Minnesota Atheists December Newsletter

Nominations for the Minnesota Atheists board of directors will occur at our January 18, 2009 meeting at the Roseville Library and elections will be held at our February 15, 2009 meeting. Nominations will open and close at the January 18 meeting. We will publish and mail candidates' statements prior to the February 15 meeting elections.

There are nine positions to fill, elected in the following order: President, Associate President, Chair, Associate Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and three Directors-at-Large. Our bylaws provide that anyone who runs for one position and loses may run again for any other position that has not yet been elected.

Some incumbents will be running for reelection but there will also be some vacant seats. All terms are for one year. Now is your chance to step forward and help guide Minnesota Atheists!

For more information, contact the editorial staff at editor@mnatheists.org.  Read More

by Robin Anderson

Many of us undoubtedly celebrated the winnings of certain candidates on Election Day. It was a long time coming.

But, come morning, a cold slap of reality came with the new day. In three states, voters approved constitutional amendments banning same sex marriage. And one of them, Proposition 8, approved in California, stripped same-sex couples of the rights granted them judicially.

Voters decided not only to strip these couples of their rights, but by enshrining this discrimination into their constitution, sent a message to gay and lesbian people in California and the country:  You are not full citizens.  We don't respect your lives or your loves.  In other words, these people threw lesbians and gays under the bus.  "To hell with you," this vote said, "we don't care."

What really stings about this loss was the fact that it was primarily religious and racial minorities-who should have had empathy with a fellow, discriminated-against minority-who were primarily responsible for this defeat.

The major donor in the campaign to strip gay and lesbian people of their rights was, of course, a church; in this case, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The Mormons spent, by some accounts, 20 million dollars to get this amendment passed.  How ironic that a minority, who had experienced religious persecution, and are still victims of it, used their financial clout to inflict discrimination on another.

And whom did they woo in their quest to legislate discrimination? Read More

Christ, You Know It Ain't Easy

Churches Have No Role In Making Policy

by Eric Jayne
 
It's sadly ironic that the same election that gave America its first black president is the same election that denied equal treatment for gays and lesbians in three states. A Nov. 16 Star Tribune article mentioned that representatives from "Join the Impact," who organized several rallies across the United States, including one in Minneapolis, asked protesters to refrain from targeting faith groups that supported the marriage ban.

But it seems to me that that's exactly who should be targeted. It's shameful, but not surprising, that churches and faith groups continue to use their influence and money for efforts that deny civil liberties and equal treatment for certain minority groups. Progress and religion have been incompatible throughout history, and it's not healthy for our naturally progressive democracy to be so easily influenced by religions that follow archaic dogma.  Read More

MN Atheists Run With Santas

by Bjorn Watland

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 6th, five atheists braved chilly temperatures and blustery winds to participate in the 3rd Annual Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid.  Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance, a secular organization providing legal aid to low income and disabled Minnesotans, received over $600 in donations collected by five proud members of Minnesota Atheists: Jack Caravela, Bonnie Marsick, Vanita Mishra, Bjorn Watland and Jeannette Watland.

The atheists stood out of the pack of people dressed as Santa and others dressed as dreidels by donning lab coats and protective goggles.  The back of the lab coats had the Minnesota Atheists name, logo, and slogan, "Positive Atheism In Action!"  Only positive comments were made about the group's involvement and one Santa expressed interest in running with our group next year.  Because of the success of this year's event, Minnesota Atheists may make a tradition of participating in the Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid in the future. Read More

Transposed Christmas

by James Zimmerman


'Tis the season again.  Atheists, free thinkers, and other assorted non-Christians purposely sit out the most over-blown religious holiday of the year.  Some are passionate in their non-participation; others simply watch the procession from the sidelines.  While some have pointed out the incongruity of an ostensibly secular government proclaiming Christ's birth a national holiday, others have countered that such observations constitute a war on Christmas.  When we consider the drain on the environment and checkbook that is Christmas, coupled with the overt religious themes, it's easy to see how those who reject the Christian god likewise reject his followers' biggest party.

In this way, I am an anomaly.  I grew up in a devoutly religious household.  We believed in Jesus.  Yet, we never celebrated Christmas.  That Christian version of Hanukkah was just another day.  My sister and I did get to stay home from school, and my parents had the day off of work, but this was not our choice.  If Christmas fell on a Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday, we participated in our routine religious meetings, like we did every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  If Christmas arrived on a Saturday, we did what we did every Saturday: we went dashing through the snow and knocked on doors passing out bible literature.  When I became an adult, the day became convenient for catching a movie or getting together with friends who, like me, had the day off from work and nothing to do.  Read More

Sunsara Taylor Presents, "Away With All Gods"

by Bjorn Watland

On a crisp November evening at the University of Minnesota, a surprisingly large crowd gathered in a basement auditorium to hear from Sunsara Taylor, an unapologetic Revolutionary Communist and militant atheist.  Hearing the views of a communist isn't as shocking as it may be in other arenas of the public; however, it isn't often that a communist will admit that they're also an atheist.  Taylor is not ashamed of either her Revolutionary Communism, or her atheism, as she presented Bob Avakian's book, Away With All Gods.

Taylor's presentation began with a description of the horrors that await readers of the bible.  "I wouldn't give this book to young children to read," Taylor said.  She called the bible, "the most blood-thirsty book," mentioning specifics such as the practice of stoning women who were not virgins on their wedding night; God commanding soldiers to kill children, men, and women who have known a man, but to leave the virgins for themselves; and the series of plagues sent by God.

Taylor claimed that the New and Old Testaments can not be separated from each other, as some more progressive Christians try to do.  Jesus is often separated from the horrors of the Old Testament, however, by what basis would you consider Jesus to the divine without fulfillment of the prophecies found within the Old Testament?  "Jesus is not someone you would want to follow or should follow," Taylor exclaimed.  "He didn't end slavery; instead he taught how slaves should be obedient to their masters.  He didn't stop patriarchy.  He continued to preach that disease and illness are caused by sin."  Read More