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| Roundtable |
| Book Club |
| Third Sunday Roundtable |
| Reflections |
| Other |
Driving Directions
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Spirituality
“Spirituality” can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his or her being or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” [definition from Wikipedia] At this meeting, RET member Rita Lund will briefly outline her own concept of spirituality and what it means to her. We should all reflect on the following questions before the meeting to facilitate the talking-stick go-round after Rita’s introduction.
Rita’s self-knowledge recognizes four distinct realms in her life: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual. How do you conceive of and/or express your feelings about “spirituality”? Is this an acknowledged facet of your life, or so inconsequential as to be meaningless for you? If you do find meaning in the term, how do you engage with your own spirituality? What activities bring you a feeling of peace, greater calm, and overall well-being?
Time and Location: Schera and Ted Lollis Home, 9219 George Williams Road, 37922]in the Cedar Bluff area. Please bring a bottle, box, or dish to share during our pot-luck lunch which begins at 1:00 pm. Please call 865.690.8742 for directions.
Apr. 22, 2012, 1:00 pm
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How Human Minds Build and Believe in God(s)
Dr. J. Anderson (Andy) Thomson M.D., psychiatrist, author, and trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason will present the RET Annual Public Lecture at Pellissippi State Community College on Sunday, May 6, 2-4 p.m. in the Goins Auditorium. Please note the time change from our usual Sunday meetings.
The presentation is titled "How and Why Human Minds Build and Believe in God(s)".
Dr. Thomson notes that few people realize the cognitive neurosciences have mapped out how and why human minds produce beliefs in the supernatural, but this knowledge is now available and should soon be a usual part of a 21st century education. The talk will describe the basics of the current psychological explanation of religious beliefs and how certain rituals reinforce them.
Andy is a staff psychiatrist at the University of Virginia Student Health Center and at the Institute for Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy. He also has his own private practice as a psychiatrist in Charlottesville. He is noted for his work on evolutionary psychology, as well as for his exploration of the cognitive and evolutionary basis of religious belief, as presented in his recent book with Clare Aufoker entitled "Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith" (Pitchstone Publishing, 2011).
In an interview with the Austin American-Statesman (6/17/2011), Thomson stated, "There is a massive, irreconcilable conflict between science and religion. Religion was humanity's original cosmology, biology and anthropology. It provided explanations for the origin of the world, life and humans. Science now gives us increasingly complete explanations for those big three."
May 06, 2012, 2:00-4:00 pm
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The Skeptic Book Club
The book for May is "The Invisible Gorilla" by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons.
Reading this book will make you less sure of yourself—and that’s a good thing. The authors, who are creators of one of psychology’s most famous experiments, use remarkable stories and counterintuitive scientific findings to demonstrate an important truth: Our minds don’t work the way we think they do. We think we see ourselves and the world as they really are, but we’re actually missing a whole lot.
Chabris and Simons combine the work of other researchers with their own findings on attention, perception, memory, and reasoning to reveal how faulty intuitions often get us into trouble.
Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 8029 Kingston Pike, 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
May 13, 2012, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
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The Rally for Reason
Saturday March 24 marked a watershed in the American Freethought movement. Despite intermittent chilling rain, a crowd estimated to be as large as 20,000 gathered on the Washington mall to express their trust in science and reason rather than supernatural gods.
The Rally was attended by several RET members. At our third Sunday discussion in May, they will have the opportunity to share this experience and to present their thoughts about the usefulness of such major public displays for influencing social awareness of the “nones” and for affecting political policies.
May 20, 2012, 10:30 am - 12:30m pm
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Reflections Meeting
Saturday, May 26, 2012 5:00 – 9:00 pm
11608 Lanesborough Way, Farragut 37934
Note this meeting is on Saturday rather than Sunday and at a time later than usual. It will be hosted by Duane Kraeger (Call 966-8920 for directions).
RET member, Carol Tokay, thinks that we might be able to improve our public image by doing more “good works”. Carol has several ideas about what more we might do in the
public sphere. Below are some of her suggestions. We’d like for you all to put on your thinking caps and come to this meeting with other suggestions – your favorite local charities or good works groups, which you’d like to recommend as an official RET activity. Some examples:
· Manning the phones at NPR’s and/or PBS’s fund-raising events
· Contributing a park bench with our name on a plaque to a new park, playground, or green space
· Making/contributing an exhibit for a local science museum
· Raising money for charities which churches do not consider worthy, like AIDS victims or GLBT organizations.
Please Join Us with your ideas. Bring a box, bag, or dish to share.
May 26, 2012, Potluck Dinner
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