Our sister organization, the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign, had an immensely successful debate last night. Here is what they had to say. Please consider donating.

Last night more than 300 people came out to see Dan Waugh and Dan Barker debate the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign’s ad “You Can Be Good Without God”. Both respected men were in excellent form and exemplified civility. We at the Bus Campaign could not be more pleased with the debate.

One of our key goals in forming INABC was to promote discussion amongst people who normally do not talk to each other due to disagreement. We wanted to encourage critical thinking on the reasons behind faith or lack thereof. Both of these goals ultimately create more understanding between theists and nontheists in our community. Dan Waugh and Dan Barker not only fulfilled our goals but did so in a very respectful manner.

We want people to feel comfortable discussing sensitive, controversial topics like religion. Oftentimes people are fearful to express their opinions or do not want to offend someone else. However, as both Waugh and Barker showed us last night, we can break down these barriers in a way that is not inflammatory or disrespectful. We can discuss religion critically whether we believe or do not believe in God.

While audience members may not have agreed with the speakers, this debate gave people the opportunity to hear well thought out arguments that may have been contradictory to the ones they held when they walked in. Events like this should happen more often! With these debates we can enter an age where critical discussion of religion is met with no hesitation, no fear. With your help, we can make strides towards a world where any idea can enter into a fair and balanced discussion where neither side feels the need to hold back.

Our work is not done. There are so many cities that have not seen our message! So many more topics that have yet to be debated! Your gift is not just a donation; it is an investment into a society of free minds, good hearts, and loud voices. Make your online tax deductable gift today.

Today, October 6, is the International Day of Prayer.  Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) is celebrating the day by (you guessed it!) praying for 24 hours.  Christians certainly have every right to express their faith through prayer, and our group supports their freedom to do this.  However, in an affirmation of science and reason, we posted flyers about the event to encourage those who prefer action over prayer to join SAIU.

For more background on IDOP, here’s what one website has to say about it:

We believe that prayer changes things. Exactly what happens is a mystery of faith. God invites us to present to Him our requests and to pray without ceasing. Persecuted Christians often plead for prayer to help them endure. The most we can do is the least we can do — pray.

IDOP, as far as we can tell, doesn’t seem to be recognized officially by any governments, unlike the National Day of Prayer in the US, which has designated the first Thursday in May as a day when citizens are asked to come together and pray.  However, this celebration of IDOP by Cru seems to encourage our fellow students to wish for good things to happen, and to believe that wishing will have some tangible effect on the outcome of world events.  We hope that students at IU will stand together in action, affirming the belief that “Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer.”

SAIU plans on having multiple events throughout the semester which focus on the idea that “you can be good without God.”  Service events in conjunction with Pages to Prisoners and Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard have been planned so that members can reach out to the Bloomington community.

If you would like to join us in our efforts, please click on the “New Members” link to be directed to information about joining our listserv and Facebook groups and finding out about events.  Atheists and non-religious folk have not historically been very community-focused, and SAIU is working to change that.  We hope that you will join us in reaching out to help those in need, showing our non-theistic compassion, and promoting a reason-based worldview.

Hemant Mehta’s talk, Improving the Atheist Image, was covered twice by the IDS (once the day day of, and once the day after).

Here’s the first article. And here’s the follow-up article.