Atheists ahoy!
I had the best weekend. At a conference. With speakers. And seating plans. And conference food.
How does this happen you may ask?
I purchased tickets (expensive, gold-version tickets that allowed us to sit right at the front in the elite section) to the Global Atheist Conference in Melbourne.
This was a one stop shop for all of my intellectual crushes, and I added quite a few to the list by the end of the weekend. Peter Singer, P Z Myers and Richard Dawkins were joined by A C Grayling (a new favourite), Catherine Deveny, Jane Caro, Phillip Adams, Taslima Nasrin (heartbreakingly inspiring), Sue-Anne Post (heartbreakingly hilarious), Dan Barker, Ian Robinson and the awesome comedians Jamie Kilstein, NonStampCollector, Julian Morrow and Craig Reucassel. Too. Much. Good.
Richard Dawkins looking bamboozled - around 300 people lined up with books to sign!
The most wonderful thing about this gathering was that I finally felt at home. I was finally around people who understand the way I think and what I believe in (truth, for all of those that are curious) and didn’t screw their noses up when I proclaimed that I don’t believe in the supernatural nor religion in all its guises.
All of the speakers had excellent points and most spoke clearly, concisely and confidently about their beliefs (or lack thereof) and their experiences of religion. Some of the greatest insights came from the speakers who had experienced religion first hand. Sue-Ann Post grew up in a Mormon household (and is now a lesbian comedian), Dan Barker was an evangelical preacher (fascinating) and Taslima Nasran has been banned from her home nation for speaking out against the oppression of women under the Islamic religion.
Poor photo of Peter Singer
Of course my favourite was Peter Singer. He talked about the ability of human beings to be ethical without religion and he was a joy. I raced up after his speech to get my book signed and was far too excited. I told him I liked his glasses. He looked at me like I am special. I am mortified I said this to one of the centuries greatest minds, but I plan on stalking him out again and asking something more intelligent like “Dr Singer, who should win the latest season of ‘So you think you can dance”?
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the conference and a lot of commentators poo-pooing the idea of atheists gathering together (apparently it is like herding cats). We have every right to come together and enjoy each others company. We have every right to cheer and shout and drink far too much and relish being alive. Heck, we paid for it (no government funding for us; a recent church gathering in Melbourne received between $4 and $5 million).
'The Ethics of What We Eat' by Peter Singer and Jim Mason
I’m not going to rant. I do truly believe, though, that religion has a lot of badness to answer for. I also believe that I should not be funding their tax breaks and perks with my hard-earned income. Honestly, I would rather fund our ridiculously ailing health system, or free, secular education for all, or even just better public transport.
I would recommend an atheist gathering to all, regardless of your beliefs or stance on freedom of religion. The people are welcoming and the food is great and the ideas are freely flowing and open. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my precious time.
Tags: 2010, atheism, books, feckin' hot, the genius of others
March 19th, 2010 at 3:26 am
“the food is great” hahah love.
i had no idea that church/religious gatherings could be funded by the government. that’s crazy talk! if one belief is helped out with $$$, all should be. lame.
id be so interested in hearing peter singer, or any of these people speak really. i think i am an atheist. i mean, i don’t believe in a god and i don’t like organized religion. i believe you can be ethical and spiritual without both. i was raised jewish and i still call myself a jew, but in the ethical/community sense, not in a religious way. do i make sense? probs not. maybe there is some sort of ‘mother earth’ type spirit in the trees, oceans etc but not some white dude with a beard who judges us. hey, santa!
thanks for your last comment btw. its hard to remember you’re not alone in things like career crap sometimes. xxx
March 19th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Hey, food is one of the most important things in my life!
It doesn’t sound silly at all saying you are Jewish. One of the speakers (forgive me for not remembering which one) identified as a Jewish atheist. She said that her Jewish heritage is so important to her and feels more like it is her culture than her religion. I think that is a really good point.
I’m sorry for how long my last comment was, I really didn’t want to hijack the way you were feeling. I guess I just understood where you were coming from.
x
March 23rd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Oh I’m so glad you had a good time! Sounds mind opening! I’m not religious at all and I don’t really think about it much.. A friend of mine is very interested in the topic though I think the would have been the best day ever for him x
who should win so you think you can dance baahahahahhahahah