Iowa Secularists

SAVE THE DATE!

Those that came to the Spring Fling this last weekend were treated to a little inside information for the IS, but the 5th Annual Iowa Secularists Conference will be held Saturday, July 17, 2010 in Des Moines.  A specific location has yet to be finalized, but be sure to reserve the date now on your calendars.  Online registration is now available.

The meeting will consist of a meeting of Associate and Contributing members in the morning, followed by afternoon sessions for the general membership.  The day will conclude with a dinner and a keynote address.

The Iowa Secularists are proud to announce the keynote speaker for the conference will be The Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta!

Hemant Mehta is the Chair of the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) Board of Directors.

He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he graduated with honors in both Mathematics and Biology. While there, he also helped establish their first secular student group, Students WithOut Religious Dogma (SWORD). He is now earning his Masters in Math Education at DePaul University.

He has worked with the Center for Inquiry and is the SSA representative to the Secular Coalition for America. He is also on the board of Foundation Beyond Belief, a charity organization targeting non-theistic donors.

Hemant was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal for his work as the “eBay Atheist” and his book about the experience, I Sold My Soul on eBay (WaterBrook Press), was released in 2007.

Hemant’s blog can be read at FriendlyAtheist.com.

He currently works as a high school Math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago.

Hemant will provide two sessions at the conference – one focusing on the suitability of religion and religious belief in education, and another one about how to build secular student groups and how to interact positively with theists.

The IS looks forward to Hemant joining the conference, and look forward to see you there, also!

Welcome to the website for Iowa Secularists. Working since 2004 to create a community of religion-free Iowans. To learn more about us, please see the About page.

We are proud affiliates of:

The March 2010 newsletter is here!

Contents include:

• Note from the Executive Director, Mike Ireland
• Iowa Secularists Spring Fling!
• “The Truth Project” Shown at Capitol
• Local Group Focus: Corridor A-Team
• Secular Student News
• IS Member at SCA Briefing at White House

On Saturday, March 27, there will be an Iowa Secularists Spring Fling fundraiser at the Drake Municipal Observatory! We will enjoy the observatory, the company of other Iowa Secularists, and view the March 27th sky!

We will begin at 7:30 pm with a light dinner followed by a panel discussion titled “Is There a Conflict Between Science and Religion?” Panel participants include Tim Knepper, professor of philosophy at Drake University; Athanasios Petridis, professor of physics at Drake University; and Michael Thompson, professor of agronomy at Iowa State.  A tour of the observatory and viewing through the observatory telescopes will follow the discussion.

Please note that the telescope must be kept at cool temperatures, so the observation portion of the evening will be as cold as it is outside on March 27th.

For more information on the Observatory, please visit the website here. This website also includes a page with directions to the Observatory which is located at the Waveland Park Golf Course in Des Moines.

Tickets are $25 per person, or $45 per couple. To purchase tickets, please use the PayPal link below or send a check to Iowa Secularists, P.O. Box 883, Iowa City, IA 52244.

Though pre-registration is not required and payment at the door will be accepted, please try to register by March 19th so food may be planned accordingly.

Proceeds from the Spring Fling will go towards supporting local secular groups and secular student groups in Iowa, as well as seeding new groups around the state.  Select the type of ticket you would like to purchase below, and click “Buy Now” to finish the purchase.

Please email sfedler[at]iowasecularists[dot]org with questions!

Type

Single $25.00 Couple $45.00

For more detailed information and to RSVP to Meetup events, click on the regional headings:

Cedar Falls/Waterloo Area

Sunday, March 7, Cedar Falls. Sunday Coffee at Panera, 11:00am.

For a complete list of events or information about the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers, click here: UNIFI.

Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Area

Monday, March 1, North Liberty. Game Night at Adam’s, 6:00pm.

Saturday, March 13, Cedar Rapids. The Astronomy of Star Trek at the Palisades-Dows Observatory, 7:30pm.

Tuesday, March 16, Iowa City. UU Secular Humanist meetup, 7:30pm.

Saturday, March 20, Cedar Rapids. Mr. Bean’s coffee meetup and charity drive #3, 11:00am.

Saturday, March 20, Iowa City. Poker Night, 7:00pm.

Saturday, March 27, Iowa City. Capanna Coffee meetup, 11:00am.

Des Moines Area (to RSVP for IAF events click here)

Sunday, March 7, Des Moines. IAF: Early Meetup and Learning Museum Open House in Stuart, 11:00am.

Thursday, March 18, Des Moines. Coffee at Java Joe’s, 7:00pm.

Monday, March 22, Des Moines. IAF Book Discussion: No God But God, 7:00pm.

Wednesday, March 24, Des Moines. IAF Business Meeting, 6:00pm.

Saturday, March 27, Des Moines. Iowa Secularists Spring Fling at the Drake Observatory, 7:30pm.

For a complete list of events of the ISU Atheist and Agnostic Society, click here: ISU AAS

*More events will be added as they are scheduled.