Who We Are
Minnesota Atheists is Minnesota's oldest and largest atheist organization. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization that seeks to promote the positive contributions of atheism to society and to maintain separation of state and church. Our bylaws are available here.
Each year we hold eight monthly members meetings with guest speakers (Jan.-May, Sept.-Nov.), three picnics (June-Aug.), and a Winter Solstice banquet (Dec.). We have a full calendar of events, such as dinners, movie nights, game nights, discussion groups, book clubs, a how to debate class and many others. To find out about these events, sign up for A.W.E. - Atheists Weekly E-mail.
We produce a public access cable TV program, "Atheists Talk," and a weekly podcast of the same name.
We offer speakers to the community free of charge. We specialize in presentations to high school and community college comparative religion classes.
The Board
Minnesota Atheists is a democratic organization with elected representatives who serve on a board for a one year term unless reelected. You may click on the board member's email to contact them directly. General inquiries to the board can be sent to
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Associate Chair,
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Treasurer,
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Secretary,
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 George Kane currently serves Minnesota Atheists as the Secretary, Public Relations Officer, Rapporteur of the Public Relations Committee and member of the Newsletter Editorial Advisory Board. He is also an interviewer on Atheist Talk Radio and works on both sides of the camera on the cable program. For nearly a decade he has each Friday sent out Atheist Weekly e-mail to a distribution of hundreds, and he has in the past served as President and Chair.
George came to the atheist conclusion when he was a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1970. At that time he thought that religion was no longer politically important, but he changed his mind with the rise of the religious right in the 1980s. He moved to Minnesota in 1994, and joined Minnesota Atheists a couple of years later.
Director-at-Large,
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The Minnesota Atheist Newsletter
Published nearly every month, The Minnesota Atheist is distributed to our membership and to media to keep people informed of current events, book reviews, and provide topical articles of interest to atheists. Without a dedicated team of editors, writers and publishers, we could not complete a newsletter so often.
Editor,
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James was raised in a Jehovah’s Witness household and was a member of the religion for most of his life. At the urging of ministers in the religion, he undertook an extensive project researching many aspects of the religion’s teachings on God, the bible and science. Needless to say, facing the facts meant leaving the religion. He and his wife abandoned their religion in the summer of 2006. Visit www.watchtowerletters.com to examine some of James’ research.
James now spends his time trying to make up for the years he spent knocking on people’s door and annoying them. He joined Minnesota Atheists in early 2008 where he serves as co-editor for the newsletter and assists with the Atheist Talk television show. He and his pantheistic wife and free-thinking son live in the Twin Cities with their two cats, one of whom is Rastafarian and the other, a born-again Christian.
Members
Grant Steves
Atheism provided me with answers that my theological degree did not. While studying for my doctorate in theology, I came to the realization that the bible lacked authority, a supreme being is nonsense, and that ethical living has evolved.
The greatest dangers religions create are:
1) encourage ignorance of rational and scientific thinking;
2) encourage apathy toward learning because they have the answer;
3) creating an attitude of certainty about their religion;
4) an arrogance that they are better than anyone not having or sharing their knowledge.
Affiliations
Minnesota Atheists is a member society of the Atheist Alliance International, an umbrella organization for independent, local atheist groups. The goal of the Alliance is to help establish strong, democratic, autonomous atheist societies around the world. The Alliance sponsors an annual national convention, publishes the quarterly Secular Nation magazine, and engages in other activities to help make the atheistic viewpoint heard and respected.
Minnesota Atheists is also an affiliate of American Atheists, which holds annual national conventions and publishes the quarterly American Atheist magazine and the monthly, members-only, American Atheists Newsletter.
Minnesota Atheists is also part of the Alliance of Secular Humanist Societies (ASHS), which is connected to the Council for Secular Humanism, publishers of Free Inquiry and Skeptical Inquirer magazines.
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