Tacoma Atheists » NFA Conference 2009

NFA Freethought conference 2009 a success!

Amanda — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:55:28 +0000

Almost 120 people from the Northwest converged on Portland this past weekend for the Northwest Freethought Alliance’s 6th annual freethought conference, “Darwin@200, and other matters.”

There were some fabulous talks by Jim Corbett, Roy Speckhardt, David Domke and others. We Twittered much of the conference here (of course, you have to start at the bottom and read up). #freethought, for those of you who do that.

While we were there, of course, the article in the Seattle Times ran, and there was a DoS attack on the Seattle Atheists servers, so it was fun-filled and exciting, and most of all, great to see that atheists and humanists were coming out of the woodwork. It’s a wise, compassionate, and energetic group of people, and I’m honored to have been a part of it. Jerry, Sylvia (of the Humanists of Greater Portland), and I did a panel on using Meetup to build membership, which I think people enjoyed. I particularly enjoyed Jim Corbett’s talk on debating Darwin deniers, and the CFI presentation.

The food was great, the speakers were great, the coffee was great, and it was fun doing the set-up and introductions, and running around helping. I also learned, interestingly, that some Catholics have likened Humanists to cannibals. Hey, we don’t go for that transubstantiation thing, man. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

A big, huge thank you to the HGP and all the other groups for making this event possible. Look for a bigger, better conference next year in Seattle!

Freethought conference in March

Amanda — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:35:58 +0000

The Northwest Freethought conference, Darwin@200, is filling up! Be sure to reserve your spot now!

Keynote speakers

Dr. David Domke, author of “The God Strategy” and “God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House” will be sharing ideas from his books and current events.
Dr. Bob Park, author of “Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science” and “Voodoo Science: The Road from foolishness to Fraud”, will share ideas from his research.
Roy Speckhardt is the Executive Director of the American Humanist Association, and a board member of The Humanist Institute. He’s also an advisory board member of the Secular Student Alliance and the Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program.

Some of the very interesting workshops and speakers include:

Debating Darwin deniers: Jim Corbett, of the Humanists of North Puget Sound and Humanists of Washington, will show how to counter non-scientific statements/arguments, based on debates he’s had with evolution deniers.
Reform at Victory: Michele Ulriksen, author of “Reform at Victory: A Survivor’s Story,” will share her experiences of being shipped off to a fundamentalist Baptist reform school (boot camp) when she was 16.
Darwin’s Black Box: PSU professor Mitch Cruzan will talk about teaching Biology to non-Science majors and what beliefs about evolution college students bring to school with them.
Hope for Skeptics: Jim Corbett presents his second workshop, one he’s also giving at the AHA conference in Phoenix in June. This one is about creating hope in a life that agnostics believe stops at death.
Ten Myths about Evolution: The co-authors of “Top 10 Myths About Evolution,” Cameron McPherson Smith and Charles Sullivan, will share the core ideas of their book and reactions to it from a wide spectrum of readers.
The Neuro-physiology of Peak Experiences: Dr. Josh Fost, author of “If Not God, Then What? Neuroscience, Aesthetics, and the Origins of the Transcendent”, will share some of his research in the neurophysiology of religious (and other peak) experiences.

You can register and pay online, and there is a one-day option available, housing, carpools and scholarships. Don’t miss this!

NFA Conference website is now up

Amanda — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:50:36 +0000

Find out more, register, and make a PayPal payment here.

About the conference

The Northwest Freethought Alliance, supported by the Humanists of Greater Portland, is coordinating the efforts of three dozen freethought and other groups in the Northwest, including member organizations of the Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC), in planning and hosting a regional conference.

Keynote speakers

Dr. David Domke, author of “The God Stategy” and “God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House” will be sharing ideas from his books and current events.

Dr. Bob Park, author of “Superstition: Belief in the Age of Science” and “Voodoo Science: The Road from foolishness to Fraud”, will share ideas from his research.

Roy Speckhardt is the Executive Director of the American Humanist Association, and a board member of The Humanist Institute. He’s also an advisory board member of the Secular Student Alliance and the Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program.