Welcome to Seattle Atheists!

Seattle Atheists has launched a fundraiser for a new round of bus ads, this time on the outsides! It costs about $500 for each sign, so we need your help! To donate to the campaign, just click the PayPal button below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Mike Gillis
Board Member of Seattle Atheists
P.O. Box 283, Seattle, WA 98111-0283
(206) 826-0770
seattleatheists@seattleatheists.org
www.seattleatheists.org

SEATTLE ATHEISTS CELEBRATE DARWIN DAY

SEATTLE — On Saturday February 6th, Seattle Atheists will join other free-thought groups to celebrate the 201st birthday of Charles Darwin, the brilliant scientist whose revolutionary work became the foundation of modern biology.

Seattle Atheists and our fellow organizations in the Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC) will come to together to celebrate Darwin, science, humanity and in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity.

The event is family-friendly and will include speakers, educational evolution-themed games, activities, and food. The public is encouraged to attend.

WHERE:
Juanita Community Club
13027 100th Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98034

WHEN:
Saturday, Feb. 6, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Seattle Atheists is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving the atheist community in the Seattle area. We strive to promote understanding and respect toward all freethinkers by providing information, creating a sense of fellowship, actively opposing discrimination, and above all, emphasizing reason, critical thinking over supernaturalism, and the separation of church and state.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Mike Gillis, Board Member of Seattle Atheists, (206) 826-0770, seattleatheists@seattleatheists.org

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Amanda Events, Past events Community, Darwin Day, Education, NWFC, Past Events, Press releases, Science and Religion

Editor,

In his Jan. 20 letter to the Tacoma News Tribune, Brad Elken asks of the crisis in Haiti, “Where are the atheists?”

Atheists are precisely where we’ve always been: giving what help we can to people who need it. Countless atheists and free-thought organizations have united under the aegis of Richard Dawkins’ Non-Believers Giving Aid, a multi-organizational drive to raise money for the people affected by the terrible earthquake in Haiti. Together, we’ve already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for two admirable secular organizations: the International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

True to the message of the holiday sign we placed outside of the Capitol building this past year, Seattle Atheists extends its resources and thoughts to those suffering, regardless of creed, belief, or religion. For the past several years, we’ve raised thousands of dollars for Seattle Children’s Hospital, we donated a large sum of money after the 2005 tsunami, we organize a year-round blood drive, and a year-round SeasonLESS Food Drive, which provides food throughout the year — not just during the traditional holiday giving season. We have a project underway now to donate books to our troops overseas with Operation Paperback.

Unlike the religious groups mentioned by Mr. Elken, these organizations do not proselytize or use tragedies as an easy opportunity to convert vulnerable people. Christian organizations are exploiting the situation in Haiti by distributing solar-powered talking Bibles. The Haitian people don’t need bibles — they need clean water, food, and shelter. They need doctors, medicine, engineers, and aid workers to rebuild their country. They do not need faith-based opportunists who are already using the crisis as if it were a fire sale for religious conversion and salesmanship. They don’t need organizations that use charity as a Trojan horse to spreading their beliefs to vulnerable people.

The earthquake in Haiti was a tragedy, not an opportunity. Access to the country is limited right now. Every evangelist getting off the plane takes the place of a doctor. Every Bible is crowding out medical supplies.

Let’s be good for goodness’ sake.

The Board of Seattle Atheists

Seattle Atheists Board News charity, News, Religion

The deadline is approaching, so contact us if you are in need of a scholarship to the conference!

Seattle Atheists is offering four 50% scholarships to the Northwest Freethought Alliance Regional Conference. The cost for the conference is $125, so scholarship recipients will be able to attend the full conference (3 days) for only $62.

To apply for the scholarship, send us a brief essay explaining why would like to attend the conference and what you hope to gain from the experience.

Deadline: Feb. 1st. We will notify recipients by Feb. 15.

Amanda Events, News, Priority, Upcoming events Upcoming events

When: Sunday, 14 February 2010, 2:00 pm

Where: Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA  98155

To RSVP: Please RSVP on Meetup.com

Jerry has selected “Divided by God: America’s Church-State Problem — and What We Should Do About It” by Noah Feldman as the first book that the group will tackle.

“In Divided By God, Noah Feldman examines the unique, fascinating balance the United States has pursued for well over 200 years now — the attempt at democratic government by the people in a country made up of many religions, and many highly religious people. The novel principle enshrined to help make this a success was strong separation of church from state. The strain on the system has never been greater as polarization grows over the many hot-button topics of our day.”

Amanda Events, Upcoming events Book club