Dear Freethinkers,

 

After serious consideration, the Board of Directors of CFI Canada made the decision early last week to relieve National Director Michael Payton of his duties.  A management team is in place and the search for a new National Director is under way. If you have specific questions, please contact info@cficanada.ca

 

Michael played an integral role in the transition of CFI Canada over the past year. We appreciate his dedication to the principles of CFI Canada and wish him well in his future endeavours.

 

CFI Canada will be launching its new website shortly and its Vancouver ad campaign this summer. Look for the opening of new and revitalized branches during the coming year.

 

Board of Directors

Centre for Inquiry, Canada

Before and after the announcement, people weighed in with comments for and against the Board’s decision. The Centre for Inquiry Canada promotes and advances reason, science, secularism and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavour. So let’s be sceptical; let’s exercise our right as freethinkers and our freedom of inquiry to examine this issue.

The Board has a duty to do what is best for CFI even if it means making unpopular decisions; however, the Board of Directors fired Michael Payton “without cause,” which allowed Michael to leave with severance, references, and in good terms. The announcement shows that the board feels no animosity toward Michael Payton.

Some people are panicking, but there is no reason to panic. CFI is not rudderless.

The members CFI Board of Directors were elected by acclimation by CFI associate members at the CFI Annual General Meeting on June 15.

CFI has branches all over Canada dedicated to skeptical, secular, rational, and humanistic enquiry through conferences, symposia, lectures, and published works and to creating communities where like-minded individuals can meet and share their experiences.

CFI Ottawa put on a fun and informative conference at the end of November, 2012 entitled Eschaton: Celebrating Reason at the End of the World. The world did not end, but people made new friens, revitalized old friendships, heard great lectures and ate great food. Details can be found on Canadian Atheist using the search term Eschaton.

In May, CFI celebrated the Victoria Day long weekend in Kamloops at Imagine No Religion 3, hosted by the Kamloops Centre for Inquiry. Details can be found on Canadian Atheist using the search term INR3.

Early this year, CFI Okanagan formed the Kelowna Secular Sobriety Group and reached its fundraising goal 50 days ahead of schedule, raising $1,040 to pay the rent for the KSSG for one year.

As you can see, CFI has dedicated branches, branch leaders, volunteers and supporters. So let’s be reasonable and rational; let’s look back at CFI’s success and look forward to the great things to come.

Watch for the launch of CFI’s new website and its Vancouver ad campaign. Support CFI with a new or renewed membership, a donation, and your volunteer hours.

trust

Many thanks to this week’s guest script writer, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. And a big hello to all J&M’s Danish readers.

Please join the CFI at www.cficanada.ca/support for access to all our exciting programs.

The video of this exciting event was filmed by Think Again TV!

But Turkey is arguably one of those good countries, that shit like this should not be happening in. Maybe I’m hopelessly lost in my own privilege…. but damn this shit can ruin a buzz.

If you are so inclined, THIS. Support Turkish Secularism and Freedom.

Only… no. How are there still even people claiming this crap? No matter how long you make each Genesis “day” – even if you allow days to be “eras” of differing lengths – the Genesis myth still won’t match the scientific facts because the events are out of order. Genesis has insects created after birds, fruit trees before any animals, plants before the Moon and the Earth itself before the Sun, among other things. I must have heard every iteration of this theory there is, with all the wacky rationalizations (“Oh, the reason the Sun came after the Earth is because Genesis was written from the point of view of Israel, and when the Earth was first created there was a lot of dust in the atmosphere so you couldn’t see the Sun!” Then how did the fucking fruit trees grow, dipshit?), and I’ve never heard one that didn’t have more holes in it than… well, apparently than Daniel Friedmann’s head, it seems.

PZ Myers, being not only a rational person but a responsible scientist, actually tries Friedmann’s calculation, and the numbers he gets are absurd.

The reason this nut is causing a buzz in the atheist blogosphere now is that Friedmann has managed to get a place on the stage at Moses Znaimers’ (of CityTV and MuchMusic fame) ideacity Conference. ideacity has always been a mixed bag of quality. They’ve had Dawkins and Harris in the past, and this year they have several exciting speakers who will deliver talks on topics like robotics, 3D printing and “Earthship“-like sustainable development. But then they’ve also had Deepak Chopra, psychic Colette Baron-Reid, and Margaret Somerville making the daffy claim that “spirituality is to ethics as oxygen is to breathing”, which I suppose is true in the sense that too much of it is poisonous.

So having a presenter like Friedmann isn’t really a shock (beyond the shock that anyone is listening to that nonsense at all). At least we get some entertainment out of it though. For example, the ideacity presenter grid has Friedmann listed as “Physicist, Bible Decoder“. That’s actually kind of awesome. It kinda makes me want to write a whole series on people who describe themselves “[Real profession], Bible Decoder”. Like Ace McGunn, “Detective, Bible Decoder”, who, after using modern forensic science to determine that the victim was murdered by the husband because of the affair he was having with the wife, sends the wife off to be stoned for adultery and compensates the husband with 50 sheckels and a goat for his loss.

And then there’s the laughable Toronto Star interview by Antonia Zerbisias, where Friedmann claims that most of what is going on in Genesis is completely explained in science. To her credit, Zerbisias – who otherwise really seemed to be phoning in this interview, no pun intended (to be fair, her beat is really social justice issues; I can’t imagine why an editor put her on this story) – at least stopped at that point and asked: Most? Really? At that point, Friedmann doubles down on the crazy and says: Yes, with three exceptions. Seriously, just three exceptions. Genesis perfectly matches modern science, talking animals, rib-women and all… but for three exceptions. (Which are apparently that science can’t explain a] why the Big Bang happened; b] the soul; and c] the… Cambrian explosion? Whut?)

Now, kids, before you run off and dump all your MDA shares because the CEO, Friedmann, is such a dumbass, bear in mind that he’s not actually the guy doing any of the real thinking in the company. He’s just the CEO (which, really, is often the antithesis of “the guy doing any of the real thinking in the company”). I’ve worked with MD Robotics, and their engineers are uniformly brilliant – and MDA has done phenomenal work as part of the Canadian space program. I’m sure they’ll continue to do great work even while the CEO is staring dumbly at the rockets going up, scratching his head in confusion and mumbling, “fucking magnets?”

However, I suppose this will pretty much cement ideacity’s reputation as TED‘s slow-witted little brother; it’s really kind of embarrassing that it can’t even meet the standards of a TEDx conference anymore. It has me wondering what the hell is wrong with Toronto these days? Maybe Rob Ford is really just the tip of the crack-smoking iceberg.

Anyway, Friedmann’s presentation, along with the rest of ideacity, will be happening this week. I’ll be waiting for the web video to be released – this should be a hoot.

Canadian Tribute to Human Rights
tinyurl.com/m97d3g

In a blogpost today, Leonard Baak, president of OneSchoolSystem.org, ponders the inequalities of

the Ontario school system — where the members of the favoured Catholic sect of the Christian faith are uniquely honoured with rights not only denied to their fellow Ontarians, but that come at a significant cost to them as well.

Baak looks forward to a time when the sentiments expressed on the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument (“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”) become a reality:

Against all logic, public desire, and in defiance of modern human rights norms, Ontario still clings tightly to the legacy of 19th century Catholic-Protestant animosities. You can thank our Members of Provincial Parliament for that — and the selfish vested interests who lobby them tirelessly to preserve their unwarranted, undeserved, and very costly privilege.

Someday soon the high ideals expressed on that monument will reflect what most Ontarians already believe and practice. I am confident of that. Sadly, some aren’t there yet. One can still only dream of what could be and should be when strolling by that beautiful monument and reading the even more beautiful sentiment it expresses. Try to imagine Ontario as such a place — then help us make it happen.

Unfortunately, the petition for One Publicly-Funded School System in Ontario is no longer accepting signatures.  However, we can still make Ontario MPPs aware that moving to one school system for Ontario will show that the Ontario government supports Canada’s commitment to human rights and Ontario’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.

When Hawking and Krauss dismiss philosophy, while at the same time writing books that have a large philosophical component, it makes one wonder, what they are trying to accomplish, and if there isn’t some sort of arrogance in play.

I’m not saying either is a bad person. I like their books, but while their science is top notch, they could both benefit from some basic level philosophy. And I want them very much to benefit… because they are great voices for science otherwise.

As someone with one foot in philosophy and the other in science, it’s a word I’ve run into quite frequently, and one that tends to start arguments.

The Science Delusion would benefit from fewer bad jokes, less sixties nostalgia, more argument and deeper substance – in other words, philosophy. But for that, you can read Thomas Nagel’s compelling, and bestselling, recent attack on neo-Darwinism, Mind and Cosmos. Otherwise, as a lively, accessible polemic against the arrogance of scientism, this will do.

Being able to accept criticism is just as important as being able to dish it out.

tinyurl.com/k55jbu

Michael Ingham received an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the Simon Fraser University convocation ceremony on Friday.

Michael Ingham, Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster, is the first Bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion to authorize the blessing of same-sex unions.

According to Xtra,

It was Ingham’s decision in 2002 to bless same-sex pairings — which began at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Vancouver’s West End — that sparked a rift in the worldwide Anglican Communion on the issue.

Xtra has printed portions of the speech Ingram gave to graduates and guests:

“Religion must work for the equality of women. Religion must uphold the dignity of gay, lesbian and transgendered people. Religions must work together not against each other.”

In his speech, Ingham advised the graduates,

to be leaders in whatever field they choose.

“Be principled and ethical. Be compassionate.”

Ingham is due to retire in August:

“It’s time to hang up my mitre, park the shepherd’s staff, pull the ruffles off my fancy sleeves and go play golf.”

I hope Ingham’s golfing companions will be more supportive than the intolerant author of Anglican Samizdat and his commenters. Michael Ingham is an honourable man who deserves recognition for his own principled and ethical behaviour in the face of vicious criticism from fellow Anglicans.

For now I want to explore a more “buddy up” approach to the discussion of religion as it is concerned with right and wrong:

People who are not 100% fundamanetally religious have made SOME kind of compromise with holy scripture. Either in the generations before them or in their own lives, these people have negotiated with supposedly non-negotiable text. Anyone who is even vaguely moderate has decided to trust in their own knowledge of what is right and wrong and reject the parts of religious texts and folklore that don’t agree. When speaking to someone about this, it is a positive and encouraging fact that one can disagree with religion and be rewarded with personal benefits. For example, if a woman commits adultery, her husband may opt for couples therapy instead of throwing rocks at her head until she dies. There are less dramatic examples such as enjoying some pemeal bacon with breakfast but the point remains the same.

There are many definitions of moderate religiosity and they are motivated by many variables but if a moderate person can see that they have made good decisions for their own lives , in spite of religion, they might notice the light of reason that is already in their minds.

Those struggling to recover from addictions don’t need God to help them find the serenity to accept the things they cannot change, the courage to change the things they can, and the wisdom to know the difference. A self-help program and peer support can help people recover from all types of addiction and addictive behaviors. 

The Kelowna Secular Sobriety Group, founded by Van Hill, a volunteer with the Okanagan branch of the national educational charity, the Centre for Inquiry is the only non-religious alternative to Alcoholics Anonymous in Kelowna.

The group needs a permanent place to meet, so that it can continue its important work, while providing stability and predictability for those working through addiction recovery.

The Unitarian Fellowship has kindly offered the Kelowna Secular Sobriety Group the use of their space at the discounted rate of $20 an evening. The KSSG meets once a week, which means that one year of rent is $1040.

A donation from you will go toward helping the Kelowna Secular Sobriety Group to pay one year of rent.

Your contribution will help people who otherwise have no alternative to the highly religious AA.

or go to the Indiegogo campaign site for more information.