Tag Archives: Critical Thinking

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)

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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

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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

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Guest Speaker Chris diCarlo: “We Are All African”

17 Jul

The Saskatoon Freethinkers are excited to announce a special public event.

When: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 6:30 PM
Where: Frances Morrison Public Library
311 – 23rd St. E.
Saskatoon, SK S7K 0J6
975-7558

Dr. Chris diCarlo will give a talk related to his recent Free Inquiry article (PDF) titled We are all African! Can scientific proof of our commonality save us?

His lecture tour We Are All African has been presented across North America and has helped raised awareness of evolutionary theory and funding for the Bracelet of Hope campaign, which is a charity raising money for an HIV awareness program and the Tšepong HIV/Aids clinic in Lesotho, Africa.

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Agenda

6:30 pm Doors Open
7:00 pm Welcome and Lecture followed by questions
9:00 pm Social

We’ll probably continue the discussion at a pub.
No food or drink is allowed in the theatre, but there will be coffee available outside the room.

Free admission (donations appreciated) – Minimum suggested donation: $10
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Short Biography

Ontario’s Best Lecturer 2008 and Canada’s Humanist of the Year 2008, Christopher diCarlo is a Philosopher of Science and Ethics whose interests in cognitive evolution have taken him into the natural and social sciences.

His personal research focuses on how and why humans reason, think, and act the way they do. He is interested in how and why the human brain has evolved to its current state and what cross-cultural and cross-species behaviour can provide insight into universally common modes of reasoning. He is also interested in the application of neuroscience (specifically fMRI work), in an effort to better understand psychoneuroendocrine feedback looping in problem solving.

Dr. diCarlo is a Fellow/Advisor with the Centre for Inquiry Canada. His most recent book (just released by McGraw-Hill Ryerson) is entitled How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Practical Guide to Thinking Critically.

He is also a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University in the Department of Anthropology and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology where he conducted research for two books he is currently writing called The Comparative Brain: The Evolution of Human Reasoning and The Evolution of Religion: Why Many Need to Believe in Deities, Demons, and the Unseen.

As an outspoken activist for freethought, humanism, and secularism, Dr diCarlo supports and is a life member of the Humanist Association of Canada and the Society of Ontario Freethinkers. He is also a board advisor to Freethought TV, an annual workshop presenter at Camp Quest Ontario, and has given many enlightening talks at numerous humanist events across the country. He was also the first Atheist invited to speak at the annual World Religions Conference in Kitchener, Ontario.

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There is an article about diCarlo and the controversy this topic caused in Humanist Perspectives.

If anyone would like to donate to this event, you can do that in person at our meetup on July 18 and you can also send mail to

Saskatoon Freethinkers
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

This is a bit short notice, but was a great opportunity because Chris is driving through Saskatchewan on a lecture tour. We hope everyone will try to attend and support this event. Tell your friends and help us get the word out!

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.

RSVP to this event on Facebook or on our Meetup site at http://www.meetup.com/Saskatoon-Freethinkers/calendar/14127550/.

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