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From the Free Library Calendar:

Evolutionary biologist and unapologetic atheist Richard Dawkins taught for many years at Oxford University as the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science. The Economist called his international bestseller, The God Delusion, "a particularly comprehensive case against religion." His other works include The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker. A follow-up to The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth uses scientific evidence to argue the case for evolution.

Cost: $14 General Admission, $7 Students
Tickets available via library site.

* Auditorium Tickets have already sold out. Only Simulcast Seating is available for $6 *Pre-Lecture Meetup

Several members have expressed interest in a dinner meeting prior to the lecture. It would be a good idea to be in the library at least a half hour before the lecture starts, so I would suggest a meeting at 6:00 pm.

If you have ideas or suggestions, please post them below.
Links
Promotional Video: The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Youtube)
Excerpt: Richard Dawkins's New Book on Evolution - Newsweek.com
Dawkins’ new book, The Greatest Show on Earth, demonstrates the power of storytelling in communicating evolution’s biological evidence - PZ Myers, Seed Magazine
Amazon.com Page

Informal discussion of Politics, Philosophy and Religion over dinner in old city Philadelphia.
Discussion topics:
Richard Dawkins Lecture

Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT)
Menu
You can view Midtown's selections ahead of time on their website

Public Transportation

Subway: the location is within easy walking distance of the 11th Street station of the Market Frankford Subway Line.

Regional rail: all Septa passenger rail lines pass through Market East station. The location is on 11th street within walking distance of Market East.

Bus: The 9, 21, and 42 Septa buses travel past the location.

Church/State Issues Symposium

The Bucks County chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State will be hosting an all-day Symposium at Bucks County Community College. Please RSVP on their site so they know how many people will attend.

From the Americans United Calendar:

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

A range of views on this important topic will be presented by speakers from Academia, the Clergy, and Legal Professions. View the abstracts for each topic here.

A round-table discussion with the speakers will be held at the conclusion.

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PROGRAM

9:00 - 9:15 Introduction
J. Edward Joyce President Bucks County Chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

9:15 - 9:35 The Evolution of a Concept: A Brief History of Church/State Separation
J. Edward Joyce President Bucks County Chapter, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

9:35 - 9:55 Religion, Political Engagement, and the Separation of Church and State
Helen Schroepfer Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy, West Chester University

9:55 - 10:15 The Separation of Rights from Rites: Civil Contract and Religious Covenant
Reverend Karla Fleshman Pastor and Church Planting Consultant, Imago Dei Metropolitan Community Church

10:15 - 10:30 BREAK

10:30 - 10:50 The Morality of Same-Sex Marriages
Matthew F. Pierlott Assistant Professor Department of Philosophy, West Chester University

10:50 - 11:10 Preachers and Politicians Crowding Our Bedrooms
Rev. Dr. Beverly Dale General Minister and President Christian Association, University of Pennsylvania

11:10 - 11:30 Teach the Controversy: Understanding the Implications of a Critical Attitude in Education
Mehul Shah Assistant Professor Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Bucks County Community College

11:30 - 12:30 LUNCH

12:30 - 12:50 Some Philosophical and Ethical Influences for the Constitutional Separation of Church and State
Joan Woolfrey Associate Professor and Chair Department of Philosophy, West Chester University

12:50 - 1:10 Environmentalism: A New Threat to the Separation of Church and State
Gordon Graham Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and Arts Department of Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

1:10 - 1:30 Constitutional Strategies of the New Christian Right
Rogers Smith C.H. Browne Distinguished Professor Political Science Department, University of Pennsylvania

1:30 - 1:50 God and Country: Protecting the Integrity of the Christian Faith
Nancy J. Duff S. Colwell Associate Professor of Christian Ethics Department of Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary

1:50 - 2:05 BREAK

2:05 - 2:25 Constructing a Membrane: The Definitional Problem in Segregating Religious and Political Behavior
David Headman Adjunct Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies Philosophy Department, West Chester University

2:25 - 2:45 Is There a Right of Refusal?: An Overview of Conscience Legislation and Litigation
Jef Klazen Madison Fellow Legal Department, Americans United for Separation of Church and State

2:45 - 3:05 Between a Rock and a Hard Place: When the Two “Religion Clauses” of the First Amendment Conflict
Mary Catherine Roper Senior Staff Attorney American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania

3:05 - 3:25 American Muslims, Islamic Law and the State: Tensions and Opportunities
Phillip Hoefs Adjunct Instructor Religion Department, Temple University

3:25 - 4:00 Speaker/Audience Open Discussion

RSVP Here

Informal discussion of Politics, Philosophy and Religion over dinner in old city Philadelphia.
Discussion topics:

PZ Myers' visit to the Creation Museum in Kentucky

Public Transportation

Subway: the location is within easy walking distance of the 5th Street station of the Market Frankford Subway Line.

Regional rail: all Septa passenger rail lines pass through Market East station. From there one can take the subway from 11th Street station eastbound to 5th.

Bus: The 9, 21, and 42 Septa buses travel past the location.

Show Description on Eventful.com

Sam Singleton Atheist Evangelist’s live performances draw a surprisingly diverse audience--not only the expected “true nonbelievers” and “philosophical and theological types” but, a lot of people who just like to laugh.

The two-act show, which writer-actor Roger Scott Jackson describes as a theater piece rather than a stand-up act, will be presented at the Ethical Society Building at 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Saturday, July 18, at 8 p.m.

Tour manager Cari Park describes the setting: “The stage is black and bare except for a pulpit, a small altar bench, three rickety folding chairs, and a coat tree, all starkly white. Brother Sam, in his signature frock coat, blue vest and matching spectacles, conducts the crowd through a hilarious and hair-raising tour of his childhood among ‘the tongues-speaking, snake-handling, frothing-at-the-mouth holy rollers,’ and subsequent ‘reversion to the atheistic state into which we all are born,’ before ending Act I with a mercilessly satiric deconstruction of the role of God in American life.”

The performance itself lasts a little less than two hours including a 15 minute intermission. Tickets are available in advance for $12 at www.samsingleton.com. Any remaining tickets will be available for $15 dollars at the door.

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Meetup member Shaun McGonigal will be meeting afterwards for dinner. You can reach him on his contact page.