St. Paul, MN, June 23, 2014 – Atheist baseball and the All-Star Freethought Conference is coming to Minnesota in July! The Minnesota Atheists and Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) are partnering with the Saint Paul Saints minor league baseball team for a night of “unbelievable” fun on Friday, July 11 at 7:05pm at Midway Stadium in Saint Paul. The game will be followed up with an All-Star Conference the next day at 9am at the RiverCentre in beautiful downtown St. Paul.
The Saint Paul Saints team name will be temporarily changed to the secular-friendly “Mister Paul Aints” when they play the Kansas City T-Bones. The “S” in Saints will be covered on signs throughout Midway Stadium and the home team players will wear “Mr. Paul Aints” jerseys as part of the fun. The player worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the game from which a portion of the proceeds will go to the Family Place Shelter in St. Paul where volunteers from the Minnesota Atheists regularly prepare and serve dinners to families without permanent housing.
“Baseball and atheism have nothing in common,” said Eric Jayne, president of Minnesota Atheists. “Except that both offer happiness and satisfaction once they’re better understood.”
“We enjoy the atmosphere at Saints games,” said Heather Hegi, chair of Minnesota Atheists. “Their tradition of having fun fits us well because it gives atheists the chance to showcase our light hearted and playful qualities.”
The All-Star Freethought Conference, to be held on July 12 at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, features best-selling author and scholar Susan Jacoby as well as leaders from national freethought organizations: Dan Barker, co-president of Freedom from Religion Foundation and Debbie Goddard, director of African Americans for Humanism and director of outreach for Center of Inquiry. Other speakers include PZ Myers, author of the atheist-science blog “Pharyngula”, and Rebecca Watson, activist and author of the world-famous “Skepchick” blog. The conference is sponsored by Minnesota Atheists, Humanists of Minnesota, and Freedom From Religion Foundation.
For full information about the Mr. Paul Aints game and All-Star Freethought Conference please visit: MinnesotaAtheists.org/conference
Minnesota Atheists is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization that seeks to promote the positive contributions of atheism to society and to maintain separation of state and church. Minnesota Atheists actively promotes secular values through participation in public affairs, educational programs, and hosting the only live atheist radio talk show in the state: Atheists Talk, Sundays, 9:00-10:00 a.m., KTNF AM 950. Additional information at MinnesotaAtheists.org.
Humanists of Minnesota is a nonprofit educational corporation and has been granted a 501(c)(3) tax exemption as an education, scientific and charitable organization. Humanists of Minnesota is a chapter of the American Humanist Association and an affiliate of the Alliance of Secular Humanist Societies of the Council for Secular Humanism. Additional information at HumanistsOfMinnesota.org
Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit national organization that promotes the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and educates the public on matters relating to nontheism. FFRF publishes Freethought Today which is the only freethoutht newspaper in the United States, broadcasts Freethought Radio, and promotes freedom from religion with educational books, literature, music, and freethought billboards. Additional information at FFRF.org
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to both the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Council for Secular Humanism. African Americans for Humanism is a program of the Council for Secular Humanism, headquartered at the Center for Inquiry—Transnational in Amherst, NY. The mission of CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. CFI‘s web address is CenterForInquiry.net
For Calendars:
Mr. Paul Aints Game: Friday, July 11, 2014, 7:05 pm, Midway Stadium, 1771 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, $12 or 22 when purchased through the Minnesota Atheists group portal at saintsgroups.com (password: “atheists”).
All-Star Freethought Conference: Saturday, July 12, 2014, 9:00 am - 9:00 pm, RiverCentre, St. Paul, MN. $55. Students $20.