November 20: Satan and Christianity: Local writer James Brayshaw

8 Nov

Sunday, November 20, 2011, 11:30 AM

Venice House, 906 Central Avenue, Saskatoon, SK (map), “in the side room”

What is a satan? If you were one of the writers of the Bible or one of the earliest hearers, you would know what a satan is. Whenever this word is used in the Hebrew language of the Scriptures, it does not refer to a literal personal devil. The word is sawtawn and it is not meant to be a name.

Finding out what a satan is in the Old Testament is the only way to know what satan is in the New. Don’t be fooled by centuries of misinformed theologians. All we have to do is find out the meaning of the word that became a name for a mythical being of evil and destruction. There is no Satan and learning the true meaning of the word is just one more step in revealing the truth about religion’s devilish lie.

(From Brayshaw’s Vimeo site)

James R. Brayshaw spent years studying, teaching, and writing about the religion he was raised in. His research about the origin of Satan has brought him to become an authority on the subject. He lives in Western Canada with his wife and two sons. James has worked to extinguish the fire of hell and Satan with the tenacity needed to fight a three alarm blaze.

His passion for research and pursuit to understand why we believe what we believe, has led to this revealing and informed work on the non-existence of a cosmic Satan. Brayshaw finds answers that make sense to questions about religious beliefs. James R. Brayshaw has journeyed through Pentecostal Christianity where, after serving as a leader for 11 years, he was eventually asked to leave for questioning the status quo of traditional teaching. This once charismatic Christian has found freedom from Christianity’s most notorious demon by taking the traditional teachings of religion to the grindstone of sound research.

James presents the concept that Satan is not a creation of God but is a fabrication of man. His work shows how history and the Bible support this view. This engaging author and teacher will move you to find answers to the difficult questions of religion. Or at the very least, encourage you to begin asking questions of your own. Brayshaw’s belief is that everyone can find the truth about Satan and Hell if they honestly investigate their beliefs and search for answers. There are few authors who take the time to unravel the most convoluted teachings of religion with the clarity and commitment Brayshaw does. James can be heard on the “Imagine There’s No Satan” radio show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jrbrayshaw.

(From Brayshaw’s Imagine No Satan site)

Tags: , , , , ,

October 16: Know your Rights! Constitutional Lawyer Dhugal Whitbread

10 Oct

This Sunday meet up will headline a talk by Dhugal Whitbread, a constitutional lawyer, on topics pertaining to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He will be giving us a brief history of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as a discussion of the Canadian version of Church-State separation, which has its basis in an old court case from Quebec.

Dhugal is also prepared to answer your questions so bring them on!

Things to Look At:

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

CBC’s Know Your Rights radio program

CBC TV The Constitution and Charter re-evaluated (audio only)

Tags: , , , ,

September 18: Leaving Mormonism

28 Aug

We will have a local student, Dustin Patzer, as our guest speaker.  Dustin will discuss his journey out of Mormonism and answer our questions.  For a preview, check out I am an ex Mormon.  Dustin served as a missionary before leaving the church.

The Mormon Church is formally called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS Church for short.

Brian Dalton of Mr. Deity fame, is also an ex-Mormon and he uses the term ”Formon” = former Mormon.

Note: Attendees start gathering and visiting at 11:30 am. We begin the formal meeting (announcements then the presentation/discussion) at about 12:00 pm (after meal orders have been taken). You are not required to order any food or drink. If you do order something, please remember to tip the waitress because they have a lot to keep track of with our group and they work around our table arrangements and presentation equipment.  Also, we use the large side room at Venice House for free and they have been quite accommodating. We bring a sample of our library to the regular meetings and you are welcome to borrow something. If you have any specific requests, please contact our Secretary, Selene. We also take donations at every meeting and sometimes have items for purchase.

Tags: , , , ,

September 26: James Randi! – Guest Speaker

8 Aug

Monday, September 26, 2011, 7:00 PM

The Roxy Theatre

320 20th St West , Saskatoon, SK (map)

Main Theatre
James Randi is coming to Saskatoon!  This is a great event to attend with your family and friends to attend – whatever their beliefs.  We are looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the event with greeting, set up, and clean up. Let us know if you are willing to lend a hand.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or become a Friend of the Centre today (more information below).

James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world’s most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

Randi has pursued “psychic” spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investigated homeopathic water “with a memory,” and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool over the public’s eyes in the name of the supernatural.

He is the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. His lectures and television appearances have delighted — and vexed — audiences around the world.

Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) with a mission is to promote critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural ideas so widespread in our society today. The JREF offers a still-unclaimed million-dollar reward for anyone who can produce evidence of paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. Through scholarships, workshops, and innovative resources for educators, the JREF works to inspire this investigative spirit in a new generation of critical thinkers.

Agenda
7:00 pm Welcome and presentation
9:00 pm Social (Location TBD)

Advanced Tickets (Ticket prices will increase by $5 at the door)
General Admission: $20
CFI Friends of the Centre: $10
Students: $10

Purchase your tickets online through Eventbrite at http://randi-saskatoon.eventbrite.com/.  Tickets will also be available at the door for an extra $5  if they are not sold out.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or join as a Friend of the Centre.  Tickets for Randi are discounted for CFI Friends, so join today!

CFI is a nationally registered educational charity and all donations over $10 are eligible for a tax receipt.  CFI recently launched the Next Big Step Challenge – if we can raise enough money by Sept 30, a major donor has promised $200,000 to help fulfill the vision of CFI homes for reason, skepticism and freethought in key cities across Canada.

When donating online, you can add a comment that you would like the funds to remain in Saskatchewan, if you wish.  You can also join or donate in person at one of our events and you can send cheques to:

Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

Tags: , , , , ,

August 26: How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass (Guest Speaker: Chris DiCarlo)

4 Aug

Friday, August 26, 2011, 6:00 PM

Rusty Macdonald Branch Library – Auditorium

225 Primrose Drive, Saskatoon, SK (map)

Go in the main doors. The auditorium door is ahead and to the right.

Mark your calendars and tell your friends!  We hope everyone will try to attend and support this event.  We are also looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the event with greeting, set up, and clean up. Let us know if you are willing to lend a hand.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or become a Friend of the Centre today (more information below).

Chris DiCarlo will be reading from and speaking on his new book, How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Critical Thinker’s Guide to asking the Right Questions .

A really good pain in the ass is someone who is empowered with the ability to spot faulty reasoning and, by asking the right sorts of questions, hold people accountable not only for what they believe but how they behave.

This book revolves around asking and answering five very important questions. They are so important, they are called the Big Five:

  1. What can I know?
  2. Why am I here?
  3. What am I?
  4. How should I behave?
  5. What is to come of me?

Chris was in Saskatoon last August for the We Are All African! Can scientific proof of our commonality save us? event.  He is a great public speaker and the event was very well received.

Agenda
6:00 pm Doors Open
6:15 pm Welcome and presentation followed by questions
8:30 pm Meet & Greet Social (Location TBD)

About DiCarlo (see also  DiCarlo’s website)
Voted TV Ontario’s Big Ideas Best Lecturer and Canadian Humanist of the Year by Humanist Canada in 2008, Dr. DiCarlo presents highly insightful and lively discussions. He is a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Here, he conducted research for two books he is currently writing titled: The Comparative Brain: The Evolution of Human Reasoning and The Evolution of Religion: Why Many Need to Believe in Deities, Demons, and the Unseen. He has been invited to speak at numerous national and international conferences and has written many scholarly papers ranging from bioethics to cognitive evolution.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or join as a Friend of the Centre.  We are planning a lunch with DiCarlo for CFI Friends, so join today!

CFI is a nationally registered educational charity and all donations over $10 are eligible for a tax receipt.  CFI recently launched the Next Big Step Challenge – if we can raise enough money by Sept 30, a major donor has promised $200,000 to help fulfill the vision of CFI homes for reason, skepticism and freethought in key cities across Canada.

When donating online, you can add a comment that you would like the funds to remain in Saskatchewan, if you wish.  You can also join or donate in person at our meetup on August 14 and you can send cheques to:

Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

Tags: , , , , ,

July 17: Freethought Discussion

10 Jul

Location: Venice House, 906 Central Avenue Saskatoon, SK (side room)

Time: 11:30AM until whenever

In July, we will have another informal type of Meetup. This will allow people to socialize more in a casual atmosphere.  Attendees will be choosing the topics and discussing them in small groups.  We’ll use the Open Space Technology format.

We’ll check in at the end to see how members like this format and what interesting things everyone discussed.

Note: Attendees start gathering and visiting at 11:30 am.  We begin the formal meeting (announcements then the presentation/discussion) at about 12:00 pm (after meal orders have been taken).  You are not required to order any food or drink.  If you do order something, remember to tip the waitress because they have a lot to keep track of with our group.  Also, we use the large side room at Venice House for free and they have been quite accommodating.  We bring a sample of our library to the regular meetings and you are welcome to borrow something.  If you have any specific requests, please contact our Secretary, Selene.  We also take donations at every meeting and sometimes have items for purchase.

Tags:

June 19: Confessions of a Christian Feminist: Women and the Church in the Post-Enlightenment

9 Jun

 

Sunday, June 19, 2011, 11:30 AM

Venice House, 906 Central Avenue Saskatoon, SK 

Women’s roles in organized religion have always evoked lively debate. As a feminist scholar within Christianity, Sandra Beardsall will note the diverse reactions to “Enlightenment,” which positioned women in diverse and conflicting ways in church life and leadership, and suggest avenues for conversation for secularists and religionists in post-modernity.

Sandra is the first religious speaker we have invited to one of our meetings.  Hopefully members will appreciate this opportunity to speak with someone of faith.

Here are links to a few things written by Sandra or quoting her:

Article in Canadian Women Studies “I Love to Tell the Story”

The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan entry for the “United Church of Canada”

National Post Article “United they fall”

Biography

Sandra Beardsall is Professor of Church History and Ecumenics at St. Andrew’s College, Saskatoon. Originally from Ontario, she served as an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada with congregations in Labrador and eastern Ontario , before moving to Saskatoon to teach. She participates in research and writing related to Christian history and to interchurch/interfaith dialogue.

Tags: , , , ,

May 22: Post-Rapture Party!

11 May
Sunday, May 22, 2011, 5:00 PM

Winston’s English Pub & Grill

243 21st Street East Saskatoon, SK

As I am sure you all know, the world is coming to an end, starting with the Rapture and great earthquake on May 21, 2011. Thus, a party for all the unsaved who are left behind is in order… come on out and have some fun!

Tags: ,

May 15: Moderate Believers / Militant Atheists: Accommodation vs. Confrontation

4 May

Sunday, May 15, 2011, 11:30 AM, Venice House

906 Central Avenue Saskatoon, SK

“Vocal atheists are accused of driving away moderate believers. But what exactly is a militant atheist? What is a moderate believer and what could be gained by not ‘driving them away’? The debate over accommodation vs. confrontation rages on.”

Here are some links to thought-provoking discussions of this theme (and related):

Tags: , ,

May 5: International Day of Reason

1 May

Canadian Blood Services

325 20TH STREET EAST Saskatoon, SK

May 5, 5:30 PM

“Donating blood has a tangible effect – it can save lives. This is in contrast to prayer, which has no effect beyond placebo.”

The International Day of Reason is used to inject reason and rational thought into actions and behaviours. It was started as a National Day of Reason in response to the US National Day of Prayer. Rather than praying (which has been shown to have no effect in all properly designed studies i.e. double blind placebo studies), we will do something that has a measurably positive effect: saving lives. To do our part, we will be having a group blood donation through Canadian Blood Services. We will meet at the downtown blood clinic starting at 5:30pm (and appointments continuing for about an hour). For those who can’t make it at that time, please book an appointment that will work for your schedule any time that day or within a week of it and let us know to count it in this blood drive. We encourage everyone eligible to donate every 56 days.

The Saskatoon Freethinkers is a Partner for Life (partner ID number: SASK010719), which means we’ve committed to donating a minimum number of units of blood. Most of the donations will occur separately, but we’re doing this one as a group donation, which will hopefully prompt some of our members to become regular donors. You will only be counted as a member of our group if you register online or at the clinic with our partner ID (SASK010719). If you are already a member with another partner you can have just this one donation count toward our group by providing the number at the clinic. To preregister as part of our freethinkers partner group online, go to the Partners for Life section of the website.

Need another reason to donate? 

To watch a Canadian Blood Services video ad, click here. Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. The good news is that one blood donation – in just one hour – can save up to three lives.

New donors can sign up at the clinic before their first donation. The website is very informative and you can also call 1-888-236-6283 (24 hours) to speak with a nurse if you have any questions you would like answered before May 6th. If you have not donated before or for a while, you should read the information about eligibility on the website. Some of the rules have changed, so please don’t assume you are ineligible. For example, visits to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico do not automatically reduce eligibility. At the clinic, you will be asked to privately answer a number of personal and health related questions to ensure your blood is safe (risk-based) – all of this remains confidential. For those who are certain that you cannot donate blood, you can ask a friend or family member to donate in your name.

Be sure to eat regular meals that day and at least a snack before you donate. After you donate, there will be pizza at the clinic (for all donors) and then those interested can find a place for coffee. Important: alcohol and intense physical activity are not advisable on the day of your donation. We need accurate numbers, so please RSVP as soon as possible and let us know if something changes.

Please join us in saving lives!

Tags: ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.