April 28th Meeting Notes!

Sunday's meeting was fantastic, and our group continues to grow! I've included a couple of links in today's e-mail, as well as some follow up information from different members. (There are more events listed in the meeting notes.)

First of all, there is an Indivisible movie event on the horizon, the information is as follows (thank you Tara!)

Friday May 17
6:30-8:30
Carl Chavis YMCA
2757 Granville St High Point

Join us for a free screening of Wilmington on Fire.

This feature-length documentary depicts the story of a government-sponsored massacre committed on an African-American community in North Carolina during the Jim Crow era, which is considered one of the only successful examples of a violent overthrow of an existing government and left countless numbers of African-Americans dead and exiled from the city. This event was the spring-board for the White Supremacy movement and Jim Crow segregation throughout the state of North Carolina and the American South. This incident has been barely mentioned and has been omitted from most history books. It was not until 2006, after the North Carolina General Assembly published a report on it, that the tragedy became known to the general public.
Trailer at: http://wilmingtononfire.com/about/

We are honored to have Phyllis Bridges, who is an award-winning historian and documentary film maker, leading a casual, organic discussion after the film.

This is a collaborative effort of Indivisible Guilford County NC, The High Point Peacemakers, High Point Commemoration for 400 Years of African American History, and the Carl Chavis YMCA.
FB event:  https://www.facebook.com/events/380692716114513/

FREE POPCORN

Here are our notes for today's discussion, if you missed this one - come to the next one!

Secular Sunday

April 28, 2019

Attendees:

Ann Brady	Sean Bienert	Mike
Jason	Molly	Chris
Brian	Diane	Lisa
Derek	Bob	John
Tara	Dawn	Ann Asheby
Lyn	Stacey	Aaron
Ronnie	Tina	Pam
Joe	Kia

Announcements:

Molly led a great discussion yesterday on The Handmaid’s Tale. Next month is The Year of Living Biblically on May 25th at 5 pm

Indivisible’s next film is “Wilmington on Fire”. May 17th 6:30 – 8:30 High Point Library

Movie Night – May 11th. Elmer Gantry (see the Meetup site for details)

Bowling tonight at Countryside Lanes in Kernersville

Towel Day Pub Crawl is May 25th at Natty Greens starting at 1 pm. How does the Community feel about opening it up to the general public?

Time article The Science of Good and Evil (Do animals have ethics?)

American Atheist Convention was awesome (Lisa)! Religious Blitz is going on across the country (Google it). Response? A lot to do with abortion. Met many prominent atheists. They put together 50k meals for homeless people in Cincinnati. Very cool.

We are getting quite large as a group. Sean (prez) is trying to put together a committee to brainstorm ideas for events.

Gibbs Hundred is sponsoring a farmers market today 12-5

Discussion Notes:

Why do people pray?

Ann (AC) says she likes to pray but doesn’t know how to do it in a non-religious way

Lyn – positive thoughts/vibes

Pam – I will keep you in my heart

Aaron – Sam Harris book Waking Up: A Guide to Being Spiritual without Being Religious

Lisa – Brain studies – when asked what God thinks, religious people think of something they believe. Prayer is a self-soothing mechanism

Molly – In DBT prayer is taught as a coping strategy.

Sean – almost everyone talks to themselves from time to time. Prayer is a safe space to talk things out and figure things out.

Molly – a way to have deep reflection.

AC – you need words to say and if religion is in your past, the words of religion tend to come out.

Aaron – in the east it is common to not direct prayer at specific being. Not so common in the west.

Lisa – NPR 1A – a secular minister/humanist did a secular prayer. (This is a link - again, thanks Tara! The prayer is toward the end.)

Ann – FFR is pushing for government orgs to allow secular invocations

Sean – Jesus says that people shouldn’t pray in public for attention.

John – cognitive dissonance when his sister prays over meals. Says she is reminding an omniscient being of things he already knows. Some other people have had varying experiences.

The generalized “other” – prayer is just one example of our conversations that we have all the time.

Lyn – prayer in Shennando movie with Jimmy Stewart – funny prayer.

Aaron – thanking God instead of the people who actually did the work.

When you’re in control you need to make sure that you keep people under control. God is a good tool for this.

Sean – dramatic scenes where people can’t pray (like in the Crucible) where you must pray in order to stay in good with God.

Aaron – as atheists we should avoid trapping ourselves into ritual behaviors that have no penalty (like  refusing to say amen after prayers). There are so many behaviors we do when we are religious that don’t help anyone. Don’t do the same to yourself now.

Diane – it’s too irritating for her to do it.

Tina – if it doesn’t cost you something. But for her when her husband died the “prayers” and platitudes were offensive. How do you convey that to religious people? How do you enforce your boundaries? It does cost you something sometimes.

Lisa – there is something to be said for standing up for yourself. Not doing it will affect your self-esteem.

Kia (who has NO trouble standing up for herself) – she tries to look at it as if they are toddlers who don’t understand.

Chris – they may be saying it because they don’t know what else to say.

Derek – it can be important to challenge people on the words they use.

Sean – you can’t do that all the time and get along in the world.

John – remember this discussion on movie night. There is a group of free-thinkers and atheists at a tent revival in Elmer Gantry. Sister Something recites a prayer that is very personal that defangs her detractors.

Aaron – watched God’s Not Dead the atheist is the biggest strawman atheist ever. He was a Christian at that time and thought that’s what atheists are. Seeing real atheists helped. Being a Jerk for Atheism is no better than being a Jerk for Jesus.

Sean – the idea that Christians have that atheism is a religion is a common misconception.

Lyn – Andrew Sullivan quote – we are all religious. It is built into us. (She doubts this).

Sean – seeking agency is a survival mechanism. It isn’t an imprint left from god.

John – when he talks to his sister about why he isn’t religious she gets hostile. He tries to tell her that he is trying to use his own mind to figure things out. It is tough to try to do, but you have to.

Aaron – “Show me and I’ll believe” – Thomas. Jesus- “No believe and I’ll show you.”

Sean - the thing that allows people to blindly follow people like Kim Jung Un is very similar to religious belief.

Aaron – preacher told him that the only way you can test god is through tithing. Pay god and see if he performs.

Jews – chosen people. So chose someone else for a while!

John – the closest he gets to prayer is that you just have to recognize sometimes that you are not in control and accept that. That can be a prayer too.

AC – Control the controllable

Everyone (the Serenity Prayer)

Aaron - Dark Matter 2525 on youtube. Wonderful material

Scathing Atheist is also funny.