Last Wed. at the Beaverton Science/Religion (Sciligion) meetup we had a crowd of about 60 people discussing the ideas behind the Christian idea of Easter.  We had a Muslim leader and Christian Pastor give a short presentation, followed by a 1 hr. Q&A session.  It was nice to see so many people with vastly different outlooks on life and theology actually get together in a respectful way to share differences of opinion.  Info on this past event (and future events) is here:
http://www.meetup.com/sciligion/

If you would have liked to attend but couldn’t, there’s another opportunity in Vancouver on Sun. March 28 2010 at Peoples Church.  All info is here:
http://www.meetup.com/Christian-Atheist-Discussion-Group/calendar/12123096/

For the Vancouver event, will have 10 min. presentations by a Muslim, atheist, and Christian (30 minutes total).  This is followed by a 1 hr. Q&A time.

…Bernie

I’m looking forward to this event in a few hours.  The atheist speaker is Tom Gebhardt, of the Portland CFI chapter.  The Muslim speaker is expected to bring about 20 Muslims with himself to this event, so it is a good (and friendly) mixture for all the belief groups.

The audience in the last discussion event in Beaverton was very civil and respectful.  It shows that maybe there is some prospect for tolerance, after all, in this world we live in.

...Bernie

Feedback: Christian/Atheist Discussion Group in Vancouver, WA on Sun. 3-28-10

Last Sunday we met at Peoples Church for the Vancouver Christian/Atheist discussion group.  The topic was on Easter.  Did Jesus really rise from the dead? We had short presentations by a Christian, Muslim, and atheist.  All info about the event is here:
http://www.meetup.com/Christian-Atheist-Discussion-Group/calendar/12123096/

We had a good-sized crowd of maybe 50 people or so.  Probably most of them were Muslims.

We ended at 8 pm so we had ample time for small-group and 1-1 impromptu discussions afterwards.  Some of the Christians expressed surprise that Muslims would enter a church, and one Muslim woman expressed her heartfelt emotions about how nice it was to come together and talk about these things in a friendly and peaceful way.  The atheist was also a witness for his belief system, as some people don’t really claim to know any atheists or maybe think the worst when trying to imagine how an atheist acts and thinks.  We had good ambassadors (Tom for atheism, Joe for Christianity, and Mohammad for Islam).

Our next Vancouver discussion (on Sun. 4-25-10) is on the topic of “the felt relationship with Christ.”  All info is here:
http://www.meetup.com/Christian-Atheist-Discussion-Group/calendar/12123101/

This topic deals with the fact that Christians (and other believers) often state that they know God exists and Jesus is real because they can “feel Him in their heart.”  That is an interesting claim and piece of evidence.  We’ll discuss how valid it may or may not be.

The next meetup for the Beaverton Science/Religion meetup is on Wed. 4-21-10.  This is an interesting event on two counts: topic and venue.  All info is here:
http://www.meetup.com/sciligion/calendar/11912098/

As for topic, it is “What is the meaning of Life?”  We will have three perspectives: Christian, Muslim, and Secular Humanist (atheist).  Personally, this has been a burning question for me, and I look forward to presenting my findings on the matter (for the Secular Humanist position).

As for the venue, it will be in a Mosque.  Have you ever stepped inside one?  Not only will we be “on the ground” but we will also be able to mix with their congregation.  So far we have had two of these mixer-type meetings and they have gone over very well.  Can you feel the healing? 

If you are reading this and haven’t yet attended one of these meetings, please consider joining us.  For the right people (as my friend Dr. Don would say, the people that are kind, friendly, and charitable), it is a lot of fun.

…Bernie