OWU Freethinkers

This Friday we will be discussing the role of religion in government in the U.S. and how much ideology should be involved in governmental policy decisions, especially concerning health care policy/organizational funding

This week we will be discussing canvassing religion. What are the boundaries of canvassing? How is the definition of free speech called into question? Should there be laws defining restrictions on the use of propaganda? Come to the Library Cafe @ noon to discuss!

This week we will be discussing ritual within religion. Ritual theory has been a highly debated topic among religious scholars for years. In Catherine Bell's book "Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice" she argues that ritual is "seen as a performance as conceptual definitions". She also defines a successful ritual is one that combines both the cultural and sociological aspects of humanity. Is ritual today understood as communication, or an interaction with the divine or spiritual self? We will discuss this and other aspects of ritual this Friday in the Library Cafe @ Noon.

This week we are going to be discussing God as a Moral Issue. On Monday, there was an opinion piece in the New York Times about religion and morality and we would like to discuss this piece and hear everyone's thoughts about it. Please give it a read and bring your thoughts and ideas to the Library Cafe this Friday at Noon.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/why-god-is-a-moral-issue/?ref=opinion&_r=0

Why God Is a Moral Issue The New Atheists and those in their camp insist that belief in a deity is more than just an intellectual mistake.

Sorry for the late notice. Tomorrow we are going to be talking about mocking religion. Do we have the right to mock religion? Especially the ones we and many members of the American public would consider "ridiculous"?

Bring your thoughts and ideas to the Library Cafe tomorrow at noon.

This week we are going to have a very casual conversation, so just bring something you want to talk about to the meeting.

This week we are going to be discussing something very important in secularization theory and the sociology of religion. Why is the notion of ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ considered to be so dualistic today? Lilliane Voye positions secular attitudes as ‘neutral’, suggesting they are normal or natural, while religion is not, thus giving the secular immense power over the religious and failing to acknowledge that so-called ‘secular’ values such as human rights and human values are largely a cultural product of the west. Why is religion’s influence downplayed or overlooked by many sociologists and secularization theorists today?

We will be meeting in the library cafe this Friday at 12 PM. Come join!

This week we are going to be talking about Christian privilege. Do you think it exists? If so, where have you seen it? What is it? If not, what is there no christian privilege?

Bring your thoughts and ideas to the Library Cafe this Friday at noon.

Come to freethinkers!

This week we are going to be talking about religious persecution. Do you feel that religious persecution is a serious problem either in this country or abroad? Which kinds of groups are those that are being persecuted? Which groups are those persecuting others? Can we do anything about it?

Bring your thoughts and ideas to the Library Cafe this Friday at Noon.

We're back after break and settling into the semester.

This week, we are going to discuss cognitive dissonance.

In psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.

Have you ever experienced cognitive dissonance or witnessed it in someone else?

Bring your thoughts and ideas to the Library Cafe this Friday at Noon.

This week we are going to be talking about where one's morality comes from. Does it come from your upbringing? Society? Religious teaching? Or something else?

Bring your thoughts and ideas to the Stuy Lounge at 8 pm this Tuesday.