Morgantown Atheists » freethinker http://www.morgantownatheists.com skeptical, freethinking, pragmatic atheists who love reason and science Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:26:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Ideas About Atheist Groups http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2010/03/25/ideas-about-atheist-groups/ http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2010/03/25/ideas-about-atheist-groups/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:52:11 +0000 Neece http://www.morgantownatheists.com/?p=912 As you may know, I’m the co-cat herder (co-director) of Morgantown Atheists. I’m also the coordinator for Morgantown Coalition of Reason, an umbrella organization that encompasses Morgantown Atheists and other local groups so that we can work together in the name of Reason.

The funny thing is, I’m not really a people person. Like a lot of atheists (supposedly), I’m quite an outsider, as much of a hermit as I can get away with, in fact. I have never liked going out in crowds or socializing with large groups of people.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I have realized something that I want to share with you. Even though I’m a curmudgeonly hermit-y atheist, I love going to the 3 atheist/freethinker meetings we have every month. That’s 3 Sundays a month where I happily leave the house and go socialize with a…

]]> As you may know, I’m the co-cat herder (co-director) of Morgantown Atheists. I’m also the coordinator for Morgantown Coalition of Reason, an umbrella organization that encompasses Morgantown Atheists and other local groups so that we can work together in the name of Reason.

The funny thing is, I’m not really a people person. Like a lot of atheists (supposedly), I’m quite an outsider, as much of a hermit as I can get away with, in fact. I have never liked going out in crowds or socializing with large groups of people.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I have realized something that I want to share with you. Even though I’m a curmudgeonly hermit-y atheist, I love going to the 3 atheist/freethinker meetings we have every month. That’s 3 Sundays a month where I happily leave the house and go socialize with a small group of people. And I look forward to it. The one or 2 Sundays where we don’t meet I miss it.

Even people like me benefit from social community and contact. The beauty of the atheist/freethinker community is that we are relatively like-minded. We have a foundation of common ground. But we are also quite different, of course, which is good because that makes things interesting. The added bonus of freethinkers, skeptics and atheists is that we seem relatively level-headed and we argue and discuss matters with interest and fairness. No drama llama is invited! So it’s actually fun and mentally stimulating.

I think we all need some type of community, which is one thing that religion has in its favor that being a lone atheist does not.

But this is easily remedied. I thought I’d share some thoughts on how to get involved with a secular group of like-minded people. If none exist in your area, you can start one up.

Tips For Finding A Local Atheist/Humanist/Freethinker/Skeptical Community

1. Do a local Google search on the type of group you’re interested in. They may have a Yahoo, Google or Facebook group, or other page set up, or a website devoted to their activities.

2. Go to your favorite organizations and see if they have local chapters, or a list of local groups associated with them. Examples would be CFI, American Atheists, AHA, UnitedCoR, SCA, etc.

3. Look in your local paper, either online or in print. We have our meetings listed in the Today section of the paper, as well as a general entry in the church section (which is really more for a laugh than anyone looking there for an atheist group, I think)

4. Visit the library or local coffee shops for possible fliers on the bulletin boards.

Once you’ve seen that no local groups exist, or you find that you aren’t interested in what’s available, it’s time to start your own.

Tips For Starting A Local Atheist/Humanist/Freethinker/Skeptical Community

1. Start a local yahoo group, Google group, and/0r Facebook group. If you are sure of the name you want your group to have, you can get a domain name and set up a blog or website for the group you are forming.

I recommend a WordPress blog that pings to many different listing sites. This gets you into Google and other search engines much faster than a plain old website, in the easiest way.

2. Go to your favorite organizations and see if they offer any tips on starting a local chapter. Examples would be CFI, American Atheists, AHA, UnitedCoR, SCA, Atheist Nexus, etc.

3. Set a date, time and place for the first meeting. Also have a topic or agenda to talk about. For the first meeting, your location can be the library or a comfortable coffee shop. Provide directions to the meeting clearly in whatever web presence you’ve chosen.

4. Set up a Gmail email so people can contact you with questions. Or set up an email address associated with your domain name.

5. Contact your local paper. Look for a contact for the Today section, or something similar. Be friendly and polite and see if they will list your local meeting.

6. Create fliers (they don’t have to be big or fancy) and put them in the local coffee shops, the library, and any other places you can think of. If you created a group somewhere online, make sure to share that on the flier so people can read more, as well as your new email address so they can ask questions.

Also post to any groups you’ve created on Facebook, Yahoo or Google groups. Spread the word!

7. Show up to the meeting about 10 or 15 minutes early. I carry a tote bag that identifies me as an atheist (one of my Sir Lee Tees designs, a positive atheism message) to help people I haven’t met yet find me in the location. You can do something else to identify yourself to make it easier and more comfortable to people who will need to approach you. Or if you meet at the library, put up a sign in the room you are in, etc.

Expect the first meetings to be small. Maybe get a friend to sit with you for a half hour to see if anyone shows up. For Morgantown Atheists, there were quite a few meetings that were just the original founders and no one else. But with lots of messages on Atheist Nexus and other areas, it has grown to quite a dynamic little group that meets 3 times a month and now will have an ongoing Secular Service project.

8. Have some flexible goals in mind for the direction you want your group to go in. My experience is that these small communities sort of take on a life of their own, but having some ideas to start off with can at least give you confidence, as well as help others to decide if they want to come to a meeting.

~ So that should get you started. If you are interested in finding our starting a group, or if you do start one and want some more ideas, let me know! We can brainstorm, as I’m always looking for new ideas for my groups. :)

Cross-posted by Neece from Heaving Dead Cats

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]]> http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2010/03/25/ideas-about-atheist-groups/feed/ 2 Holiday Cards for Atheists and Nontheists http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/10/21/holiday-cards-for-atheists-and-nontheists/ http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/10/21/holiday-cards-for-atheists-and-nontheists/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:10:06 +0000 Neece http://www.morgantownatheists.com/?p=408 The holidays are fast approaching. While I like getting together with friends and family and celebrating, I don’t like the religious nature of it all (of course). One thing that really frustrates me is the card selection.

So I decided to try my hand at designing some irreverent cards! I dug through my favorite winter pictures that I’ve taken over the years, then came up with some messages for nontheists (with the help of my most awesome husband Butch, of course), and uploaded them to Zazzle.

I would like to do a few more, but these are a good start, I think. If you have ideas you’d like to see created, feel free to comment or Email Me.

~ Begin Neece’s Shameless Promotion Here~

Just Be Good For Goodness Sake! Three cards with original photography by © ZeNeece and 3 slightly different messages.

…

]]> The holidays are fast approaching. While I like getting together with friends and family and celebrating, I don’t like the religious nature of it all (of course). One thing that really frustrates me is the card selection.

So I decided to try my hand at designing some irreverent cards! I dug through my favorite winter pictures that I’ve taken over the years, then came up with some messages for nontheists (with the help of my most awesome husband Butch, of course), and uploaded them to Zazzle.

I would like to do a few more, but these are a good start, I think. If you have ideas you’d like to see created, feel free to comment or Email Me.

~ Begin Neece’s Shameless Promotion Here~

Just Be Good For Goodness Sake! Three cards with original photography by © ZeNeece and 3 slightly different messages.

See inside messages and matching stamps as well as postcards:

Cardinals-inside-SirLeeTees Reason-inside-SirLeeTees Jesus-inside-SirLeeTees
Message in card and on back of postcard:

These Cardinals Agree!
Just Be Good For Goodness Sake!
Enjoy The Season No
Matter What You Celebrate

 Message in card and on back of postcard:

Tis The Season To Retain Your Reason!
Just Be Good For Goodness Sake!
Enjoy The Season No
Matter What You Celebrate

 Message in card and on back of postcard:

Lighten Up!
Just Be Good For Goodness Sake!
Enjoy The Season No
Matter What You Celebrate

~
Sir Lee Tees will customize designs for you, or create something entirely new. Just email them at sirleetees@gmail.com. See more irreverent designs at SirLeeTees.com or their Zazzle Store.

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]]> http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/10/21/holiday-cards-for-atheists-and-nontheists/feed/ 0 Teaming Up, Doing Good http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/10/01/teaming-up-doing-good/ http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/10/01/teaming-up-doing-good/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:01:25 +0000 Neece http://www.morgantownatheists.com/?p=331 thinking outside the boxHello Everyone!

The billboard is up and making the news! You can see all the press we’ve gotten so far here: http://morgantown.unitedcor.org/press . Some of the comments at the different articles are fun and interesting. The Charleston Gazette has 100 comments, the most popular story at the moment. It appears that there are about 3 or 4 positive to each negative comment! Here is the link: http://wvgazette.com/News/200909290601

Rachel has done a great job as our spokesperson. She even got on TV: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=67641 Watch the video too!

So, MorgantownCoR comprises the Morgantown Atheists, the Morgantown Brights, the Freethinkers Morgantown Book Club and the Morgantown Thomas Paine Society. One thing we all want to do is make a positive difference in our community. Through our actions, we can show the traditionally religious people in our area that we are good, moral…

]]> thinking outside the boxHello Everyone!

The billboard is up and making the news! You can see all the press we’ve gotten so far here: http://morgantown.unitedcor.org/press . Some of the comments at the different articles are fun and interesting. The Charleston Gazette has 100 comments, the most popular story at the moment. It appears that there are about 3 or 4 positive to each negative comment! Here is the link: http://wvgazette.com/News/200909290601

Rachel has done a great job as our spokesperson. She even got on TV: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=67641 Watch the video too!

So, MorgantownCoR comprises the Morgantown Atheists, the Morgantown Brights, the Freethinkers Morgantown Book Club and the Morgantown Thomas Paine Society. One thing we all want to do is make a positive difference in our community. Through our actions, we can show the traditionally religious people in our area that we are good, moral people too. Together we can make even more of a difference.

As Rachel said earlier today, “Right now, we have the attention of not just our neighbors, but our state. Let’s show them that we are a valuable force in the community. Let’s have a strong showing for our Habitat for Humanity Build this Saturday.”

You can get all the information you need at the Morgantown Brights page: http://www.morgantownbrights.com/2009/09/27/habitatoct3/

Another project we’re looking into is Adopt A Road. Rachel has already started this process rolling. Please let us know if you will be willing to help clean a road with us. We need to show the Brights that the Atheists, Freethinkers and Thomas Paine lovers are also interested in this great endeavor.

We’ll send out more details of what is involved in the Adopt a Road project, but give us an idea if you are interested in helping by commenting below.

So let’s keep the momentum from the billboard going! Please consider showing up for the Habitat for Humanity Build, and let us know we can count on you for the Adopt a Road project.

Also, we will be happy to meet new faces at our upcoming meetings! We’ll keep you posted in the following locations on what events are coming up with our different groups:

Morgantown CoR (includes all events)
Morgantown Atheists (includes the Freethinkers Morgantown Schedule and will also include any Thomas Paine Society Meetings)
Morgantown Brights

We hope to see you soon. You can follow the events by getting our email updates from the Atheists and Brights sites.

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]]> http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/10/01/teaming-up-doing-good/feed/ 0 Godless WV Groups Organize around Morgantown Billboard http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/09/29/godless-wv-groups-organize-around-morgantown-billboard/ http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/09/29/godless-wv-groups-organize-around-morgantown-billboard/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:50:21 +0000 Neece http://www.morgantownatheists.com/?p=317 Don't Believe In God? You're Not Alone In Morgantown, West Virginia!(Morgantown, WV, September 29, 2009.) Atheists and agnostics in Morgantown, West Virginia, have organized around an electronic billboard on Mileground Road. The billboard reads, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.” These words are superimposed over an image of blue sky and clouds.

Four groups of freethinkers and humanists have pooled their efforts to launch the new Morgantown Coalition of Reason, sponsor of the billboard. Their aim is to educate the public about their worldview and what their groups do. The billboard invites like-minded people to visit the coalition’s website at www.MorgantownCoR.org. Motorists traveling west on Mileground Road into Morgantown will see it.

Under the co-sponsorship of the United Coalition of Reason, a national coordinating body, this billboard is part of a larger nationwide campaign aimed at raising the public profile of nontheists and organizing nontheistic groups in major cities. The United Coalition of Reason plans to fund…

]]> Don't Believe In God? You're Not Alone In Morgantown, West Virginia!(Morgantown, WV, September 29, 2009.) Atheists and agnostics in Morgantown, West Virginia, have organized around an electronic billboard on Mileground Road. The billboard reads, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.” These words are superimposed over an image of blue sky and clouds.

Four groups of freethinkers and humanists have pooled their efforts to launch the new Morgantown Coalition of Reason, sponsor of the billboard. Their aim is to educate the public about their worldview and what their groups do. The billboard invites like-minded people to visit the coalition’s website at www.MorgantownCoR.org. Motorists traveling west on Mileground Road into Morgantown will see it.

Under the co-sponsorship of the United Coalition of Reason, a national coordinating body, this billboard is part of a larger nationwide campaign aimed at raising the public profile of nontheists and organizing nontheistic groups in major cities. The United Coalition of Reason plans to fund billboards in a dozen additional states before year’s end.

“The primary goal of a billboard like this is to act as a beacon for nontheistic people–such as atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and humanists–letting them know they aren’t alone,” explained Fred Edwords, communications director for the United Coalition of Reason. “This message is particularly important in a part of the country that, for many, has been identified with traditional religion. Nonreligious people in the area may be unaware there is a thriving community for them.”

The Morgantown billboard joins others around the country that appeared earlier, including in Denver, Dallas, Fort Worth, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. The United Coalition of Reason also cosponsored the recent controversial bus ads in Des Moines, Iowa. Unique about the Morgantown effort is that it marks the first time an electronic billboard has been used in the nationwide campaign.

Local organizers say that, although religious believers aren’t a target of the campaign, they too can learn something. “We want the public to see that atheists and agnostics are part of the community, just as the faithful are,” said Rachel Cather, spokesperson for the Morgantown Coalition of Reason. “We have the same compassionate values and, in most other ways, are just like them. We are hard-working, tax-paying, moral citizens who care deeply about family, community, state and nation.”

The local groups that have launched the Morgantown coalition are the Morgantown Atheists, Morgantown Brights, Freethinkers Morgantown Book Club and Morgantown Thomas Paine Society. “We encourage other like-minded groups in Morgantown and elsewhere in West Virginia to affiliate,” Cather added.

The billboard will remain in place for one month. An image of the billboard design can be found online at www.MorgantownCoR.org.

#   #   #

The United Coalition of Reason exists to raise the visibility of nontheists and change the way they are perceived by average Americans. The organization carries out its mission by bringing local nontheistic groups together for the purpose of creating a stronger community voice. United CoR is a nonprofit educational and charitable organization, online at www.UnitedCoR.org.

The Morgantown Coalition of Reason is a community of nontheistic groups in the Morgantown area. Morgantown CoR works to raise the public profile of and cooperation among all such local organizations.

# # #

For more information contact:

Fred Edwords, communications director, United CoR:
(202) 550-9964, fredwords@unitedcor.org

Rachel Cather, spokesperson, Morgantown CoR:
(304) 906-6724, morgantowncor@gmail.com

Neece, Coordinator and Webmaster, Morgantown CoR:
morgantowncor@gmail.com

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]]> http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/09/29/godless-wv-groups-organize-around-morgantown-billboard/feed/ 7 A Field Trip to the Creation Museum With PZ Myers http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/07/22/a-field-trip-to-the-creation-museum-with-pz-myers/ http://www.morgantownatheists.com/2009/07/22/a-field-trip-to-the-creation-museum-with-pz-myers/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:42:44 +0000 Neece http://www.morgantownatheists.com/?p=59 This is somewhat late notice, but there is still plenty of time. Some members of Freethinkers Morgantown are planning a field trip to the creation museum (I think it’s outside of Cincinnati). Here is the notice that I received from Michael Pipkin on Monday (they will be going with PZ Myers):

Claire and I are thinking about attending the Creation Museum field trip with the Secular Student Alliance on August 7th. The event is on a Friday, so it would require taking a day off of work. I want to see if anyone else might be interested in going so we could carpool and share expenses.

PZ Myers will be acting as a “guide” and there will even be a special presentation that day, with one of the AIG “researchers” (I use that term very loosely) giving a lecture in which he will present the “Ultimate Proof of

…

]]> This is somewhat late notice, but there is still plenty of time. Some members of Freethinkers Morgantown are planning a field trip to the creation museum (I think it’s outside of Cincinnati). Here is the notice that I received from Michael Pipkin on Monday (they will be going with PZ Myers):

Claire and I are thinking about attending the Creation Museum field trip with the Secular Student Alliance on August 7th. The event is on a Friday, so it would require taking a day off of work. I want to see if anyone else might be interested in going so we could carpool and share expenses.

PZ Myers will be acting as a “guide” and there will even be a special presentation that day, with one of the AIG “researchers” (I use that term very loosely) giving a lecture in which he will present the “Ultimate Proof of Creation”. Heh.

We are thinking about driving over Thursday evening and spending the night at a local motel so we don’t have to leave ludicrously early Friday morning. It’s about a 5 hour drive. The field trip ends at 3:00, so we would drive back that evening.

There are instructions at the first link above on how to register and get tickets for only $10 (regularly $22).

I think it would be a blast to part of the atheist horde that descends on Ken Ham’s abomination of a museum on that day. If anyone else is interested, you can reply here or send an e-mail directly to me at mpipkin@live.com.

Oh my goodness, it gets even better! On the day the trip is scheduled (Aug 7th), here are some of the events planned for the “museum”:

“It’s Designed to Do What it Does Do Workshop” with Buddy Davis
When:Fri, August 7, 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Where: Creation Museum, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, KY 41080
Description: Join Buddy Davis to explore God’s unique design of many different animals. He will show how God should be given the glory instead of time, matter, and chance. In this one hour workshop, you will have fun with several activities including sculpting a Tyrannosaurus Rex head from clay. You will also have the opportunity to sing-along with Buddy, including the ever popular “It’s Designed to Do What it Does Do.” Come learn how God has designed different creatures in unique ways to do what they should do. Gifted by God in many ways, Buddy Davis is a sculptor, speaker, and singer/songwriter for Answers in Genesis. An adventurer and paleo-artist he leads very popular children’s workshops and plays many acoustic instruments. To learn more about Buddy please visit: Buddy. Ticket cost is just $4 with museum admission; a discounted rate is available for Museum members. This workshop is sponsored by Cedarville University.

“The Ultimate Proof of Creation” with Dr. Jason Lisle
When: Fri, August 7, 12pm – 1pm
Where: Creation Museum, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, KY 41080
Description: The Ultimate Proof of Creation There is a defense for creation that is powerful, conclusive, and has no true rebuttal. As such, it is an irrefutable argument—an “ultimate proof” of the Christian worldview. This presentation will equip you to engage an unbeliever, even a staunch atheist, using proven techniques. Read more about the accompanying book here: The Ultimate Proof of Creation. Dr. Jason Lisle did graduate work at the University of Colorado where he earned a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. He grew up in a Christian home, and because his family believed in the authority and accuracy of the Bible, he had little difficulty in dealing with the evolutionary bombardment he received in school. To learn more about Dr. Lisle please visit: Dr. Lisle. This event is free with paid museum admission or Museum membership. Seating is first come first served.

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