2009 Meetings

January meeting topic: Richard Dawkins visits Hell House

Sunday, January 11, at 12:00 noon

Location: The Orient Restaurant

Rescheduled from November. Richard Dawkins made the documentary "Root of All Evil?" using interviews with religious leaders. He also released a DVD of the uncut interviews that were used in the documentary. We will play a recording of a visit by Dawkins to a Hell House, a Halloween play designed to scare teenagers into good behavior. He has a discussion with a charismatic minister, who has some pragmatic reasons for his Christian belief.

Special Interest Group

“Humanism and Philosophy”

Occam and His Razor

Friday, 16 January, 7:30 p.m.

"Humanism and Philosophy," a Special Interest Group, continues. The topic will be “Occam and His Razor.” The English theologian and philosopher, William of Occam (1285-1349), has become famous for his advocacy of what has come to be called the “principle of parsimony” or “Occam’s razor,” a philosophical principle which says in general that complicated explanations and principles are not to be employed when simpler ones are at hand that will do the job. We will examine Occam’s “Razor” (the term was applied to his views centuries after his death) in its context in Occam’s philosophy, and explore its fortunes in subsequent centuries down to the present, where it has raised important issues in the philosophy of science. For more information, call 410-521-6215.

Saturday, January17, 1 p.m.: WASH Winter Banquet featuring Thomas Jefferson.

NOTE: NEW MOVIE SIG, NORTHWEST OF BALTIMORE

Special Interest Group: Movie and discussion

Saturday, January 24th at 12:00 noon

Topic: "Who Killed The Electric Car?"

This 2006 movie discusses General Motor's creation, limited commercialization and subsequent destruction of the EV1 battery electric vehicle in the 1990s.

February meeting speaker: Prof. Sharon Kingland, JHU

Sunday, February 8, at 10:30 noon

Location: Joint meeting with Baltimore Ethical Society

In honor of Charles Darwin's 200 birthday, Dr. Sharon Kingsland from JHU will answer, "Why are there flowers?" People in Darwin's day commonly assumed that flowers were meant for beautification, existing for our enjoyment. Darwin was fascinated by the complex structure of flowers, such as orchids, as well as by plants that showed unusual behaviors, such as insect-eating plants. He realized that in these structures one could find some of the most convincing evidence for his theory of evolution. After publishing the Origin of Species, Darwin delved into many botanical subjects, drawing on examples from the plant world to illustrate how well natural selection accounted for the amazing adaptations of plant. Sharon Kingsland is professor in the Department of History of Science and Technology, Johns Hopkins University. She works on the history of modern biology, especially the history of ecology and evolutionary biology.

Special Interest Group

“Humanism and Philosophy”

Topic: “The Foundations of Government”

Friday, 20 February, 7:30 p.m.

"Humanism and Philosophy," a Special Interest Group, continues. The topic will be “The Foundations of Government” Philosophers from antiquity to the present have argued over what constitutes the basis of the government’s rights over the governed. We will examine two kinds of ideas that have dominated this discussion, (1) the idea that government is a compact between individuals, and (2) that government is historically and logically prior to individuals who do not make government, but rather must find their place within it.

March meeting topic: It's the Stupid Economy

Sunday, March 8, at 12:00 noon

Location: The Orient Restaurant

The transition of the U.S. and world economy from boom to disaster has been fast and surprising. One of the best explanations of what happened was given in two episodes of the NPR radio show This American Life. The first episode came out in May, 2008, called “The Giant Pile of Money.” The second, from October 2008, was called "Another Frightening Show about the Economy." We will listen to parts of the episodes and discuss them. Location: The Orient Restaurant, Towson.

Special Interest Group

“Humanism and Philosophy”

Alvin Plantinga and Warranted Christian Belief

Friday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.

"Humanism and Philosophy," a Special Interest Group, continues. The topic will be “Alvin Plantinga and Warranted Christian Belief.” Philosopher Alvin Plantinga is one of the leading contemporary apologists for the validity or “warrant” of traditional Christian beliefs. We will examine the epistemological arguments he develops to support his conclusions and provide a critical assessment. For more information, call 410-521-6215.

April Meeting Topic: DVD "Jesus Camp"
Sunday, April 12th at 12 noon
Location: a member's house
Praised by New York Magazine, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today and others, this 2006 film follows 3 children as they attend Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire" summer camp, where kids as young as 6 years old are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army." For more information, call 410-702-7615.

May meeting speaker: Lauri Lebo, author of Devil in Dover

Sunday, May 10, at 10:30 a.m.

Location: Joint meeting with Baltimore Ethical Society

Lauri Lebo will be speaking at the Baltimore Ethical Society. Lebo previously spoke at the June 2008 WASH-NVC meeting, and she wrote a WASHline article in the Sept. 2008 issue. She is a journalist who covered the 2005 Dover, PA, Evolution/Intelligent Design trial. She wrote a book about the trial, The Devil in Dover: An Insider's Story of Dogma v. Darwin in Small-Town America, reviewed in the June 2008 WASHline. She made insightful observations about her personal experience of the trial and its attempt to teach intelligent design in schools, as well as about the ethics of journalism in covering both sides of an issue as if they are equivalent.

June meeting topic: Must suicide bombers be fundamentalist Muslims?

Sunday, June 14, at 12:00 noon

Location: The Orient Restaurant

The answer is no, according to Scott Atran. In fact, they rarely are. Atran is a social scientist who has studied every incident of suicide bombing. He claims that there is no documented case of a fundamentalist Muslim becoming a suicide bomber because of the influence of a radical mosque. Instead, the major cases result from relatives or groups of soccer friends who form a tight-knit social group, often with a charismatic leader. Atran has testified to Congress and published several times in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. We will play a recording of his talk to the Beyond Belief: Enlightenment 2.0 Conference. We will also play the emphatic response and disagreement by Sam Harris at the same conference. Location: The Orient Restaurant, Towson.

July meeting topic: Audio recording of “Speaking of Faith” interview of Greg Epstein

Sunday, June 12, at 12:00 noon

Location: The Orient Restaurant

Epstein is Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University. He is becoming a major spokesman for the humanist movement, and he hosted a major conference at Harvard two years ago. He has spoken at several conferences. Krista Tippett interviewed Epstein on her radio show, “Speaking of Faith,” and he gives a concise summary of his background and his ideals about humanism. Location: The Orient Restaurant, Towson.

Special Interest Group

“Humanism and Philosophy”

This Special Interest Group has now been discontinued. I wish to thank all those who have participated in my SIG over the years for their support, and hope to see them at future WASH meetings.

And on behalf of the regulars, I'd like to thank Don for over 10 years' worth of lectures, and for sharing his broad knowledge of philosophy—Bill Creasy.

August Meeting Topic: DVD Bill Maher's Religulous
Sunday, August 9th at 12 noon
Location: A members house
Bill Maher's big budget documentary asks pointed questions about religion to some rather strange characters.

September Meeting Topic: What does Genesis really say?
Sunday, September 13th at 12 noon
Location: The Orient Restaurant
A close reading of the two creation stories in the Book of Genesis shows that they depend on the translation, and they don't actually say what creationists seem to think. We will play the audiotape of a lecture by Prof. Gary Rendsburg, professor of Jewish History at Rutgers University, on a Teaching Company lecture series “The Book of Genesis.”

October Meeting Topic: The music of Susan Werner
Sunday, October 11th at 12 noon
Location: The Orient Restaurant

Humanism has been criticized that it doesn't inspire the kind of music that religion does. For this reason, the music of Susan Werner deserves special attention. Werner is a professional musician with folk, jazz, and classical influences. She wrote a CD “The Gospel Truth” with songs that she calls “agnostic gospel.” The songs criticize fundamentalist religion, comment on ethical behavior, and make clear comments about agnostic thinking. We will play selections from the CD and discuss it.

November Meeting Topic: Fred Edwords on "Sailing on the Rising Tide of Humanism" 

Sunday, November 8^th at 10:30 am

Location: Baltimore Ethical Society

Over the past few years, with the rise of the “New Atheism,” interest in humanism is growing. And the more recent billboard and bus campaigns have stoked the fires of enthusiasm. How can Ethical Culture societies and other humanists groups benefit from this secular "coming out"? How can they capture this interest to help their membership grow? Fred Edwords, a former executive director of the American Humanist Association, now heads up the United Coalition of Reason. Over his 30 year career as a humanist leader he has lectured, debated, and taught on humanist philosophical issues and effective outreach techniques. He has appeared on national and local television in the United States and Canada, has been interviewed on radio and for newspapers around the world, and has lectured in North America, Europe, and India.

Special December Event for the Baltimore COR: Sunday, December 6, 3-5 pm: Greg Epstein will speak on his book, Good Without God. First Unitarian Church will host. We will start at 3 pm with food, meet & greet, and book signing in the Enoch Pratt Hall. Then 4 pm will be the talk in the main Church hall. Location: First Unitarian Church, N Charles St & W Franklin St, Baltimore, MD.

December Meeting: Holiday Lunch

Sunday, December 13, at 12 noon

Location: Cafe Spice, 321 York Rd., Towson, 410-583-7770

We will have our traditional holiday lunch at Cafe Spice, an Indian restaurant next door to the Orient. They have a Sunday buffet for $12. Directions: Take Baltimore Beltway exit 26 or 27 (York Road or Dulaney Valley Road) through the traffic circle to York Road, and go three blocks on the right to the Orient. Cafe Spice is next door. Take a left to the parking garage on Chesapeake.

For previous meetings, click here.