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FriscoAtheists - Meet-the-Pastor

Started by MagicMarker, July 27, 2010, 04:09:06 AM

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MagicMarker

The FriscoAtheists are meeting with a local pastor on Thursday, July 29. http://www.friscoatheists.org/archives/90
This will be the fourth time we've done this - all of the past events were lots of fun.
Our goal is to let local believers, especially religious leaders, meet atheists in a friendly, non-threatening environment. We don't try to convert anyone - we just want people to know that atheists are normal people.

If you're in Frisco, check us out.  Send me a note for more info.

pinkocommie

That's a cool idea, what kind of impact (if any) are these meetings having?  Do you think they benefit atheists more than believers or vice versa or is it pretty commonly beneficial?
Ubi dubium ibi libertas: Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
http://alliedatheistalliance.blogspot.com/

Will

You mean Frisco, Texas, not the shortened name for San Francisco, right?
I want bad people to look forward to and celebrate the day I die, because if they don't, I'm not living up to my potential.

pinkocommie

Quote from: "Will"You mean Frisco, Texas, not the shortened name for San Francisco, right?

From the link:

QuoteFrisco Atheists is a Texas unincorporated non-profit association that provides local atheists with opportunities for fellowship, service to the community and positive interaction with believers.

I thought it was San Fransisco before I looked.  I'm so West coast-centric.   :blush:
Ubi dubium ibi libertas: Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
http://alliedatheistalliance.blogspot.com/

Tank

If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

MagicMarker

Quote from: "pinkocommie"That's a cool idea, what kind of impact (if any) are these meetings having?  Do you think they benefit atheists more than believers or vice versa or is it pretty commonly beneficial?


The biggest goals are to get people together to show that we can all talk openly without getting mad and to encourage preachers to be a little more accurate when they speak about atheists during their sermons.  These are kind of hard to measure.  

Another big goal is to have fun and that seems to be working well.  I don't get any negative comments from people to actually come to the events.  Believers and unbelievers enjoy themselves.  It's mostly the Christians that encourage me to keep scheduling events.

karadan

Quote from: "MagicMarker"It's mostly the Christians that encourage me to keep scheduling events.


That's really cool.
QuoteI find it mistifying that in this age of information, some people still deny the scientific history of our existence.

Martin TK

This is FREAKIN' AWESOME.... my wife and I have talked about trying to get an atheist group together here in the UP of Michigan.  We have two universities in the area, and I'm willing to bet that we could get a pretty good turnout.  Problem is that the region is VERY religious as a whole, with the Appostolic Lutherans and the Evangelical Lutherans abundant, particularly because there is a huge Finnish community here.

I would think an atheist/theist forum in the area would work pretty well for the intellects here, but I'd bet the Appostolic Lutherans would have a fit.  Any suggestions on how to get a group like yours started?
"Ever since the 19th Century, Theologians have made an overwhelming case that the gospels are NOT reliable accounts of what happened in the history of the real world"   Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion

Thumpalumpacus

Illegitimi non carborundum.

pinkocommie

Quote from: "MagicMarker"
Quote from: "pinkocommie"That's a cool idea, what kind of impact (if any) are these meetings having?  Do you think they benefit atheists more than believers or vice versa or is it pretty commonly beneficial?


The biggest goals are to get people together to show that we can all talk openly without getting mad and to encourage preachers to be a little more accurate when they speak about atheists during their sermons.  These are kind of hard to measure.  

Another big goal is to have fun and that seems to be working well.  I don't get any negative comments from people to actually come to the events.  Believers and unbelievers enjoy themselves.  It's mostly the Christians that encourage me to keep scheduling events.

That's so awesome!  I hope it continues.  :yay:
Ubi dubium ibi libertas: Where there is doubt, there is freedom.
http://alliedatheistalliance.blogspot.com/

Whitney

Two questions...why isn't FriscoAtheists a member of www.dfwcor.org (just curious, I am aware of very good reasons not to want to join an coalition)
Where exactly is this meetup taking place?  I'm in Dallas...

I'm heavily involved in the DFW freethought community yet I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a frisco group.

Anyway, I like the idea.....there is a baptist church in Allen that needs to attend these talks; they've been encouraging their children to harass any kids who attended camp quest last year.

MagicMarker

Quote from: "Whitney"Where exactly is this meetup taking place?  I'm in Dallas...

I'm heavily involved in the DFW freethought community yet I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a frisco group.

We meet at the Irish Rover Pub on Gaylord.  It's been our regular hangout for nearly a year, I guess.  We've been meeting for just over 2.
If you go to the Dallas/Plano Atheists meetup, you know at least one of our regulars.

Whitney

Quote from: "MagicMarker"
Quote from: "Whitney"Where exactly is this meetup taking place?  I'm in Dallas...

I'm heavily involved in the DFW freethought community yet I think this is the first time I've ever heard of a frisco group.

We meet at the Irish Rover Pub on Gaylord.  It's been our regular hangout for nearly a year, I guess.  We've been meeting for just over 2.
If you go to the Dallas/Plano Atheists meetup, you know at least one of our regulars.

Just googled it; pretty far north for me but not so far that I can't ever go...I can't make it this week but will catch one some other time.

I know Linda and others from Dallas/Plano but am not a regular at their meetups; seems that every time they were close enough to me that I had to work late.  I use to organize freethinkers of dallas which recently was absorbed into the new fellowship of freethought...for the most part that's the only meetup group I attend right now; hard to find time for everything (esp with TFC and CQ TX) but sometimes I head out to fort worth since I have friends there.

MagicMarker

The event went smoothly for the most part.  There was no friction between the atheists and the believers but the restaurant hit me between the eyes.  Just a couple of weeks before the meeting I asked if Thursday nights were quiet enough to have a meeting and I specifically asked about karaoke.  They assured me that there was no difference between Thursdays and Sunday (when we normally meet).  Lo and behold - we arrive at the restaurant on karaoke night.  We were able to move our party to the patio -- the temperature was great and the mosquitoes were nowhere to be seen so it worked out okay.

One thing that never ceases to surprise me is that the arguments that mean so much to atheists really don't mean much to Christians, and vice-versa. There was a lot of talk about old testament cruelty -- a lot more than I was comfortable with, but again, no one was offended. We didn't talk at all about social justice which was the one thing that I wanted to bring up -- I'm horrible at steering conversation.

Nobody got upset.  Nobody got vicious with their questions.  Everyone left with the same beliefs they had when they arrived. But the bottom line was - we all had fun, we made some new friends, and  we made Frisco a little more sociable.