We are switching over to WordPress forums. We have been using temporary forums recently while fixing bugs and spam issues. You can use the forums for general conversation, introducing yourself, extending the conversations from our discussion meetings, and sharing ideas for Secular Alliance events!

http://saiu.org/forums/

On Tuesday, May 22 at 6pm we will be watching Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life in Lindley Hall room 102. The show outlines the development of the theory by Darwin through his observations of animals and plants in nature and in the domesticated state, visiting sites important in Darwin’s own life. The show reviews the development of the theory since its beginnings, and its revolutionary impact on the way in which humans view themselves – not as having dominion over the animals as the Bible says, but as a part of the natural world and subject to the same controlling forces that govern all life on Earth.

Map to Lindley Hall: http://g.co/maps/yvz74

With Joe Biden’s recent gaffe, and President Obama’s confirmation of that gaffe, there has been much talk about gay marriage. Some of that talk is opposition, specifically opposition that is based on religion. To put this briefly, your opposition to gay marriage means absolutely nothing if you’re grounding it in religion. That statement is not an attack on religion by any means. You are free to believe whatever you want. However, the consequences of those beliefs only affect those who hold them.

I have said that before and religious people will generally express to me that whether I follow their religion or not, I will eventually experience the consequences. Once again, you are certainly free to believe that, but that does not give you a free pass to take away others rights simply because you choose not to have them yourself. My personal opinion on marriage is that it shouldn’t be state recognized, that only civil unions should be. But we’re a long way off on that.

Another personal opinion of mine is that if you believe two people who probably love each other more than you and your heterosexual spouse do shouldn’t be able to do simple things like have visiting rights at the hospial or file taxes together, then you are kind of a dick.

Jessika Griffin is the president of the Secular Alliance. She is a senior studying public management, health administration, and legal studies.

Recently the Secular Coalition for America (largest nontheist lobbying group) appointed a Republican as its head. We will discuss whether 1) she specifically is a good person to represents atheists and 2) what sort of qualities we would like as a representative who lobbies Congress. As usual there will be tea and other treats. We will meet in Lindley 102 at 6pm  on Tuesday May 15, but will move outside if the weather is nice.

Interview with Hemant Mehta

On Friday, May 11 at 3pm the Secular Alliance will go on a guided tour of the Kinsey Institute, located in Morrison 313 (1165 E. Third St.) which is directly north of Memorial Hall. We will meet in the lobby area by the elevator on the ground floor and go up to the Kinsey Institute at 2:55. The mission of The Kinsey Institute is to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender, and reproduction.

In a press release that you can find on the IU News Room website concerning a newly published book on the power of prayer in medicine, written by IU professor Candy Gunther Brown, the release says the following:

“…even a majority of medical doctors say that miraculous healing sometimes occurs.”

When asked where this claim came from, the source given was the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, which conducted a national survey of 1,100 physicians in 2004.

The survey no longer appears to be available and happens to be cited in the Southern Medical Journal, which also published a different faith healing study done by Brown that PZ Myers did a pretty good job debunking.

“This study was wide open to experimental bias, and given that two of the authors of the study were not medically trained at all, but were instead members of schools of theology, and that all of the work was funded by the Templeton Foundation, we can guess what answer they wanted.”

Speaking as a journalism student and as someone who’s covered press releases, you have to be careful how you present information. You don’t want to mislead people, you don’t want to lean on questionable sources, and you don’t want to ignore any possible conflicts of interest.

Without access to the study that makes this erroneous claim, it’s impossible to fully understand why such a claim was made. Why not point to the Harvard study that showed how prayer actually had a negative effect on surgery patients? I would content it’s more valid than the study cited in the press release.

Note: The Secular Alliance hosted Brown as a speaker in January 2010.

Matt Cowan is a third-year student at IU studying Journalism. He is the secretary of the Secular Alliance.

We’re starting off the summer the worst way possible: watching a film about a religious cult of children who believe everyone over the age of 18 must be killed. If that doesn’t get you excited for Bloomington turning into a ghost town over the summer, I don’t know what will!

The movie will be in Woodburn 101  at 6pm! Don’t be late, because if you walk in late you might scare everyone else.

The Send an Atheist to Church fundraiser in February and the Flying Spaghetti Monster Feast combined raised $650 for Doctors Without Borders! Thanks for a great semester of service, everyone!

We look forward to continuing service events, discussions, movie nights, field trips, speakers, and much much more next year! Keep checking the website for information about summer activities.

Remember if you have suggestions, comments, or concerns just shoot an email to secular@indiana.edu

Meanwhile, check out this awesomely amazing video.

It’s dead week and you’ve been studying hard for finals, take a break and play games with us in the community center! We have Dominion, Settlers of Catan, Apples to Apples, Bibleopoly, and many more! Plus you can bring your own games to share.

We’ll meet in the office (room 577 of the Student Activities Tower in the IMU)  at 7pm and if we outgrow that space we’ll go elsewhere in the IMU. If we move, there will be a note on the door so you know where to find us!