a booth and booths, we not only offer pamphlets from at the Rochester Gay Pride event. Providing a Minnesota Atheists but also from the Humanists of speaker for their upcoming December meeting. Minnesota, Camp Quest, Foundation Beyond Red River Freethinkers [Fargo] - Providing Belief, Secular Coalition for America, Secular speakers for their recent regional conference. Student Alliance, American Atheists, Atheist Atheists, Agnostics, and Secular Humanists Alliance International, Freedom From Religion [NDSU, Fargo] - Providing a speaker for one of Foundation, and the American Humanist their meetings. Providing pamphlets on atheism Association. for them to distribute to fellow students. Minnesota Atheists is officially affiliated with Lake Superior Freethinkers [Duluth] - Sharing American Atheists, Atheist Alliance International, a booth at the Duluth-Superior Gay Pride event. Providing a speaker for their upcoming President’s Column continued on page 5 November meeting. PAGE 3 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 OCTOBER 2010 Atheists Talk: Back on the Air! by Steve Petersen Our past programs have been as follows: August 1: Scott Lohman interviewed Robert Price on his book The Case Against the Case for Christ; August 8: Mike Haubrich interviewed Grant Steves on his research on Conversion, Deconversion and Religious Indoctrination; August 15: Lynn Fellman interviewed Greg Laden on Old Bones & Modern Genetics; August 22: Mike Haubrich interviewed Todd Torkelson on Skeptical Confessions of a Ghosthunter; Minnesota Atheists restarted our popular radio program on August first. The host of the August 29: MNA was live at the State Fair program is Mike Haubrich and the director is with Mike Haubrich, August Berkshire, George August Berkshire. We have a six month contract Kane and Laura Hutt; at a cost of $5,320.00. We have sold some ads to September 5: Humanists of Minnesota were help with the cost and had two $500.00 live at the Fair with Scott Lohman, Dale donations from August Berkshire and Randy Handeen, Nathan Curland and Mike Haubrich; Quast to kick off the funding and a number of September 12: Stephanie Zvan interviewed smaller donations. Each donation is greatly Jason Thibeault on Astrology & Evidence; appreciated. Original music was composed, September 19: Scott Lohman interviewed played, and recoded by Brent Michael Davis. George Erickson on his book Eyes Wide Open. The programs can be listened to on our web site www.mnatheists.org and are listed by date. Page back to the program you want to hear. The program is live every Sunday morning from 9:00 to 10:00. Central Time at AM 950, or streamed live from www.KTNF. com and type in a Minnesota zip code. If you would like to donate to keep the program on the air, please go to: http://mnatheists.org/ component/option,com_civicrm/ Itemid,55/ PAGE 4 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 9 OCTOBER 2010 Statewide Minnesota Conference at the by George Kane Recent Events Southdale Library on Sunday, September 19. The four-hour event featured five presenters. Dr. George Erickson, former president of the Humanists of Minnesota, spoke about his latest book and about what must be done to cope with climate change.