Tacoma Atheists

Japan was hit yesterday with an 8.9 earthquake — the fifth-strongest earthquake ever recorded by the USGS — followed by more than 50 aftershocks so far, many above 6.0 themselves. Reports are still coming in, but even with Japan’s legendary disaster-preparedness, the death toll steadily climbs, currently estimated at 1,000, including an estimated 300 in the coastal city of Sendai, closest to the epicenter of the quake.

Our thoughts are with the Japanese people, the families of those who have lost loved ones, and with the agencies, governments, and international aid organizations that will shortly be on the scene to help a nation remember its lost and rebuild itself for the future.
You can find a list of aid organizations, as well as Google’s People Finder to help reunite family and friends displaced by the disaster, on the Seattle Atheists website.

Secular and Humanists Aid and Relief Efforts (SHARE)

Humanist Charities

Richard Dawkins Foundation

Save the Children

International Red Cross

AmeriCares

On Saturday February 13th, Seattle Atheists will join other free-thought groups to celebrate the birthday of Charles Darwin, the scientist whose revolutionary work became the foundation of modern biology.

Seattle Atheists and its fellow organizations in the Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC), including Tacoma Atheists, will come to together to celebrate Darwin, science, humanity and in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity.

The event is family-friendly and will include speakers, educational evolution-themed games, activities, and food. The public is encouraged to attend.

WHERE: Juanita Community Club, 13027 100th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA 98034

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 6, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Since Atheists do not believe that God exists, why do approximately 95% of Americans answer yes, when asked if they believe in God? This raises the obvious question: where did the concept of God come from? As I will demonstrate, and suppose that some of you either know or suspect, God is an invention of the human mind.

We begin with the evolution of the human mind.  Of course, it is effectively impossible to directly chart the evolution of the mind, but since the mind is the product of electrochemical interactions between brain neurons, it is reasonable to assume that the mind evolved in parallel with the evolution of the brain which can be charted by following the development of the skull since the brain occupies most of the volume of the brain. Reference 1 Fig 14-1 is a graph, which traces brain capacity from the 500 cc A. afarensis brain, 2.5 MYA to the first appearance of Modern man’s brain, 1350 cc, 100 – 200 MYA. Since Modern man produced sophisticated stone tools and had mastered fire, it’s reasonable to assume that the mind produced by this brain was fully capable of curiosity regarding itself and its surroundings.

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The state Board of Pharmacy currently has a rule that any pharmacist can refuse to dispense ‘the morning after pill’ (aka Plan B) as long as there is another pharmacist on duty who will dispense the drug instead.  This allows pharmacists who feel that Plan B kills babies (and is therefore immoral) to keep their jobs and feel comfortable while at the same time assuring patients that they will have access to medications.

The board is now reconsidering that rule. Soon after the rule went into effect, pro-life pharmacists filed suit, and the judge has put the suit on hold to see if the board will reconsider the rule.  It is possible that the board will replace this rule with one that will allow the pharmacist to refuse to dispense the drug if they first tell the patient that another pharmacy has it and is willing to sell it (see links below for details).

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For the third year in a row, atheists in Tacoma rallied to raise funds for the Pierce County AIDS Foundation at the annual AIDS Walk.  This year, the Tacoma Atheist team raised over $1000 and was among the top 10 fundraising teams!  We unfurled our banner, proclaiming our motto, along with health organizations like Planned Parenthood and Group Health; college teams from UPS, PLU, UWT, and others; several church groups; Tacoma fixtures like the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts and Russell Investments; and other affinity groups like ours.  Some folks came and posed for pictures with the banner while and others cheered us on.  We received not one sarcastic “blessing” nor negative comment!

If you saw us at the AIDS Walk and are visiting the webpage for the first time, please also check out our Facebook page and our Meetup.com site for info, discussion, pics, and events.  That means YOU, young lady from the nacent Secular Student Union at UPS!!!

October 11th is traditionally GLBT Coming Out Day. My friend suggested that Atheists should adopt this day as well, as we have common causes and concerns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Coming_Out_Day

GLBT folk are encouraged to “‘take your next step’ in living openly and powerfully on October 11th,” and we encourage all non-believers to do the same.

How do you do this?

1) Wear an atheist t-shirt on October 11th
2) Post something on Facebook
3) Post an atheist flyer in a public place
4) Host a dinner at which coming out is on the agenda

Tacoma Atheists was the proud sponsor of the Frost Park Chalk-off #15, over there at Pacific and 9th. It hot and the pavement was baking, but there was some good art to be had, including this mysterious Flying Spaghetti Monster that magically appeared on the pavement… hmmm… must be a MIRACLE. Thanks to RR Anderson and friends for setting this up.

The winner will receive a Tacoma Atheists t-shirt (the new good kind with front and back). Voting ends at midnight, so vote early and often!

I posted earlier about the film Jesus-4-Less my friend Riggs is working on. Here’s the latest update:

“The script was finished, the roles cast, and a date has been set to begin filming,” says Riggs. “We have an all volunteer cast and crew. We received a grant from the City of Tacoma in the form of a store front to film in that we get, rent free, for three months.” Filming begins next month.

“One of the things I learned,” he adds, “is that making a feature length film is expensive, even with an all volunteer cast and crew. We have to pay for insurance, feed the cast, get some important filming equipment, electric bills, props, etc.”

Riggs is asking friends for financial help to finish this project. They start filming July 16th. “Any amount you can afford, even one dollar, will help,” he says.

A $20 donation gets you your name in the credits of the movie and a DVD of it when it’s done. $50 will get you a “Jesus-4-Less” t-shirt and your (bigger) name in the credits. Also, in return, you will receive their deep gratitude, and the knowledge that you are supporting the local economy and the artistic/creative endeavors of your community.

Here are the instructions:

1. Log onto www.paypal.com
2. Click “Send Money”
3. Enter the e-mail address: jesus4less@gmail.com
4. Enter your donation amount
5. Click on the “Personal” tab and select “Gift”

What: NWFC 4th of July Potluck Picnic
When: Sunday, July 4, 2010 1:00 PM
Where: Ravenna Park, 2000 NE 58th St, Seattle, WA 98105

The Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC) is celebrating Independence Day and the arrival of summer with its 5th annual potluck picnic. NWFC group members, friends, and area freethinkers are invited to this all-day event on Sunday, July 4, 2010. Last year’s picnic drew about 200 people. The family-friendly picnic begins at 1 pm and runs into the evening. There will be a raffle and games, including bocce. Food served from 1 to 3 pm; cleanup starts at 5 pm. Bring your family, some frisbees, a blanket, sunscreen, and a picnic-friendly dish to share!

NWFC member groups include Humanists of Washington, Seattle Atheists, Tacoma Atheists, Humanists of North Puget Sound, University Unitarian Humanists, Ethical Culture Society of Puget Sound, Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound, Freethinkers’ United Network, Eastside Atheists/Agnostics Meetup, and various Atheist, Humanist and Brights Meetup groups.  Humanists of Washington is leading the event planning. Please contact HOW president Jerry Schiffelbein if you would like to volunteer.

Edwin Kagin, the National Legal Director for American Atheists, will be a guest on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams this weekend. He will discuss “Chaplains in the workplace.”

Mr. Kagin noted:  “While not illegal (unless the entity is the government), it is bad business to inject the most divisive issue in the world into a work scenario, because it can only lead to a loss of cohesion in a diverse group. Minorities automatically feel like second-class workers because the employer officially recognizes a religion other than theirs, and the religious people immediately see who is religious, and who is not, and are encouraged to ‘save’ (the preacher won’t do it directly, instead send forth the sheep to do the job for him). There’s all sorts of bad potential there.

On the flip side, the chaplain is a minister, not a trained social worker. It is fallacious to think the minister is there to do anything other than that for which he was trained — preach and convert. If the company wants to provide a liaison, they should hire a professional liaison, not a professional preacher. The liaison would provide better service to all employees.

Anyone can pray any time they wish. They have cubes, homes, and they have oh-so-many churches in which to do so. They do not need official places to pray when they are working. The ones who DO need corporate chaplains are the chaplains themselves, who use the captive audience to woo new church members (and that’s THE reason they are there).”

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams
Check local listings and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/