Past list view

Being as there has been good response so far to the scheduling of this meetup, we will go ahead as planned. I am reserving the private room at the restaurant so we can be as raucous as we want in our discussion.

To anyone who didn't make the June Meetup and is not familiar with the Pacific Ring, there is a great variety of Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese food as well as a full sushi bar. With very few exceptions (avoid the Shu Mai potstickers) the food is very good, in fact some dishes like the Vietnamese Spring Rolls and the Sesame Ginger Salmon with crispy spinach are the best I've had in the city. Vegetarian choices, too. And how many places still sell a hearty bowl of wonton soup (with three or four dumplings) for $1.50?? It's BYOB and we brought bottled beer, wine and liquor. For less than $15 each we were all stuffed. The atmosphere is quiet and uncrowded and great for discussion. Lots of handy parking in the lots around the back or (if you luck out) on the street. Just don't park in the Giant Iggle parking lot across the street -- they WILL tag you.

I chose the topic because several people had mentioned their own experiences with religious chauvinism, having sanctimonious believers (particularly Christians) question how a "non-believer" could be "trusted" to be decent and ethical when they don't subscribe to a formalized code of morality or have the fear of holy retribution hanging over them. I've run into that most of my life and wondered how other people deal with such accusations.

By the way, the $2 fee is to cover the monthly subscription charge for maintaining the MeetUp on the web site. Suzanne and Jordan have both graciously covered it so far this year so we are trying to reimburse them.

See you there! Don't be shy -- we are welcoming to new or renewing members. I'm a "newbie" myself.

Have a few drinks - alcoholic or non - with other freethinkers. It's scientifically proven to be a good time!

Laura organizes the Drinking Skeptically group. Go to her Pittsburgh Drinking Skeptically Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16388178684
for more information.

The November Presidential Election is close...and as freethinkers, we should take into consideration how each candidates' religious views shape their politics and behavior.

Both McCain and Obama have made appeals to their Christianity. McCain's appeal lies largely with the conservative religious right, as well to some otherwise liberal/Democratic voters, such as Catholics. Obama attracts more liberal voters who relate their faith to social justice.

It's risky enough being a Catholic and running for President, let alone a Jew or Muslim or *gasp* a nonbeliever.

As if McCain's pro-military aggression, anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, and other views weren't concerning enough to secularists, Sarah Palin's involvement with Pentecostalism, her clearly literalist interpretation of the Bible, and downright scary rhetoric connecting the Iraq War and drilling for oil in Alaska with "God's will" make me afraid we are only a stone's throw from theocracy. And I mean "stone's throw" in every sense the Old Testament phrase implies.

I have uploaded a Word document with Secular Humanism Online News' September newsletter. The first article, "The Danger of the Religious Right in this Presidential Election" By Edward Tabash is the most relevant, though the entire newsletter touches on political issues. Click on this link, which will open the Word document:
http://files.meetup.com/325715/Secular%20Humanism%20Online%20News.doc
or go to the "Files" section of the group's site (on the lefthand side of the page).

There are also several articles you may want to look at.

Sam Harris' concerns in Newsweek that Sarah Palin is more religiously extreme & anti-intellectual than Bush
http://www.newsweek.com/id/160080/page/1

How Palin's church has shaped her politics (watch the video of her speaking at her old church on this site - it's scary):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html

Salon.com - Democrats try to rally moderate evangelicals for Obama:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/08/15/barack_obama_evangelicals/index.html

Obama speaks on how Christianity has shaped his political views:
http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/

Finally, here are some quotes to consider:

As one blogster put it (taken from the Salon.com article), "Do we really need a presidential campaign based on out-Jesusing the other side?"

From Obama's speech, why he won't outlaw abortion:
"...we live in a pluralistic society, that I can't impose my own religious views on another, that I was running to be the U.S. Senator of Illinois and not the Minister of Illinois."

Also from Obama's speech, as he recognizes the importance of faith to the American populace:
"And if we're going to do that then we first need to understand that Americans are a religious people. 90 percent of us believe in God, 70 percent affiliate themselves with an organized religion, 38 percent call themselves committed Christians, and substantially more people in America believe in angels than they do in evolution."

Join us for Drinking Skeptically this month - same time, same place - it's scientifically proven to be a good time!

This month we'll be collecting non-perishable food donations as well as cash donations to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. So be sure to go through your pantry and grab anything you can spare. Let's show the city that secular Pittsburghers want to give back.

If you'd like to join Laura's Drinking Skeptically Facebook group, please go to:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16388178684

I believe that if you sign up under that site, it will send you automatic reminders.

This has been drawing a crowd of 20-30 people from various secularist groups and Internet sites and blogs.

The group meets on the 2nd floor - if it's nice outside, look out on the patio.

If you are interested in going and unsure about finding the group, you might want to e-mail Laura directly, as I can't guarantee that I'll be there.

- Andrew

Speaker: Dr. Fred Bortz, formerly of Carnegie Mellon, author of many science books for children and adults
Hope you had a great summer--it's back-to-beer-and-science time! (Not necessarily in that order--depending on your preference.) Dr. Fred Bortz, author of Physics: Decade by Decade, will talk to us about a few of the many surprises that twentieth century physics had in store for physicists who thought that most of the important questions had been answered. They fully expected to spend their careers refining theories and making more precise and accurate measurements of universal constants, but thankfully they were wrong. As Dr. Bortz writes: "Instead of tying up a few loose ends, physicists pulled on a few snags and watched the entire theoretical fabric of physics unravel. It would take most of the new century to reweave it."
Please join us for a rousing look at revolutions past, which may just shed some light on revolutions future! We'll be giving away a few of the speaker's books, and will have others for sale. As always, there will be fine food and beer to accompany the talk, and a lot of friendly, interesting people to talk to. Hope to see you there!
Tim Palucka and Angela Stabryla, organizers
Cafe Scientifique Pittsburgh (www.cafescipgh.org)