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Minutes of 8-12-98, Meeting #29 Twenty five were in attendance at Schuler Books and Music Store.
Note: We were originally scheduled to meet at Schulers on 8-26. Due to our size it was felt best to use our next site if available. It is! So on Wednesday, 8-26, at 7 p.m. we will be at the UICA, 41 Sheldon Blvd. We owe a lot of thanks to Schuler Books for allowing us to use their store for free, and for the free refreshments they provided. Our presence there, because it was large, tended to be an inconvenience to some of their customers who were interested in that portion of the store.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Jeff mentioned that in September we will be meeting at our new permanent location. The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, 41 Sheldon Boulevard SE, will be our new home. We will be charged $25 for each meeting; a donation box will be available for those wishing to help out , and to eventually reimburse one of our generous attendees who has paid for six months in advance.
Thanks to Murray we now have our own private, non-moderated, e-mail discussion list. To sign up, visit our web site or go directly to http://faowm_disc.listbot.com/.
The Coalition for Pro-Choice Organizations (COPCO) is sponsoring a forum at Fountain Street Church on Tuesday, 8-18 at 7 p.m., to examine Promise Keepers stance on homosexuality, the poor, religion, reproductive choice, school, race, and women and children.
'Topic' slips were distributed for those wishing to have certain topics discussed at future meetings.
Jeff is composing a membership directory, and names of attendees were circulated for the purpose of giving him permission to include names in the directory.
On the second Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. a Freethought lunch is provided in homes. Last Sunday 13 attended. Sign up sheets were distributed for those interested in attending, hosting and providing refreshments.
Charley ask for a showing of hands of those interested, under the auspices of our group, in helping clean portions of highways. He also asked two philosophical questions: After 2,000 years of Jesus' existence, is the world any better?; and why is so much money wasted on church structures and tombstones?
DISCUSSION Earle referred back to the last meeting's discussion regarding abortion and human life, reaffirming the difficulty in defining human life. Let alone the state of the fetus, defining human life for those classified as autistic or idiotic complicate the definition, and perhaps calls for a reinterpretation of human life. The topic for discussion addressed "Life and Death?" Various out-of-body experiences that have appeared in literature were reviewed. Hard evidence of these phenomena remain questionable. Craig described the episode of his stroke, at a relatively young age, which did not give him an out-of-body experience. It did, for the better, alter his behavior and outlook. It was agreed that the brain is very complex, and it can create strange things that can hardly be analyzed appropriately. The Bridey Murphy story of 'recall' was found to be invalid. 'Cold readings' have been found to be deceptive. Magicians, physics and the like are not creditable. When disaster strikes, too often the emphasis is to attribute it to the unknowing wisdom of God, and in the case of survival, credit is given to God, even though others in the same event may have expired. If life does not have its reward in an afterlife, why would we not tend to live a life of hedonism, and disregard for others? Experiences of life demonstrate the need to be considerate of others. Societal influences such as: doing unto others what you want them to do to you; orderliness; and helpfulness (tit for tat) all provide for a mutually satisfying environment. Eastern religious philosophy was reviewed, with the realization that an emphasis is not placed upon an afterlife, but rather upon the significance of the present moment. Christianity has promoted the denial of pleasure on the earthly plain, considering it unworthy to assure one's place in a heaven. This has led to psychological problems for a number of people, certainly in regards to sexual attitudes. Should there be ultimate justice in light of the fact that justice is not always fulfilled on earth, especially to those less fortunate? The theory is comforting, but it has been used to placate those to whom injustice has been done, especially the victims of slavery and discrimination. ____________________________ Children's Letters to God:
Dear God: I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that OK?
Dear God: I want to be just like my Daddy when I get big, but not with so much hair all over. |
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