May 122017
 

Unfortunately, due to a forecast of rain and wind this weekend, we are postponing our highway cleanup originally scheduled May 13th and 14th.  It’s not particularly safe to be out on the grass when it’s slippery and wet.

We will try again for next weekend, May 20th and 21st.

We do have a few people willing to do car pools from Century Park LRT, so if you are in need of a ride in order to help out with this event, drop us a message at info@edmontonatheists.ca and we’ll let the drivers know who to look for.

If you are able to offer rides, please let us know as well.

Thanks, see you all next weekend!

 Posted by at 1:03 PM
Mar 122017
 

TUESDAY, April 4, 2017 will be this year’s SEA Annual General Meeting (AGM), formally starting at 7:00 pm, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy at the U of A, Room ECHA L1-430 (basement).  We will be there from 6:30pm onwards for anyone that requires a membership or needs to renew.

Anyone interested is invited to attend; however, only paying members will be permitted to vote in the general election or on any other business.

If you are at all interested in running for the Board, please take a look at our explanation of the roles and responsibilities for each position, as well as some FAQs about joining the Board. Last year the Executive positions were voted in for two year terms but we will be voting in the four Director positions.  Although the Executive positions are not up for election this year, please bear in mind in order to run for President you have to have served on the board for at least one year (throughout the history of the group), so if you intend on running for this position in the future it is worth thinking about joining the board.    You can email us to let us know that you’d like to run for a Board position (even if you will not be present at the meeting), ask another member to nominate you at the appropriate point during the meeting, or you may also self-nominate at the meeting.

If you would like to see the current bylaws, they can be found on the website, under “About”.  We are planning on updating some of the wording for our bylaws this year, which will have to be voted on to be passed.  Please read the changes in red, on pages 3, 4, and 6: 2017 BYLAW change proposal
If you would like to propose changes for consideration at the AGM, they must be sent to the Board for distribution to the rest of the membership in advance of the meeting.  Please try to have those into us before March 27th.

We hope to have a large turnout as we will also be discussing the direction of the SEA, what types of events you are interested in and fundraising ideas.  As per usual we will head to the pub afterwards for sustenance.   See you there!

Karen
President, SEA

 

 Posted by at 4:07 PM
Feb 102017
 

You are invited to join us for GOD in the MODERN WORLD: A CHRISTIAN-ATHEIST DIALOGUE
Randal Justin
Is there room for God in the modern world? Or is belief in God a relic of the past?

In this discussion, Christian theologian Randal Rauser and Atheist Justin Schieber share very different views about the meaning and relevance of God for the modern age.

This event is part of the “Crucial Conversations Series”, which aims to host uncommon discussion about challenging topics that are friendly, engaging and substantive. We hope you will join us for this free event to hear from our presenters, ask your own questions, and to engage other attendees in respectful dialogue.

This event is co-presented by the E P Wahl Centre, the continuing education ministry of Taylor, along with the Society for Edmonton Atheists. There is no charge to attend, and light refreshments will be offered following the event.

**REGISTRATION REQUIRED**  Reserve your tickets today!
http://www.taylor-edu.ca/events/event-registration/event/59/Christian-Atheist-Dialogue

 Posted by at 9:04 AM
Jan 302017
 

darwin
Please join us on February 12th to celebrate the life and research of Charles Darwin!    This is a Family Friendly event with a few interactive displays and a presentation by Dr. Philip Currie on evolution/dinosaurs.   We will be taking donations to contribute towards Dr. Currie’s ongoing research.

Philip J. Currie, is a Canadian palaeontologist  and museum curator who helped found the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller.  You may also know his name from the newly opened dinosaur museum outside of Grande Prairie.

Currie is an important figure in dinosaur science, and has specialized in fossils from Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park as well as other Cretaceous sites (dating from the latter part of the dinosaur age) around the world. He is particularly interested in the evolution and classification of carnivorous dinosaurs (theropods) and their living descendants, birds. He has painstakingly investigated the skeletal anatomy of many of these, including the recently discovered feathered theropods (Protarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx) of China. The find was considered clear evidence of the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Other research has focused on dinosaur footprints, as well as dinosaur growth and variation, including description of embryonic duck-billed dinosaur bones discovered inside their fossilized crushed eggshells at Devil’s Coulee in southern Alberta.

This is an event you won’t want to miss!

Feb 12th, 2pm-4pm, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy  ROOM  1 – 490 (main floor) .

 Posted by at 10:48 AM
Jul 262016
 

game night

For some reason there seems to be a lot of crossover between atheists/freethinkers/agnostics and geeks (and I mean that in the most loving of ways) so we are trying out a new ”Godless Gamers” event to see what kind of interest there will be.     We already hit up new sci-fi and pop culture movies as a group so this seemed like another event there will be interest in.

Members, Lynne and Paul, have graciously offered their place (and their plethora of board games) for our first event of this kind, please contact us for the address as we will not be posting that publicly.   If you are on facebook you may want to RSVP so we know how many to expect.

Happy Gaming!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1719136631683320/

 Posted by at 12:34 PM
Apr 092016
 

Aron Ra Banner

The Society of Edmonton Atheists are happy to announce that Aron Ra will be spending the evening with us on Tuesday May 3rd.  Held at the University of Alberta, we will be in the Education building in room 129

Aron Ra is one of the “YouTube atheists” and an advocate for rationalism in science classrooms. He grew up in an exclusively creationist environment where he felt like a lonely outcast just for understanding evolution, let alone accepting it. Being raised in a mostly-Mormon family encouraged him to explore other denominations and eventually non-Abrahamic spiritualism before rejecting faith-based beliefs altogether. He was drawn into activism when the Religious Right dominated his state’s Board of Education, and began undermining education in history, health, science, and social studies. His videos often focus on evolution and the evidence indicating an interrelated tree of life. His series summarizing the ‘Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism’ and his subsequent series, ‘Falsifying Phylogeny’ (including the Phylogeny Challenge’) have been mirrored, featured, referenced, and recommended by many professional scientists, secularists, and educators, and has attracted more than 100,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER8cq1JO3Y8.

TICKETS available now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-aron-ra-tickets-24247307349
(Aron incurs some costs, venue hire, flight, hotel and food, so the SEA would appreciate a $20 donation as ticket price. If you can’t afford this price please contact president@edmontonatheists.ca to discuss.)
**You may also donate towards a ticket at a SEA event via one of the board members.  Valid email address required. **

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UPDATE

We have added a special VIP dinner event on May 2nd.  Event details can be found here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pastafarian-night-with-aron-ra-sea-members-only-tickets-24247451781

 Posted by at 10:49 PM
Jan 092016
 

We were very excited to hear that the Edmonton Public Library are hosting Sir Salman Rushdie for an event in Edmonton on February 25th.   The information from the epl website is as follows:

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”To celebrate Freedom to Read Week, EPL will welcome Sir Salman Rushdie as part of the  Forward Thinking Speaker Series on Thursday, February 25th. Sir Salman Rushdie is one of the most celebrated authors of our time. A brilliant provocateur, he’s penned a handful of classic novels, influenced a generation of writers and received a Queen’s Knighthood for his service to literature.

In line with EPL’s new approach to ticketing, seats will go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, January 20th for $10 with all proceeds going to support the Stanley A. Milner Library revitalization project. VIP tickets will also be available for $150 and will include a premium seat and a private hors d’oeuvres reception with Sir Salman Rushdie following his presentation.

WHEN: Thursday, February 25, 2016 – 7pm (Doors open at 6pm)
WHERE: Chateau Lacombe Hotel
TICKETS: $10 for general admission and $150 for VIP ticket which includes a premium seat and a private reception with Sir Salman Rushdie following his presentation. Tickets go on sale  on Wednesday, January 20 at 10am.”

We will be headed to The Hat on Jasper ave afterwards, we do have a small reservation so please reply on the event listing and let us know if you are planning on attending so we can increase the reservation numbers.

 Posted by at 4:03 PM