Idolizing Reason – 3 month Anniversary!

Today I got an automated email from meetup.com reminding me that the three month anniversary of our first meetup was coming up. Wow, that time sure went by fast! Many things have happened in the three short months of our existence, so I thought it would be good to write a blog to summarize all of the exciting things going on with Idolizing Reason.

IR exists on a few different levels. First, there's the meetup group which was founded with the idea of promoting positive, constructive atheism here in Lane County, Oregon. So far it's been a somewhat loose format group where people come to hang out for some good food and conversation with others that are like-minded. In a way, it's kind of like a support group where people can find acceptance. We've been meeting a couple of times a month and we're already experiencing growing pains as we experiment with meeting format, venues, and a growing membership. More on that in just a bit.

Then, there's the Internet which affords us the ability to connect with people all over the world as well as locally. Because it's a low cost way to promote the group, Idolizing Reason has a presence on popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter as well as the Meetup.com page and even our own site at idolizingreason.org. We also advertise the group via Craigslist and the online version of the Eugene Weekly.

Lastly, we're also in the planning stages of a local cable television show that will air weekly for half an hour. About eight people from the meetup group along with some of our new Internet friends are teaming up to produce a show that will focus on the same goals mentioned above. Each show will also be available to watch online from our web-site.

Many themes have developed along the way as we've been talking to people. One recurring theme has been the identity crisis that faces those of us that do not believe in a god. The word “atheist” by definition means “a belief in no god or gods” but as you'll notice, that too is a belief. Atheism (depending on a persons own definition) may appear to be a closed-minded viewpoint. Many people in our group would likely say that while they don't believe in a god, we can't know for certain whether there's a god or not. Some might call that agnosticism. Still yet, many people don't want to be categorized at all. After all, we don't believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn either, so should we start a group for that as well?

The type of people that will want to be a part of Idolizing Reason are people who are open-minded and willing to explore their beliefs (or their lack of them.) We hope to attract rational thinkers who embrace a scientific approach to thinking coupled with logic and reason to help evolve our own understanding of the universe. It's not just how we approach the subject of the existence of god- there are hosts of other thought provoking subjects to explore in the sciences and cosmos where idolizing reason becomes paramount. In this regard, our group is already evolving as we broaden the scope in which we use to describe ourselves.

In the weeks ahead, watch for announcements regarding some changes and additional meetup times. We're hoping to reserve a room over at the EWEB building for some of our meetings. For those that enjoy a less formalized approach with Pizza and Beer, fear not because we'll continue to have at least one meetup a month at the pizza parlor. Also in the works are exciting presentations and slideshows by various members of the group and also regular meetups for the TV show. By offering some variety to the mix, everyone should be able to find something they like at Idolizing Reason.

17 Kinds of Atheism

‘Atheism’ is a much simpler concept than ‘Christianity’ or ‘Hinduism’, but the word atheism is still used in a wide variety of ways.  This can cause confusion. Someone may announce that she is an atheist, and her listeners may assume she is one type of atheist, when really she is a different type of atheist. So to clear things up, here are 17 kinds of atheism, organized into 7 sets.   (read full article)

IR's note :  This is a short simple article that does a good job explaining the different types of atheists.  It's easy to assume that all atheists believe and behave in exactly the same way, but this isn't the case.  For example, most people automatically assume that atheists believe in evolution.  And while it is true that most of them probably do, there are some that do not.  So one does not equate to the other exactly.