Jun 222013
 

Thanks to everyone (and their kids) who came out to the picnic today! It went off without a hitch. The scavenger hunt was enjoyed by the kids (especially the bug catching), the small rocket demo got everyone’s attention, and we saw a lot of new faces.

We got to enjoy the warm weather and sun, since the hail on the south side of the city didn’t make it that far north, and we were wrapping up just as some dark clouds rolled in.

Pictures can be found on our facebook page.

 

Jun 162013
 

As I hope you’re aware, rain or shine, the Edmonton Atheists annual Summer Solstice Potluck Picnic is happening this Saturday, June 22, 4-7pm at the blue picnic site in Coronation Park (Google Map).

The park is easily accessible by bus, and is walking distance from the Westmount Transit Centre and Telus World of Science. Parking is on the north side of the park, at Woodcroft Community League.

As you might guess, this takes a little organization to put together, but nothing too strenuous.
We’d like a few volunteers for:

  • Cooler and ice (one for meat, one for other items needing cold)
  • Kindling and paper
  • Fire wood
  • A few people day of to help with the kids scavenger hunt

Everyone should bring:

  • Something to drink (water fountains and taps are avaliable at the park)
  • A potluck food to share (with serving spoons, etc.)
  • Outdoor games (bubbles, balls, Frisbee, etc.)
  • Weather appropriate gear (hats, sunscreen, bug spray, rain coat)

Wood burning grills and fire pits are avaliable for cooking (remember utensils to get your hot food off). Power is not avaliable at the picnic site.

The SEA will provide:

  • Cups, plates, utensils, napkins
  • A limited number of burgers, buns, and condiments

If you can volunteer to bring along a cooler & ice, or fire supplies, please contact us.

Jun 162013
 

On June 15th, 8 of our SEA members sported hard hats, work boots and safety glasses to help out at the Habitat for Humanity site.   Habitat uses volunteers and community partners to build affordable housing for families in need, as a way to break the poverty cycle.  The families that receive help in owning their own homes also have to donate a specific amount of hours to the build, so we were working along side them as well.

The build site we worked on is nearly complete and it is hoped that the dedication of the houses will happen sometime in August.  This meant our day was spent helping  with landscaping work,  no easy feat as we had to haul the dirt and soil from the center of the build site to the specific houses.   Wheelbarrows and shovels were the tools for the day rather than hammers and nails.   Others of us helped fix cupboards and kitchen drawers, do clean up on flooring and hook up stoves and refrigerators.   Oh and best not forget the weeding, which requires a special ”hip swinging” to get just right.  What a laugh!  You can view the pictures on our facebook page.

Edmonton has the most active Habitat group , building more houses every year than any other city in Canada.  There are sites located all over Edmonton and surrounding areas and the volunteer shifts run from Tuesdays through Saturdays every week.  If you are interested in volunteering as an individual then check out their site for information.

A productive Saturday, and a huge thank you to the volunteers!  We will definitely set up another volunteer day with this organisation, not only did we have fun but felt a great sense of accomplishment by the end of it.   What a great day!

 Posted by at 11:07 AM
Jun 142013
 

Something new we tried out this year for Pride were some specialised lollipops made in the shapes of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Darwin Fish.  We still have some left so if you are interested in buying a few we will have them at the Summer Solstice Party next weekend and at roundtable events after that.

The FSM is $4 and the Darwin Fish is $3.   We have checked the candy melt wrapper and can find no best before date, so assume these will be okay over the next 6 months or so as long as they are stored in a cool dry place.   Please be advised that even though they do not contain nuts, the company that makes the candy melt ingredients does have nuts in other areas of their warehouse.

 Posted by at 1:11 PM
Jun 132013
 

photo by Rodrigo de la Jara

What a wonderful turn out for the Pride Parade on June 8th, we sure had plenty of colour and even the Flying Spaghetti Monster was all dressed up and ready for the festivities!   The FSM could also be seen dancing along to Frankie Goes To Hollywood at one point.  The crowd loved him!

Thanks to everyone that helped prepare for pride (a special thank you to Julie – one of our directors – for all her prepping and organizing), those of you that came out to march with us, and those of you that helped work at the booth after the parade was completed.  Thanks also to the representatives of the other related groups in the city; the University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics, Greater Edmonton Skeptic Society and Grant MacEwan Heathens and Friends, who came to march with us.

This year saw it’s largest turn out, with more floats and walking entries than ever before.  About 30,000 people came to watch the parade, making it one of the most popular parades of the summer.   It’s a great place for the Society to show it’s support for the LGBTTQ community while also raising awareness of our own organisation.

More pictures of the parade can be seen on our facebook page.

photo by Rodrigo de la Jara

We had a new attraction at the booth for the people passing by, ”The Statistical Wheel Of Probability”,  and it was a huge hit.  People could spin the wheel for a chance to win some candy,  a Hug from an Atheist,  get out of hell free, as well as money off merchandise if they were interested.   One of the other favourite things to win was a ”blessing” from the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

”May your meatballs always be saucy,

May your noodles never get sticky,

May your macaroni always be cheesy.

R’amen”

Based on how much candy was given away we had approximately 400 people pass through our booth.   Quite a few chatted with us and even more admitted their atheism in front of their friends when they landed on ”Hug an Atheist”.  It was a great conversation starter.

What a fantastic fun filled day, I can’t wait for next year!

photo by Rodrigo de la Jara

 

 Posted by at 1:19 PM
Jun 072013
 

Director Luke Fevin with John W. Loftus

We hope a few of you managed to make it out to the God or Godless debate at the Greenfield Baptist Church in Edmonton on Wednesday night.  The debate spanned three evenings, starting off in Calgary, then to Red Deer before heading up to us in Edmonton.   The event here was quite well attended with approximately 300 people in the church.   Randal Rauser and John W Loftus presented their arguments, Randall arguing for God and John arguing a lack of evidence to conclude belief, then there was a conversational section of the evening followed by Q and A’s.   Rauser and Loftus have written a book together by the same title as the topic for the evening, which as I understand, goes through 20 topics in which they both weigh in with their respective views.   The book can be found on Amazon.

John W Loftus is a former Christian Minister who studied under William Lane Craig at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  He has degrees in philosophy, philosophy of religion, theology, and a PhD in ethics.    Loftus updated his blog Debunking Christianity after the event and we thank him for the mention.   He lives in Indiana, and has written numerous books on religion/atheism and why he is now an atheist.

Randal Rauser lives here in Edmonton, and is the associate professor at the Taylor Seminary.  He too has authored numerous books, and also has a blog.   Randal has been out to speak to the S.E.A. previously, although sadly I was not part of the group at that time.  I do hear it was an interesting and well received evening.

Overall, many of the arguments were all things we’ve heard before from the religious side.   Quite deist in their leanings, the arguments included the ever popular argument of moral objectivity, mathematics and natural laws proving a designer, and transcendent love being proof of a higher power.     Obviously these arguments could be used to prove any of the thousands of gods throughout our history.   At the end of the evening after a conversation with a Christian in the room who asked me to ”keep seeking for god” I was left with one main question from the presented arguments and the discussions that happened afterwards.

”Which god?”

~Karen Kerr

 Posted by at 1:27 PM
Jun 042013
 

WHY WOULD ATHEISTS MARCH IN THE PRIDE PARADE?

Firstly, to show our support!  We also believe that atheists face many similar stigmas to those that the LGBTTQ communities have worked hard to change.  Allowing people the chance to interact with real, live atheists is one small step to making things better. As well, it’s the type of venue that already has many atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers who may not have known we existed.

Come march with us, or visit us at our booth in Churchill Square after the event.  There’s also a chance to get your picture taken with the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who will be all dressed up especially for this fun occasion!

Edmonton Pride Parade site with information on the rest of the day HERE

 Posted by at 10:06 AM