The public elementary school I attended had a no homework policy on Wednesdays. This policy was implemented to assure schoolwork didn’t interfere with church activities which were commonly held on Wednesday evenings. I was one of the many children who experienced the weekly indoctrinating, mind conditioning, brain washing AWANA classes (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) held at a church. Back then I believed in God but I didn’t want to learn about Him on Wednesday nights, especially when The Fall Guy was on TV!

 

Now that I’m a Tivo owning godless adult, I reserve the first Wednesday evening of every month (except July) to exercise my freethinking skills at the Minnesota Atheists Book Club event in Burnsville. We meet in the party room at Davanni’s restaurant at County Road 11 and Country Road 42 (less than 15 minutes from the Mall of America). Food purchase is not required but you might find their pizza and hoagies to be too irresistible to pass up. We start filing in around 6:30 p.m. and begin the discussion at 7:00 p.m. After the discussion winds down we consider other books for future meetings and conclude around 9:00 p.m.

 

While we try to keep the topic of conversation somewhat on the book we happen to be discussing, there are plenty of opportunities to veer a little (and sometimes a lot) into other topics. The most important quality we strive for is a friendly and welcoming environment that fosters an enjoyable conversation. This approach has created a therapeutic outlet where local atheists freely interact with other local atheists.

 

Some books we have discussed include Quiverfull by Kathryn Joyce, Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman, Spiders of Allah by James Hider, and Why People Believe in Weird Things by Michael Shermer. On May fifth, we’ll be discussing American Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby. If you’re interested in coming to one of our friendly Burnsville book discussions I encourage you to visit the Minnesota Atheists Meetup site for more information.

 

In addition to the monthly Burnsville book club meetings I’m organizing two other upcoming events: a Minnesota Twins outing and a de-baptism ceremony. For the Minnesota Twins event, I have reserved 25 discounted tickets for Sunday, May ninth (Mother’s Day). The tickets are $11.50 each and they’re available to the first 25 who RSVP on the Meetup site.

 

The de-baptism event will be Sunday afternoon, May 23rd, at Al Baker’s Restaurant in Eagan. It will be a tongue-in-cheek ceremony where those who were baptized (or not) will have an opportunity to rescind their baptism under the christening power of the Hair Dryer of Reason, which will posthumously dry your baptismal water away. Each person who gets de-baptized will receive a certificate that recognizes their disassociation with God. We’ll enjoy cocktails, appetizers and dinner during and after the impious ceremony. Keep checking the Minnesota Atheists Meetup website (meetup.com/minnesota-atheists) for more information about these events and more! 

Link to de-baptism meetup: http://www.meetup.com/minnesota-atheists/calendar/13014907/).
Link to MN Twins meetup: ( http://www.meetup.com/minnesota-atheists/calendar/12971971/).