STUDENTS: Special Pricing Provided by the Secular Student Alliance
Thanks to the Secular Student Alliance and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for helping young people get to Newark!
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Convention Main Page
AMERICAN ATHEISTS will hold its 36th National Convention April 2-4, 2010 (pre-registration plus a special event starts on the evening of Thursday the 1st) in Elizabeth/Newark, NJ — right across the river from The Big Apple, New York! The theme–”BLASPHEMY?–On The Dangers of Privileging Religious Beliefs”–is one that most speakers will touch on in one way or another. As Atheists, we reject all or almost all theistic beliefs all the time, and we stand ready to debate religious vs. irreligious beliefs in any fair forum. But the greatest dangers of religion–to scientific progress, to rational thinking, to democratic governance, politics, and protections for free individuals, to human rights, to educational growth, to peace, and to ethical progress for humanity–come when religion is cloaked with special rights and special protections, when critiquing religious belief is called “blasphemy” or beliefs are held to be “sacred.” Any idea, religious or otherwise, that cannot withstand untrammeled scrutiny in the marketplace of ideas should be rejected without further ado.
We will gather at one of the premier meeting sites on the East Coast — the Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel near Newark International Airport.
(http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ewrnr-renaissance-newark-airport-hotel/)
Fly in to Newark, grab your bags, and take the shuttle (available 24/7) to one of the most luxurious convention sites in the area — easily convenient to New York City!
* SPEAKERS: We’ll have a blockbuster line-up! Confirmed so far are:
DAN BARKER, co-president, Freedom From Religion Foundation
CECIL BOTHWELL, Atheist city councilman from Asheville, NC, investigative journalist, author of the Prince of War
ED BUCKNER, president of American Atheists
JOHN R. BUTLER, musician, special guest of the president
SEAN FAIRCLOTH, executive director, Secular Coalition for America
TOM FLYNN, editor of Free Inquiry and executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism
EDWIN F. KAGIN, National Legal Director of American Atheists, author poet, blasphemy king
WENDY KAMINER, author, lawyer and social critic, writes about law, liberty, feminism, religion, and popular culture.
PAUL KURTZ, philosopher, author, founder of the Council for Secular Humanism, Newark native
MARTIN LEWISON, professor of business, wit, former Wall Street executive
MASSIMO PIGLIUCCI, author, philosopher, advocate for science
DARREL RAY, author, psychologist, theorist on religion’s power to infect society
TERRY SANDERSON, president, National Secular Society (United Kingdom)
JEFF SHARLET, author of The Family, original investigator and exposer of the Christian Right’s ongoing attempt to run our government, operate a famous C Street apartment house, etc.
TODD STIEFEL, entrepreneur and freethought leader (member of American Atheists development committee)
EDDIE TABASH, attorney, debater, fierce Atheist advocate
ANDY THOMSON, M.D. psychiatrist; Trustee and CFO of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS); interests include evolutionary psychology, suicide terrorism, and the cognitive neuroscience of religious belief
PORTEOUS WOOD (KEITH), executive director, National Secular Society (United Kingdom)
INDRA ZUNO, linguist born and raised in Mexico. Actor in Mexican theater and TV; now Spanish Court Interpreter for the US District Court and for the Los Angeles Superior Court. Her talk will be offered in both Spanish and English; she will also translate simultaneously one other talk into Spanish.
Dave…Kathleen. How about posting an apology for running with a story and offering derogatory opinions before all of the facts were known? Let’s see exactly how tall that “superior” atheist moral code is…?
“The Americans acted with heart,” lawyer Aviol Fleurant said outside a courthouse in the capital. “They had no intention to violate the Haitian law.”
Fleurant said the missionaries “have a document” authorizing them to take the children, and he predicted their exoneration.
“Many of the parents who had the opportunity to speak out declared, in good faith, to have given their children to the Americans,” he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-02-08-haiti-missionaries-lawyer_N.htm
Rubbish,phreedm a document proves nothing.From reports in the media it appears the group leader mislead the others that the paperwork was in order.No doubt they are caring people but all it takes is one misguided zealot trying to cut corners to mess things up.My prediction 8 or 9 of the group will be exonerated 1 or 2 convicted.
Rubbish? A document proves nothing? How about the document known as a newspaper. Does that document mean anything? Obviously it does. Why?
Why do you believe the news stories?
Exposing students to the ideology of nazism is dangerous and irresponsible.The pope has clearly shown the link between atheism and nazism.
You must be joking.
The pope was in the hitler youth he is an expert.
KA
I have a great idea to get network coverage of convention.Stage an event where silverman or buckner are at the podium with raised clinch fists saying for ourselves nothing for the cause everything.And have the crowd roar back death before dishonor, death before dishonor.With a hammer and sickle or swastika in the background.
Are you on board,heck i bet we would make the sunday talk shows.If we are going to be called nazis,communists we might as well have fun with it.
KA
I hope the weather is nice where your at it stinks where i am.
and just what are the facts? phreedm
I would guess that these people thought they were doing the right thing…..very noble to give up your time and resources to help people….the thing that they didnt realize however is that a belief in a super natural being does not excuse them from following very basic rules…..we can only hope that there are rules designed to ensure that horrible people have no opportunity to take advantage of this disaster….that there is a process in which these kids end up in caring hands….as we know from the current child abuse scandal being played out in Ireland; saying your religious should not automatically qualify an organization for the care of orphans….
I think the facts will point out that these folks told a few white lies for jesus….or at least show that they were incompetent with good intentions….
Charlie…your comments follow the original threads lead. Tell me, on what grounds do you believe these people acted incorrectly?
You already have an opinion. Why? What “truths” do you know that make your belief accurate?
Bottom line…your hatred for “believers” is what guides your opinions. If you were truly a tolerant individual, you would wait for ALL of the facts to surface before casting your guilty sentence…
um…..I think the process of people from another country taking orphans from another country to another country takes a little more time than a day….they completely ignored any protocol which means the charges are just….despite any good intentions they may have had….
and I dont hate the sheep….I have a problem with the doctrine they try to shove down my throat by demanding credibility in the public square….
? will the USA attack Iran this year Israel is demanding it and we know the power of zionists in this country.
How bad is toyota hurt?