On the problem with Muslims

Take five minutes and listen to this brave woman speak on the problem with Islam:

http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=null

Today's luncheon plus new event coming

We had another great ALGAE luncheon today at White River Fish Market. How good it is to have a meal with friends! Wish more of you could have been there.

In attendance today were Keith, Dave, Gloria, Bea, Warren, Dan, Larry, Jan, and Sharon. Conversation was wide-ranging. In addition to the usual topics of religion and politics, we also heard about the dangers of underground natural gas pipelines and an upcoming production of Wagner's Ring Cycle in Paris, which one of our lucky members will soon take in.

I find it to be an uplifting experience to be with my fellow Humanists, whatever the occasion. If you are not yet attending HAT events, I would like to invite you to do so. Experience these highs for yourself.

There will soon be another event added to our monthly calendar. Randy told me that he will be having a monthly movie night at his house, probably on a Saturday night. We will watch a movie and talk about it, as we sip wine or whatever your beverage of choice happens to be. Randy says that if you drink so much wine that your driving ability is impaired, you are welcome to stay over. Now that's real hospitality.

I love you guys and gals and look forward to seeing you again this Sunday (3/19/06) at 1pm at Hardesty Library for our regular monthly HAT meeting.

Atheist Jokes from Harold

Harold Dundee sends these jokes:

I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up. They have no holidays.
~~Henny Youngman
---------------
Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
------------------
Three atheists are lost in desert and have run out of food and water. One
says, "Guess the is the end, guys." But another says maybe we should try
prayer.

"Prayer," snorts another guy, "we're atheists. We don't know how to pray."

"Well," says third guy, "I used to live next door to a church and have some
idea of how it goes. First you bow your head, I think, then start reciting
no. 7. number 54, no. 62."
-------------
Steven Wright ~ Can atheists get insurance for acts of God?

OCCJ presentation lacked strict separationist viewpoint

I attended the third session of the OCCJ Trialogue series today. Also attending from HAT were Marilyn Clarke and Brian Hill. The theme of this year’s Trialogue was “Jefferson’s Wall: The American Separation of Church and State.” It was disappointing that none of the three presenters was a strong supporter of church/state separation.

In the question and answer session which followed the presentations, written questions from the audience were addressed by the speakers. My question was chosen as the first one to be addressed. I asked: Do you expect to see further erosion in the wall separating church and state? The gist of the responses was: What erosion?

Daniel G. Gibbons, Professor of Law Emeritus at OU, who continues to teach a Church-State Relations Seminar, responded by saying he thinks the wall metaphor, while it may have been useful when it was first employed 200 years ago, is now out of date and no longer useful. Presenter Deron Spoo, pastor of Tulsa’s First Baptist Church, who otherwise struck me as a progressive sort, said things are fine and sees no disturbing trends regarding church/state relations. I don’t remember exactly how Msgr. Gaalaas of St. Benedict Catholic Church responded (I was still stunned by the responses from the first two), but it was along the lines of the first two.

It would have been nice if the OCCJ would have invited a strict separationist to be among the presenters today. The OCCJ’s motto is “We open minds.” I didn’t find anything mind opening in today’s presenters’ (accommodationists all) hostility to church/state separation.

Library Donation Received

Our donation of $100 to the Tulsa Library Trust has been received and acknowledged. Once the library is built, "Humanist Association of Tulsa" will appear on the "Donor Wall." The library will be connected to a new community center. The joint facility will have several meeting rooms.

The new Kaiser Library will be built in the northeast section of LaFortune Park. This area might be more centrally located for our membership, and we may wish to move our 3rd Sunday meetings to the new library.

AAI convention to be in KC

I would sure like to attend the Atheist Alliance International convention next month in KC. There is a great line-up of speakers. It would be nice if we could get a half dozen of us and rent a minivan and drive up to Kansas City for this event. If any of you have an interest in doing this, please contact me.

Forwarded Message:
Subj: Atheist Alliance International convention in KC 4-14-16, 2006
Date: 3/1/2006 7:21:45 AM Central Standard Time
From: JoAnn@freethinker.org
To: hatulsa@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)

I'd like to invite you and all your members to attend the upcoming Atheist Alliance International Convention to be held in Kansas City, April 14-16, 2006.
Below you will find out more about the convention. Please feel free to publish the article below in your newsletters or send it on to anyone you think might be interested.
Also, to learn more about the convention or to register, please visit http://atheistalliance.org/. If you would like me to send the registration form as a pdf file directly to you to print, please email me at JoAnn@freethinker.org.
Jo Ann Mooney, Convention Coordinator
Atheist Alliance International


Atheist Alliance International to Hold Convention in KC
April 14-16, 2006
Jo Ann Mooney

Easter weekend 2006 will hold a pleasant surprise for those in Kansas City. The Atheist Alliance International’s annual convention will be here at the Airport Marriott. Speakers to date are:

Julia Sweeney, writer-actress, winner of this year's Dawkins Award and author of Letting Go of God: My Beautiful Loss of Faith Story.

Dr. Hector Avalos, Associate Professor of Religious Studies & Director of U.S. Latino/a Studies at Iowa State University and author of Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence.

Lori Lipman Brown, freethought's first Washington lobbyist and Executive Director of the Secular Coalition of America.

Matt Cherry, President of the United Nations NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Executive Director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, and author of Imagine There's No Heaven: Voices of Secular Humanism.

Dr. Paul Mirecki, Professor and past Departmental Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas, the first to propose teaching ID as mythology and author of Magic and Ritual in the Ancient World.

Dr. Ron Pine, Research Associate, Field Museum of Chicago and Visiting Scholar at the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas.

Dr. Fred Whitehead, freethought historian and author of Freethought on the American Frontier.

The convention will also include:

“Camp Quest: A Summer Away Camp for Atheist Kids” by Katie Hladky & Shawn Jeffers
“How to talk about Atheism” hands-on training by August Berkshire and Margaret Downey
“Leaving the Fold: Ex-ministers Speak Out”
“Religion, Science, Secular Humanism and Well-being" by Dr. Gale Fuller
“Selling Atheism" hands-on training by Woody Kaplan
and panels on Atheist Parenting and Lobbying for Separation of Church and State

The convention price ($175 advance registration) includes all events including: a reception Friday night, two dinner banquets, two breakfasts and a luncheon. Additionally, we provide Camp Quest for children ages 4-12 and full-time babysitting for those younger.

If you ever feel a need to get energized or reaffirm your nonbelief stance in this heavily Christian nation, this convention will be an easy way to do that. You’ll get a chance to meet other freethinkers from around the world, share ideas and discuss issues. Please don’t wait to register by visiting http://atheistalliance.org!


Lodging information:
Rooms are ready to be booked at the luxurious KC Marriott Hotel Airport for only $65 per night. You can also call the number below and ask for the Atheist Alliance's rate: code athatha.
(816) 464-2200
775 Brasilia Ave
Kansas City, Missouri 64153

Church/State Lectures

I attended this afternoon the second of three lecture programs on the subject of the history of church/state relations in the U.S. Marilyn Clarke was the only other HAT member I saw there.

Of the three speakers, Paul Finkelman was the most impressive. He was very informative and, during the question and answer period, proved to be most witty. Since he lives in the area, I am hoping we will be able to get him as a guest speaker for one of our meetings.

Food & Fellowship Report

There were twelve of us today at Marie Callender’s for this month’s Food & Fellowship. This monthly event is getting to be a regular lovefest of good vibrations. Don’t you feel good after meeting with your fellow humanists, exchanging hugs, and soaking up the smiles? I certainly do. You folks light up my life. I’m always wishing these events could go on longer.

Those present today were Marilyn G., Dave T., Howard K., Gail S., Randy B., Dawn B., Larry Hi., Polly M., Harold D., Marilyn C., Jan N., and myself. Two others contacted me saying they wished they could attend but had other obligations.

We were in a linear seating arrangement (six on one side with the other six across on the other side) with two or three conversations going at all times. I was seated on the east side and did not hear much of the conversation from the west side.

Next month we will be eating at the Royal Dragon on E. 51st St. They have a private dining room with a large round table. The following month Polly and Marilyn will host the F&F at their house. Some of us are wanting to organize a Humanist Hootenanny for some future gathering.

The Board has decided to donate $100 toward the construction of the new library to be built near Memorial High School. By making this donation our name, Humanist Association of Tulsa, will be included on a small metal plaque on a donor wall. I see it as a perpetual form of advertising.

Larry Hicks is hoping a group of us will be able to attend a showing of the film Why We Fight. There will be more about this later, but right now it looks like the best day to attend the film will be Saturday, March 4.

Tomorrow (2/26/06) is the second of three meetings in which lecturers will speak on the subject “Jefferson’s Wall: The American Separation of Church and State.” The lectures tomorrow are being held at Temple Israel, just south of the Utica Square shopping center on 22nd Pl. The lectures tomorrow focus on “Evolution of the Law: The Bill of Rights to the 1950s.” Starting time is 2pm.

Humor from Harold

HAT member Harold Dundee sent this bit of humor:

Subject: Win some loose some

Who Should Make the Coffee?

A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew
the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because
you get up first,and then we don't have to wait as long to get our
coffee."

The husband said, "You are in charge of the cooking around here so
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for
my coffee."Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides it says
in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."

Husband replies, "I can't believe that! Show me."

So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed
him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says, "HEBREWS."

Sunday lunch at Spaghetti Warehouse is canceled

Randy called just now and said that due to the weather the planned luncheon today at Spaghetti Warehouse is canceled. He also said OSU-Tulsa is closed, so I would assume the film there will not be shown. I do not know whether the lectures at Boston Avenue Methodist Church are still being held or not.

Eight Attend ALGAE Luncheon

It was good to see a well-attended luncheon today at the White River Fish Market. Present were Mary C., Valerie O’B, Julia T., Russ B., Dave T., Dana T., Jan N. and myself. We were glad to see Valerie again after a long absence. She is working on a Ph. D. at Tulsa University. She enjoys the sense of community she finds among to faculty in the biology department at TU.

Dave has recently obtained a copy of Daniel Dennett’s new book Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon and is looking forward to reading it. The book sounds like it is a good candidate for perusal by the Humanist Study Group.

We are glad Julia made it back safely from her recent trip to Kansas City, where she saw her younger sister perform in an orchestra.

We have another opportunity to be together again this Sunday (2/19/06) as we gather at the Spaghetti Warehouse at noon.

Dr. Hill's letter to Rep. Dank

Rep. Odilia Dank February 10, 2006
2300 North Lincoln Blvd
Room 408
Oklahoma City, OK 73105'

Dear Rep. Dank:

I understand that bills are likely to be considered by the state legislature during the current session which will pertain to the teaching of creationism and intelligent-design in the tax-supported (public) schools.

As one trained in science (undergraduate degree in Paleontology from Caltech and UCLA) and in religion studies (Yale U. PhD.) and an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA) with nearly forty years of teaching in the latter field (Indiana U. and U. of Tulsa), I feel qualified to say

Creationism is a scientific theory (it offers an explanation for observable and testable phenomena just as all scientific theories do).
Other theories have been selected by modern science as more adequate. All scientific theories are only tentative, however convincing a particular one may be in giving a comprehensive explanation for the observable.

I can see no barrier to including creationism in a course taught by an scientifically trained teacher as a scientific theory--so long as the others developed by humans in a variety of cultures and modern scientific theories are included also.

Each theory should be described and put in its cultural and its historical context.

When this is done, that particular theory of the creation of a cosmic order derived from that ancient culture which eventually was incorporated in the Jewish and Christian Bibles is recognized as having been selected among scientific theories by those who have an emotional and theological commitment to the infallibility/inherency of those Bibles. Their primary motive is not scientific but religious.
They fear that the rejection of the first chapter of Genesis means rejection of the authority of the Bible.

"Intelligent design" is known to all philosophers as a philosophical (not scientific) theory and has no place in any academic treatment of science but is more than legitimate in courses in philosophy.

It is not derived from "creationism", is not a variant of "creationism" and is not a synonym for "creationism".

It is commonly know by philosophers [and long before there was any Judaism or Christianity] as "the argument from design". This is an "argument" or proposition that observable design must be the consequence of a designer. This argument is used by certain theologians ["theology" is a subset of "philosophy"] to define the Ultimate as Ultimate Mind or Designer--and popularly called, "God".
in English.

I suggest that each bill proposed be tested by the above definitions.

Respectfully,
Harold E. Hill
1625 South Lewis Place
Tulsa OK 74104-5122
918 744 6389
hhillzzz@sbcglobal.net

Book recommendation

Today I began listening to another book on CD. It is Jimmy Carter's most recent book: Our Endangered Values. I checked it out from the Tulsa Library. It is read by Carter himself, which adds something to the listening experience. It is on four CDs, the first one being about 73 minutes long.

While I differ with Carter on his theology, I much admire this former President. If I can get my hands on a print copy, I would like to post some quotes from his book here. Carter is a storehouse of wisdom.

Geocaching Successes

There were five of us out searching for geocaches today. With five pairs of eyes, we were able to locate all five geocaches we searched for. (A sixth cache we were intending to look for had been withdrawn a few days earlier.) We found each cache after a search of only five minutes or so. After we finish caching for the day, we all went to Mazzio's where I provided pizza for everyone. We had a great time. Wish more could have been with us.

Hatters to go geocaching

The first of seven activities for freethinkers this month happens this Sunday starting around 1pm. We will gather at Randy’s house, 6705 E. 54 St. and talk about geocaching and what we are about to do. Then we will see if we can find six caches hidden within a two-mile radius of Randy’s house.

I will have a sheet on each hidden cache, but if you would like to have an advance look at what we will be searching for, go to www.geocaching.com. In the box for the ZIP code type in Randy’s ZIP code of 74145. There are 54 caches within a three-mile radius of the 74145 post office. (There are now hundreds of caches in the Tulsa area, with new caches being placed each week.) By clicking on any of the listed caches, the page for that cache is displayed. (If you have an account with geocaching.com (it’s free) then a small map pinpointing to location of the cache is displayed on the cache page.)

The six caches I have selected for us to find are:

Lunchtime Cache #8
Micro Mania #9
Hidden Park
Twisted Sisters
Asphalt Jungle – SP4
Nest Egg

You will notice that the terrain difficulty for all these is low. We should be able to walk right up to them. Finding them is another matter. Some caches are very cleverly hidden. Once I was caching with Dan Cagle in Norman, and we searched for twenty minutes (at least), and then Dan spotted the cache. We were within 20 feet of it all the time we were searching. With a group of us searching, we should be able to locate each cache within 10 minutes. (I hope.)

I have a travel bug I need to drop off in one of the caches, but I won’t go into that now.

Two caches we will be looking for are at LaFortune Park, and another one or two are in parks, also. If you see a cache on the geocaching web site that interests you, print the cache sheet and bring it with you.

Perhaps we could go to the Mazzio’s near Randy’s afterwards for some pizza?

February Events

Sun., Feb. 5, 1pm
Geocaching Adventures with Randy and Dan. Meet at Randy’s house, 6705 E. 54 St. Then we will go searching for half a dozen hidden caches in Randy’s neighborhood using a GPS receiver.

Sat., Feb. 11, 10am
Secular Singers at Randy’s house, 6705 E. 54th in Tulsa. Join Bea, Randy, Gail, Julia, and Dan to sing freethought and other songs. Come to sing or just come to listen and enjoy the fellowship.

Sun., Feb. 12, 2pm
Humanist Study Group at Border’s, 81st & Yale. Topic: Jared Diamond’s recent book Collapse

Wed., Feb. 15, 11:30am
ALGAE (A Little Group of Atheists Eating), luncheon at White River Fish Market, 1708 N. Sheridan. This seafood restaurant seems to be growing in popularity.

Sun., Feb. 19, 1pm
HAT Monthly Membership Meeting In lieu of the MMM this month, we will meet for lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse at noon. Then we will watch the film Moloch in the nearby OSU-Tulsa auditorium. Film starts at 2pm.

Sat., Feb. 25, 11:30am
Food & Fellowship at Marie Callender’s on 51st St.

Sun., Feb. 26, 2pm
Tulsa Atheist Rendezvous at Barnes & Noble Bookstore on 41st St. See www.tulsaar.blogspot.com for the latest TAR news.

HAT Minutes, January 15, 2006

HAT met today, Sunday, January 15, starting at 1pm at the Hardesty Library. There were 19 people present, which included two first-time visitors. Door prize winners were Brian Hill and Russ Butler.

The new HAT Directory was distributed. I reported that we had $1,169 in the treasury. Someone immediately said its time we had a party, but frugal heads prevailed and no party was planned.

We decided that in lieu of a meeting in February that we would go to the Auditorium on the OSU-Tulsa campus and view a film – Moloch, which is a fictional account of Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler in their Alpine retreat in beautiful Berchtesgaden, Germany. Prior to viewing the movie we will gather at the Spaghetti Warehouse for lunch at noon.

The program was on Bart Ehrman’s book Misquoting Jesus. We heard a portion of an audio recording of an interview of Ehrman on The Diane Rehm Show. Due to a technical malfunction with the CD player we were unable to hear more of the interview, but we all launched into a discussion of various matters including the perennial favorite: atheism vs. agnosticism.

[I have probably left out some things that we discussed at the meeting. If anyone would like to add to the record, you can add your own comments.]

On the Cult of Character

This quote comes from the article "The Cult of Character" by Silja J. A. Talvi from the January 9 issue of In These Times.

Again, here is the fundamental premise: what the IBLP [Institute in Basic Life Principles] hopes will come of these myriad efforts on secular and religious fronts is a patriarchal, hierarchical Christian government that truly has no place for dissent, for disbelievers, or for those whose character qualities fall short of expectations. Government, from this viewpoint, is akin to the right hand of God: Nothing or no one should stand between the two entities, or question their right to rule over our lives.

Publicity effort

The following was e-mailed today to Urban Tulsa Weekly:

Under Clubs/Meetings...Ongoing

3RD SUN, EVERY MONTH
Humanist Association of Tulsa, 1pm
Hardesty Library, 798-3629

-----------------------------------------------------

Above item submitted by Dan Nerren, Secretary/Treasurer of HAT. Phone 798-3629

Financial Reports

Since at this time HAT is no longer publishing a newsletter, our financial reports will be published on this blog.

Dan Nerren, Treasurer


Financial Report for March/April 2005

Balance as of 2/28/05…………1191.88

Receipts
Dues…………………...........…………. 6.00
Contributions…………………....... 34.00
Interest………………………….......... 1.05

TOTAL RECEIPTS…………….....41.05

Expenditures
SSA ad in Daily O’Collegian…........ 68.90
Postage………………………............ 22.20

TOTAL EXPENDITURES……... 91.10

Balance as of 4/30/05……….. 1141.83



Financial Report for May/June 2005

Balance as of 4/30/05……….. 1141.83

Receipts
Dues…………………….…… 30.00
Contributions……………….. 42.00

TOTAL RECEIPTS………… 72.00

Expenditures
Village Inn refreshments….. 15.20

TOTAL EXPENDITURES…. 15.20

Balance as of 6/30/05……… 1198.63



Financial Report for July/August 2005

Balance as of 6/30/05……… 1198.63

Receipts
Interest…………….………… .99

TOTAL RECEIPTS………… .99

TOTAL EXPENDITURES… 0

Balance as of 8/31/05…….. 1199.62




Financial Report for September/October 2005

Balance as of 8/31/05…….. 1199.62

Receipts
Interest……………………… 1.03

TOTAL RECEIPTS ………. 1.03

Expenditures
P. O. box rental…………… 68.00
Music for Secular Singers . 10.12

TOTAL EXPENDITURES... 78.12

Balance as of 10/31/05…… 1122.53



Financial Report for November/December 2005

Balance as of 10/31/05

Receipts
Dues………………………. 4.00

TOTAL RECEIPTS………. 4.00

TOTAL EXPENDITURES.. 0

Balance as of 12/31/05….. 1126.53