Slogan winners

After the Thursday social, we had a meeting to select the most appropriate slogans for potential billboard, card, letter box or T-shirt campaigns. Initially we had 116 submissions that a panel of eight reduced to 39. There was discussion of the various slogans and votes were taken to select the most appropriate ones. 26 of the 33 attendees participated in the voting. The three most popular slogans by some margin were:

Faith is believing what you know ain't so - Mark Twain
Have you escaped your religion? We have.
Religion started when the first con man met the first fool - Mark Twain

There was some discussion as to whether "overcome" would be a more appropriate word in the second slogan in place of "escaped". This issue remains to be resolved.

The next most popular one was:
The way to see by Faith, is to shut the eye of Reason - Ben Franklin

Others were a long way behind led by:

Atheism = Reality Mythology is what we call other people’s religion

I am an Atheist, I have a personal relationship with reality The purpose of such Atheist campaigns is multi-faceted. We would like to challenge the religious to think about their beliefs. We would like to challenge those with weak beliefs to seriously consider taking the next step away from religion. We would like also like to make Atheists aware of us and add more members to our own Atheist community. We would like to create controversy, as well as to effect political, media and community discussion questioning religion at a time when so many religions are involved in immoral, questionable behaviour, as well as cold blooded murder. The most expensive campaign would be a billboard, which will require thousands of dollars. If you would like to contribute to these campaigns please make donations to:  Sydney Atheists at BSB 112 879 Account number 439 124 940. To help us identify what the deposit is for, please place a BC for "Billboard Campaign" with your deposit. Unlike religions, unfortunately, to the best of our knowledge, donations are not tax deductible. Thank you.

TIME
It is time to write an objection to Federal funding of the Chaplaincy program. Please write to your Federal and State politicians, ministers for education and government leaders in a carefully worded, constructive and non-derogatory manner. 
Please encourage these politicians to abandon spending on chaplaincy, rather, spending such money on other more worthwhile and non-indoctrinating programs.
Even if all that you do is write to these members and state that you are against money being spent on Chaplaincy, it would be well worthwhile.

To get extra mileage, please also write to the opposition education and leadership groups

Tony Abbott to keep secular workers out of school chaplaincy program

Date

EXCLUSIVE

Tony Abbott argued in cabinet that the government should stand by his policy. Photo: Andrew Meares

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-to-keep-secular-workers-out-of-school-chaplaincy-program-20140827-1091u0.html#ixzz3Bdyz4i4w

Web searches about apocalyptic religions only come from disadvantaged regions

Researchers at the New York Times have found the most socially disadvantaged regions of America spend a lot of time thinking about religion and diets. The hardest places to live in America have the highest unemployment and obesity, and the lowest incomes and life expectancy. An analysis of ten years of Google searches in the regions show that health problems, weight-loss diets, guns, video games and religion are the most searched for topics. David Leonhart notes that the apocalyptic religions are searched for only in these regions:

The dark side of religion is of special interest: Antichrist has the second-highest correlation with the hardest places, and searches containing “hell” and “rapture” also make the top 10.

At the same time, the most well off areas of America show Google searches for jogging, cupcakes, baby strollers and consumer technology, all diversions that healthy, educated and affluent people can afford.

Sociologists have long argued that economic and social disadvantage is one factor that makes people cling to religion. Gregory Paul and Phil Zuckerman argued in 2007 that

Every single 1st world nation that is irreligious shares a set of distinctive attributes. These include handgun control, anti-corporal punishment and anti-bullying policies, rehabilitative rather than punitive incarceration, intensive sex education that emphasizes condom use, reduced socio-economic disparity via tax and welfare systems combined with comprehensive health care, increased leisure time that can be dedicated to family needs and stress reduction, and so forth... Not a single advanced democracy that enjoys benign, progressive socio-economic conditions retains a high level of popular religiosity

Zuckerman found that secular Europeans hardly think about the issue of God, not finding the concept relevant to their contented lives.

Commenting on the latest findings, Zuckerman noted:

I'm not surprised by the findings at all. The trend is very clear: in America, religion is strongest in those parts of the country where people are most likely to be overweight, most likely to be without health insurance, and most likely  to love guns. America's highest homicide rates, obesity rates, and gun ownership rates are the highest in the Bible Belt, where faith in God is the strongest.

The International Telecommunications Union estimates that by the end of 2014, over three billion people will use the internet, changing the way they relate to one another and research information. Zuckerman argues that the internet can potentially increase secularization in many ways:

1. People can look up their religion and suddenly see all kinds of skeptical, debunking, or critiquing there-of, which can affect the surety of their faith,
2. People can easily and readily connect with other people having doubts about their faith, or other budding atheists, or other secular folks, and this social networking can create a sense of support and thus decrease the loneliness and isolation a person might otherwise feel,
3. Use of the internet for research and leisure can may stimulate people's in a way that makes "religion less interesting, less compelling, less attractive; just as TV cut into books/ reading, the internet is yet another technology that may be cutting into and replacing previously popular forms of thought and association"

Further reading:

• Why the Gods are not Winning
• Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus
• Atheism, Secularity, and Well-Being: How the Findings of Social Science Counter Negative Stereotypes and Assumptions
• Why are Danes and Swedes so irreligious?
• Why Americans Hate Atheists
• What Does "Secular" Mean?

Heathen Comedy Show

Rather than a talk for the month of November, Sydney Atheists are proud to present a very special event for those who don't take gods seriously.

Join MC Chris Wainhouse* with his two partners in comedy, Gary Eck* and Mat Wakefield* as they show hilarious irreverence towards theism. 
*For information about our comedians, please go to http://www.meetup.com/sydneyatheists/events/200875652/.

The evening's entertainment will begin at 7.30 and finish at 9.30pm with a fifteen minute interval.

Bookings are essential for this event. Please book by paying into the following Sydney Atheists St George Bank account with your name attached: BSB 112 879 Account number 439 124 940

or alternatively book at Trybooking http://www.trybooking.com/FRBG

Entry is: Adults $25.00, Students and Pensioners $20.00. Please pay for your ticket when you submit your RSVP

Dinner will be available between 6.00pm and 7.30pm with meals starting from $10.00. After the Comedy Show begins no food will be served, so please get there early.

Location: 249 Castlereagh St, Sydney NSW

August Monthly Talk Report
Our guest speaker this August was career ambassador John McCarthy who discussed  "The influence of religion in the affairs of selected countries". John's talk was excellent, well received and enlightening. Sydney Atheists are very grateful for John delivering his talk. 

August Atheist Social Lounge
Our next big meeting will be the Atheist Social Lounge on the 28th of August. At this meeting we will have the usual social interlude from 6.00 until 7.30pm, but then  from 7.30 until about 9.00pm we will have a special open meeting to discuss the most appropriate slogans for potential campaigns. This is a meeting not to be missed.
Please RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/sydneyatheists/events/183652472/

September Talk
Sydney Atheists have some wonderful talent and expertise among our members. The September Talks will feature two of them. Sydney Atheists are proud to present Margaret-Ann Tait and Paula Baha for another very special evening. Our research and clinical psychologists will discuss psychological models of how religious belief is maintained in the face of rational evidence. The first segment will be titled Cognitive Dissonance, whilst the second will look at  Psychoanalytic views on religion. 

Please RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/sydneyatheists/events/179983212/

Dr Andrew Morrison - Sex Abuse and the Catholic Church

Dr Andrew Morrison (RFD) SC, who represented sex abuse survivor John Ellis in court, spoke to Sydney Atheists about the Catholic Church's use of the Ellis defence to avoid paying compensation claims to sex abuse victims.



Dr Morrison is a prominent member of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, and has assisted them in their submission to the Child Abuse Royal Commission, and has appeared in various media outlets such as the AM program. The report of the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry is available on the NSW Premier and Cabinet website.