We will have a monthly Social in Knox County at Panera Bread on North Peters Road near the Dick's Sports discount store (Going, Going, Gone!) Click here to see the menu.
The first Knox County Social was well-attended. Everyone is welcome.
Come join fellow freethinkers for lively discussion around a light meal.
This will be a monthly event on the Fourth Wednesday.
In March, the Knox County Social will be on Wednesday, March 26.
RET Field Trip to see "Inherit the Wind"
Clarence Brown Theater
Friday, February 28, 7:30 PM
Friday, February 28, there is an excellent opportunity for RET members to descend on the Clarence Brown Theater for a performance of Inherit the Wind. This is the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial, so it is a perfect time to revisit this iconic piece. Here is the description provided by CBT:
"Feel the heat of the courtroom in the sizzling American classic 'Inherit the Wind,' an explosive drama inspired by the most important trial of the 20th Century, the Scopes Monkey Trial, on its 100th anniversary. As a media circus descends on a small Tennessee town, two of the nation’s most powerful lawyers go head-to-head in the ultimate battle of wits, wills, and the political and religious divide that could be ripped directly from today’s headlines. In a fresh production boldly re-imagined for today, the fast-paced drama explores religion, intellectual freedom and the relationship between social norms and law."
Here is a link for tickets. A downloadable Playbill is also available at that site.
The time for this gathering is Friday, February 28, 7:30 PM. But it may be good to arrive early for conversation with other RETers before the play.
March First Sunday Meeting (in Person)
March 2, 2025 10:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Pellissippi State, Hardin Valley, Goins Bldg Cafeteria Annex
Our guest this month will be Jennifer Davis speaking on Avoiding Scams.
Jennifer Davis spent 40 years working with computers and information security. Now that she is retired, she spends time helping neighbors, friends and local non-profit organizations with the challenges of technology. While working for the Department of Defense, she created and delivered custom training courses to help government personnel adapt to Microsoft 365 and Power BI (Business Intelligence). Jennifer will enlighten us on cyber fraud, identity theft and how best to protect us from the hidden criminals on the internet and social media. Jennifer particularly encourages audience participation. learning from the mistakes of others.
Coffee and other hot beverages will be served. Bring a snack to share if you wish.
We meet in the Cafeteria Annex at the back of the Goins Administration Building. Please enter through the rear to avoid disturbing any other groups using the building.
For those who live at a distance, the meeting is available through Zoom:
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kvERTkG8Z
Blount County First Wednesday Social
Wednesday, March 5, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Come join us at "The Bird and The Book" Cafe, 1509 E Broadway Ave, Maryville, for socializing and dinner.
If you have any extra copies of Free Inquiry, Skeptical Inquirer, Freethought Today, or other Freethought magazines, bring them to the social. We will try to have RET stickers ready to place over your addresses to make the magazines suitable for distribution for outreach.
If you enjoy looking at menus ahead of time, check out this link:
Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through?
By Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away—no climate change, no war, no Twitter—beckons, and settling the stars finally seems within our grasp. Or is it? Space technologies and space business are progressing fast, but we lack the knowledge needed to have space kids, build space farms, and create space nations in a way that doesn’t spark conflict back home. In a world hurtling toward human expansion into space, A City on Mars investigates whether the dream of new worlds won’t create nightmares, both for settlers and the people they leave behind. In the process, the Weinersmith's answer every question about space you’ve ever wondered about, and many you’ve never considered: Can you make babies in space? Should corporations govern space settlements? What about space war? Are we headed for a housing crisis on the Moon’s Peaks of Eternal Light—and what happens if you’re left in the Craters of Eternal Darkness? Why do astronauts love taco sauce? Speaking of meals, what’s the legal status of space cannibalism? With deep expertise, a winning sense of humor, and art from the beloved creator of the webcomic,"Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal," the Weinersmith's investigate perhaps the biggest questions humanity will ever ask itself—whether and how to become multiplanetary. 448 pages
March Third Sunday
Zoom Meeting
March 16 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Our Third Sunday Zoom Meeting will be "Bring Your Own RANT."
Things got you down? Or Angry? Venting may help you deal with things.
What is patience? It's supposed to be a virtue, but we think of it mainly as frustration. Why are you impatient in a traffic jam, but not while waiting for your favorite tv show to come on? Why does some waiting drive us crazy, while other waiting is ho hum? Is waiting fair? Check this out:
Rationalists of East Tennessee Secular Scholarship 2025
RET expands the educational opportunities of secular students in hopes of helping to develop future secular leadership.
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, February 1, 2025 — The Rationalists of East Tennessee (RET) announces its annual Secular scholarship application submission period for the 2025-2026 school year. The scholarship program is aimed at students who are enrolled full time in accredited colleges or universities and who identify as secular.
The scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Applicants must be a resident of the United States, Canada, or U.S. territories at the time of application and studying full-time at an accredited college or university in Fall 2025. RET will award up to 10 unrestricted scholarships of $2200 each.
RET is an organization created to benefit people by expanding understanding of the universe through the use of empirical and rational methods. Our purpose is to foster an environment suitable to free speech and exchange of ideas, promote free inquiry, encourage critical thinking, and emphasize the importance of the scientific method. We explore ethical and intellectual alternatives to supernatural beliefs, model humanistic ethics through service to the greater community, and provide fellowship to people who share these purposes.
In 2022, RET launched its Secular scholarship to bring awareness to these principles. Thus far, RET has awarded a total of $52,000 to 25 winners. RET’s aim was to encourage students to reflect on issues regarding secularism, Christian nationalism, and non-theism.
There are many scholarships available from religious organizations for students. With its annual scholarship, RET hopes to turn passion into action and invite students to work toward the secular issues they believe in.
To apply, students must choose to write three essays on six provided topics. Applications will be accepted February 1 to May 1, 2025. The winners will be chosen by July 1, 2025.
