Do you enjoy satire?┬á How about enjoy vampires?…I mean, what what vampires used to be before a certain franchise came in and made them all sparkly and lovable?┬á There is a movie being made that can revive the genre, whilst adding a secular twist!┬á Filmmaker,┬áJohn Schuermann, needs help to bring this film to fruition.┬á This is our call to action to support secular film.

“The Gospel According to Stephenson” is a vampire film with the theme of the believer vs. the skeptic at the very heart of the film’s conflict. The story concerns the appearance of what appears to be a supernatural being in our modern society – Stephenson – and┬áhow the worldview of the people he comes in contact with colors their perception of him. Those with a supernatural worldview ÔÇô ÔÇ£The BelieversÔÇØ – see him as an evil being needing to be stopped in the name of God and morality. Those with a naturalistic world view ÔÇô ÔÇ£The SkepticsÔÇØ – see vampirism as a disease that needs to be understood, and if necessary, cured. The Believers call in armies of Christians armed with crosses, wooden stakes and holy water. The Skeptics call in reason and science in the form of the CDC.┬á While these two factions battle it out, Stephenson works behind the scenes to start his own religion based on the concept of “Eternal Life – Guaranteed.”

By exploring these types of religious, scientific and political themes within a horror / science fiction framework, our goal is to encourage people to re-examine their worldviews and belief systems while being entertained by a straightforward, fun, and darkly satirical vampire tale.┬á With all the current political debate about the role of religion in government, we are excited about exploring the clash between belief systems and objective, scientific reality in a unique and entertaining fashion. Much in the same way that pop culture visionaries such as Gene Roddenberry (“Star Trek”) used fantastical settings to explore “hot button” cultural issues, we hope that our science fiction / horror setting will allow us to examine these issues┬áwithout┬ábeing heavy handed or – despite the subject matter -┬ápreachy.

Read more about the project and donate at The Gospel According to Stephenson

Weekly Coalition Update

by Deanna Cantrell

SPI Coalition member Central Colorado Humanists have a lot on their plate!  They are in need of volunteers to help with their food pantry, this is a monthly event occurring the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month.  The next event will take place October 7 and 8, come out and make a difference!  If you have a taste for sharing food and fellowship, there is also a potluck this Sunday, September 20.  The topic of discussion is Universal healthcare.

SPI Coalition member The Atheist Alliance of America will be holding their 2015 Conference October 15-18 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia.  This event promises to be full of great speakers, great people and good times.  The annual Richard Dawkins award will be presented.  Who will receive this award?

SPI Coalition member BC Humanist Association has a busy events calendar surely to appeal to anyone in the area.  On Saturday, September 26 join them for a meeting entitled How should Humanists vote in the next federal election?  If evolution is more your taste, they have an event the very next day featuring author Baz Edmeades.

Blasphemy laws still exist in Western Society?  They do in New Zealand!  SPI Coalition member New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists have launched a website to oppose these very laws.  Help support our secular Kiwi friends in their cause and learn more about blasphemy laws!

Weekly SPI Fellows Report

by Deanna Cantrell

Which language is going the way of Latin, Sanskrit, and Egyptian Hieroglyphics?┬á SPI Fellow John McWhorter answers this question and explores why a language that once was “the English of its time” is now headed for extinction in his new article seen in The Atlantic, Where Do Languages Go to Die?┬á Hint: The language was used in a much overrated 2004 movie by Mel Gibson.

Lebanon is in the midst of a refugee crisis?┬á SPI Fellow Patrik Lindenfors reports on the state of things on his blog, Refugees Crisis: Humanists call for a strong and humane EU response.┬á Here’s to forward thinking, what is said about religion and government may surprise you.

What stinks in Lebanon?┬á Is it postponed elections?┬á Collapsing water systems?┬á No, those are problems too, though.┬á SPI Fellow Amatzia Baram gives his report on the state of Lebanon in his article Lebanon’s fragile balance holds amid political paralysis.

                 Three Syrian Refugee Children

 

There is an old saying, you cannot judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.┬á In SPI Fellow A. C. Grayling’s, The irony of migrancy, he challenges the reader to do just that.┬á To put themselves in the place of a migrant and then it goes further in this thought provoking article.

 

 

 

 

The Weekly Policy Report

by Edwina Rogers

SPI Meetings On Asylum For Bangladeshi Freethought Bloggers

Congressman Castro (D-TX 20th District) with Edwina Rogers, CEO SPI

SPI is wasting no time now that Congress is back in session. ┬áOn Wednesday, September 9th we made the rounds in the House and Senate to discuss assistance for the nearly 50 bloggers on the “kill list.” ┬áIn 2013, a list of non-theists, freethinkers, anti-Jamaatis and secular bloggers was been widely circulated; this was the hit list drawn up by Islamic fundamentalist groups.

This week coalition members are being asked to sign on to a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in a direct appeal for the bloggers in need of asylum.  Congressman Castro, who has offered his assistance through the Foreign Affairs Committee.

 

 

The Hill is back to business!

Congress resumed their session now that Labor Day is over and its 535 lawmakers will face one of the most convoluted legislative tangles in recent memory. While there is no clear endgame yet, all parties know what must be done and ÔÇö roughly ÔÇö by what time.┬á The clock is ticking.

Up first, the resolution of disapproval for the administrationÔÇÖs Iranian nuclear deal, which must be considered by September 17. Rumors are that House leaders intend to move the resolution concurrently with the defense policy bill (NDAA), which is essentially complete after House and Senate Armed Services Committee conference negotiations this summer.┬á House Republicans are changing course to take up a last-minute plan to oppose the Iran nuclear deal following a revolt from some of the conferenceÔÇÖs conservative members.

Instead of a single vote to disapprove the deal, the House will now hold three separate votes on the agreement.┬á One would be a resolution to approve the deal ÔÇö which is sure to fail and, in the process, force many Democrats to break with the White House.┬áThe second would be to express a sense of the House that the Obama administration has not met the requirements of the Iran review legislation by failing to give lawmakers the text of separate agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Those bilateral side deals, which concern the details of inspections at some Iranian sites, are at the center of the HouseÔÇÖs uprising over the Iran pact.┬á Finally, the House would vote to prevent the U.S. from lifting sanctions on Iran as part of complying with the nuclear deal. ┬á The House is still expected to finish votes regarding Iran on Friday, which is the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Next up, after these two major items will come a spending bill of some kind so the federal government does not shut down. A one-month (maybe longer) Continuing Resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown on October 1 is the most likely path.  Another way to prevent government shutdown is by defunding Planned Parenthood, a measure which would delight conservatives.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, whoÔÇÖs seeking the GOP presidential nomination, will headline a rally with several pro-life groups outside the Capitol on Thursday, calling on Congress to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood in the spending bill that must be passed by Oct. 1 to avert a shutdown.”If we shut down government it will be because you have willful Republicans who are prepared to take the government hostage to attain their ends,” Hoyer told reporters in the Capitol. “It will not be a stumble, it will be a considered objective,” he added, “and a number of them have said so publicly.”

The Planned Parenthood attack begins Thursday, September 10 in the House with a presentation billed Planned Parenthood Exposed: Examining the Horrific Abortion Practices at the Nation’s Largest Abortion Provider.┬á Just some quick facts about Planned Parenthood:┬á Abortions account for only 3% of their total services, 80% of their clients receive services to prevent unplanned pregnancy from occurring, 1 in 5 women in the U.S. has visited a Planned Parenthood at least once in her lifetime, and Planned Parenthood provides nearly 400,000 Pap tests and 500,000 breast exams each year— tests vital in screening for cancer.

Potent political issues include a meeting of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform titled Violence on the Border:  Keeping U.S. Personnel Safe. According to testimony submitted,The U.S.-Mexico border regions, and the communities within it, are interconnected in many ways. Through collaboration and coordination with our many Federal, state, local, tribal and international government partners, we have made great strides with regard to the integrity and security of our borders, and with the safety of our frontline personnel.

Export-Import Bank re-authorization is another hot topic of debate.┬á As of June, 30, 2015, the bank’s charter expired and was not renewed.┬á This means that its ability to give new commitments is restricted, but it is allowed to administer previous obligations.┬á Basically, Exim is on a very tight leash during the deciding process.┬á A bit of history, since 1934, the Export-Import Bank (Exim) has been the official U.S. export credit┬áagency, financing the purchase of U.S. manufacturing exports by foreign governments┬áand companies when private lenders are unavailable or unwilling.

The defenders of the U.S. Export-Import Bank deserve credit for their message discipline. Since its charter expired on June 30, the businesses and politicians that benefit from it have used the same phrase to try scaring Congress into resurrecting the bank: An America without Ex-Im has ÔÇ£unilaterally disarmedÔÇØ itself.┬á Ex-Im is an example of corporate welfare and business-government collusion, not something that matters to AmericaÔÇÖs standing in the world. It sends tens of billions of taxpayer dollarsÔÇö$20.5 billion last year aloneÔÇöto businesses overseas, supporting less than two percent of the countryÔÇÖs exports along the way. This helps a select few domestic businesses that export their products, but it simultaneously places their competitors and companies in different industries at a disadvantage. The bank also gives billions of taxpayer dollars to companies and countries that are undermining AmericaÔÇÖs national security interests.

The Pope will address Congress later this month. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said, ÔÇ£It is my great privilege to announce that His Holiness Pope Francis will visit the United States Capitol on Thursday, September 24, 2015. On that day, he will become the first leader of the Holy See to address a joint meeting of Congress. It will be a historic visit, and we are truly grateful that Pope Francis has accepted our invitation.ÔÇØ

 

Internet Explosion Hits India

India has added 52 million internet users in first six months of the year, taking the total user base to 352 million as on June 30, 2015, industry body IAMAI said.  Interestingly, 213 million (over 60%) users accessed the worldwide web through mobile devices. This will have a colossal effect on access to better information.

See the full story on The Times of India

 

Do We Trust Scientists?

Researchers asked residents of New Hampshire about their trust of scientists as a source of information about five topics:

vaccines, climate change, nuclear power safety, evolution, and genetically modified organisms. The results, according to the report, “offer modest encouragement regarding public trust in scientists.”

Asked “Would you say that you trust, don’t trust, or are unsure about scientists as a source of information about climate change,” 62% of respondents said that they trust scientists, 23% that they were unsure, and 15% that they do not trust scientists.

Asked “Would you say that you trust, don’t trust, or are unsure about scientists as a source of information about evolution,” 63% of respondents said that they trust scientists, 21% said that they were unsure, and 16% that they do not trust scientists.

For both climate change and evolution, respondents with higher education levels, respondents who identified themselves with the Democratic Party, and respondents who identified themselves as ideologically liberal were more likely to trust scientists.

 

Obama To Ban Discrimination Against Transgender Patients

The Obama administration has proposed a rule that would ban discrimination against transgender patients in the healthcare system.  Once finalized, this should expand coverage to include gender transition and prohibit health care facilities from denying transgender people access to restrooms that match their gender identity.  Originally, sex discrimination was only covered under the protective umbrella of this law; new regulation will extend this shield to include gender identity.

Seven in ten (70 percent) Americans favor laws that would protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people against discrimination in the workplace, public accommodations, and housing. More than 200 cities and counties have issued ordinances that prohibit discrimination by public and private employers based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  According to a survey, voters across party lines overwhelmingly approved of a nondiscrimination law. Republicans supported it 51% to 43%, Independents supported it 72% to 23% and democrats supported it 80% to 18%.

How’s that for National Climate Change?

The Weekly Numbers Report

by Deanna Cantrell

For many, including myself, science served as not only a resource to quench unending curiosity about the mechanics of the universe, origin of species, as well as countless other burning questions about the world we live in as well as the cosmos; science also served as a starting point of my own secular journey.  In years since, meeting countless others who share the same world view, I have found that I am not alone.  Many secularists begin questioning faith through scientific fact.  If x is true, then how can y be true if they contradict?  Is the same true for scientists?  What about philosophers?  Can those immersed in a field where faith is in direct contradiction with fact manage to hold on to belief?

It is widely accepted fact that politics and religious affiliation are part in parcel.  Even though politicians are sworn to uphold the Constitution and keep their personal beliefs at home, it is clearly seen that the majority of politicians try to appeal to certain demographics come election time.

Just this week, in news regarding the ongoing saga of Kim Davis, Kentucky County clerk who was jailed for contempt of court after ignoring repeated court orders to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul came to her defense.┬á He previously called putting Davis in jail was ÔÇ£absurd.ÔÇØ ┬áHe said, ÔÇ£I think itÔÇÖs a real mistake and even those on the other side of the issue, I think it sets their movement back,ÔÇØ Paul said.┬á Governor Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker were also among supporters for Davis.

Curious about the affiliation of your representative?

The Kim Davis story raises a basic question: To what extent should we allow people to break the law if their religious views are in conflict with it? ItÔÇÖs possible to take that question to an extreme that even Senator Paul might find absurd: imagine, for example, a jihadist whose interpretation of the Koran suggested that he should be allowed to behead infidels and apostates. Should he be allowed to break the law? OrÔÇöto consider a less extreme caseÔÇöimagine an Islamic-fundamentalist county clerk who would not let unmarried men and women enter the courthouse together, or grant marriage licenses to unveiled women. For Rand Paul, what separates these cases from Kim DavisÔÇÖ? The biggest difference, I suspect, is that Senator Paul agrees with Kim DavisÔÇÖs religious views but disagrees with those of the

The line between theism and politics may be an easy one to draw; the United States, for now, still holds a theistic majority in population with 78.3% identifying with some sort of faith.  Elections are about policy, but the ugly truth is that they are also a popularity contest.  What about those who rely on just fact?  How many philosophers and scientists manage to keep the faith?

To quote Lawrence Krauss in his new article, All Scientists Should Be Militant Atheists

In science, of course, the very word ÔÇ£sacredÔÇØ is profane. No ideas, religious or otherwise, get a free pass. The notion that some idea or concept is beyond question or attack is anathema to the entire scientific undertaking. This commitment to open questioning is deeply tied to the fact that science is an atheistic enterprise. ÔÇ£My practice as a scientist is atheistic,ÔÇØ the biologist J.B.S. Haldane wrote, in 1934. ÔÇ£That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel, or devil is going to interfere with its course and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career.ÔÇØ ItÔÇÖs ironic, really, that so many people are fixated on the relationship between science and religion: basically, there isnÔÇÖt one. In my more than thirty years as a practicing physicist, I have never heard the word ÔÇ£GodÔÇØ mentioned in a scientific meeting. Belief or nonbelief in God is irrelevant to our understanding of the workings of natureÔÇöjust as itÔÇÖs irrelevant to the question of whether or not citizens are obligated to follow the law.

How do the numbers measure up to Mr. Krauss’ thesis?┬á A survey of scientists who are members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press in May and June 2009, finds that members of this group are, on the whole, much less religious than the general┬ápublic.^┬á Indeed, the survey shows that scientists are roughly half as likely as the general public to believe in God or a higher power. According to the poll, just over half of scientists (51%) believe in some form of deity or higher power; specifically, 33% of scientists say they believe in God, while 18% believe in a universal spirit or higher power.┬á As for philosophers, 93% either doubt God or disbelieve in God, up from an astonishing 85% in 1933 and 73% in 1914

Police in Bangladesh have charged five suspected Islamic extremists with the murder of an atheist blogger, one of four secular writers hacked to death in the south Asian state this year.

Washiqur Rahman, 27, who wrote under a pen name on Facebook and repeatedly criticized religious conservatives, was killed near his home in the capital, Dhaka, in March.

Police brought the charges ÔÇô the first in any of the four murders this year ÔÇô in a Dhaka magistrates court on Tuesday, which will now decide whether to open a trial or order further investigations.

Authorities in Bangladesh have been under international pressure to demonstrate their commitment to protect free speech in the poor but fast developing Muslim-majority country.

Find the complete story at The Guardian

This Week in Coalition News
by Deanna Cantrell

A memorial held by SPI Coalition Michigan Atheists will take place on Sunday, September 13 in celebration of the life of longtime former Director Arlene-Marie. ┬áGeorge Shiffer, the current director, said, “A park was chosen for the venue, because Arlene like the out of doors very much.┬á Arlene was also widely known and very much liked, so the park can handle any number of attendees.┬á This celebration will be potluck, which would resemble Michigan Atheist’s annual picnics, an outdoor event that Arlene liked very much.”┬á All are welcome to memorialize this untimely passing.

Join SPI Coalition Freedom From Religion Foundation- Valley of the Sun Chapter on Friday, September 18 for an American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona event in honor of Constitution Day!┬á During this event, attorney and author Robert J. McWhirter will answer the question during his presentation, “What’s so exceptional about America?”

Join SPI Coalition Secular Events in Chicago for an evening hosted at the world-renowned Fermi Lab in their Ramsey Auditorium on Friday, September 18.  Their feature presentation Visualizing the Future of Biomedicine.  Multiple award-winning Medical and Bio Engineer Professor Chris Johnson will engage your cerebral cortex, providing examples of visual computing as applied to problems in biomedicine and while discussing solving important research and clinical problems in neuroscience, cardiology, and genetics.

Attention San Diegans: are you looking for a way to become acquainted with the secular community?┬á It’s as easy as a day in the park!┬á Join SPI Coalition Humanist Fellowship of San Diego this Saturday, September 12 at Balboa Park for their Humanist Outreach in the Park/ Ask an Atheist event.┬á This active coalition has a busy events calendar, check out their page and get involved!

How were secular ideas fundamental to the development of feminist thought?┬á Dr. Laura Schwartz will give the answer to this and other questions during her lecture, About Secularism, Religion, and Women’s Struggles: Infidel Feminism, promoted by SPI Coalition National Secular Society of England.┬á This promises to be a fascinating evening and a rare chance to hear from a leading expert in the field.

Weekly SPI Fellows Update

by Deanna Cantrell

ÔÇ£They reject our religion and say we are not sufficiently Muslim, but they kill the men and rape the women. What kind of Islam is that?ÔÇØ says a refugee interviewed by SPI Fellow Mark Juergensmeyer during his July expedition to Iran and Turkey.┬á Find out the Sunni term for ISIS–hint it roughly translates to bullies in Arabic, how this terror group persists and much more in SPI Fellow Mark Juergensmeyer’s new article, What Kind of Islam is That? Talking With Refugees from ISIS.

Is there a way to defeat the Islamic-State?┬á Where is the US going wrong with Syria?┬á SPI Fellow Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi dissects these and more related issues in his new article, Why America Should Aim to Contain– Rather Than Destroy — ISIS.┬á Is there an end in sight to this conflict?

What happens when fundamentalists come to power?┬á What does the labeling of an entire people, societies and communities as Muslim or Islamic gain for the Islamic agenda?┬á The answers may surprise you, view SPI Advocate Maryam Namazie’s lecture at the 5th Imagine No Religion Conference, then read her companion article┬áPromoting Secularism in the Age of ISIS.

Every fossil has its story.  Does this story end with its discovery?  No, this merely marks the beginning of a new, unending story; one of the paleontologist whom discovered it.  Why does this story never end?  The Story of Life in 25 Fossils, the newest book by SPI Fellow and best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero generates a captivating history of life on our planet.

 

• As we want to create only a rough assessment of the religions with respect to their homonegativity, the three aspects are weighted equally for aggregation. This gives a ranking of religions, where Islam is the most homonegative religion, whereas Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism are the least homonegative religions. However, assuming that all religions tend to promote homonegativity,⁸ atheism constitutes the end of the scale:⁹
  

  Islam10

  Catholicism/Protestant Free Churches/Orthodox Christianity11

  Traditional (European) Protestantism

  Hinduism

  Buddhism/Taoism/Confucianism

  Atheism

 

Building on this operationalization of a religionÔÇÖs position toward homosexuality, the influence of an individualÔÇÖs religious affiliation on its homonegativity can be investigated empirically. A positive association would mean that the positioning of a religion (in its writings, through its leadership, as well as its degree of fundamentalism) is reflected in the attitudes of the individual believer.

To view the full study click here.

 Secular Impact in India

India defines itself as a secular socialist republic, a democratic society where no minorities should feel marginalised. But how far does this accord with the reality? Indeed what do Indians even mean when they employ the term ÔÇÿsecularÔÇÖ? Western democracies learn about this secularism from IndiaÔÇÖs small coterie of an English speaking elite. India has an epidemic of groups which I will call English writer forums. Every so often a new species of this bland faceless organism appear among the new wave of aspirant intellectuals. They have several things in common.

 

Secularism means the exclusion of religion, which in India is from public life. The trauma of partition led the countryÔÇÖs leaders to emphasise the common citizenship of its people rather than the religious differences which had to led to the creation of Pakistan. India was therefore to be the diametric opposite of Pakistan. In a diverse country such as this it was not initially without its merits. After all Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, realised that his diverse island nations with a plethora of languages, beliefs and ways of life could only be held together by a common value system he called Panchasila. The man who deposed him, Suharto, though ruling with an iron fist kept to these principles which some would deem secular because they used loyalty to the nation to override narrow religious tribalism. So India under Nehru was by no means unique in using the model of secularism for nation building. So now in India, almost every party claims it is secular, even the religious ones.