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PRODID:-//Meetup Inc//RemoteApi//EN
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CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
X-ORIGINAL-URL:http://atheists.meetup.com/561/calendar/8435141/ical/Freethi
 nker+Solidarity+Day/
X-WR-CALNAME:Events - Freethinker Solidarity Day
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Freethinker Solidarity Day
DESCRIPTION:Bay Area Atheists/Agnostics/Brights/Humanists/Freethinkers\n\nW
 e've got that word "freethinker" up in the name\; a word with an interestin
 g history. \nIt is an old and honored word which generally means rejection 
 of religious dogma. \nThe term would apply to the founders of the Unitarian
  movement\, who rejected religious dogmas such as the trinity and the divin
 ity of Jesus. They created a "church" where members were free to decide for
  themselves without dogma dictated from above. Modern Unitarian Universalis
 t congregations include an assortment of liberal theists\, pantheists\, dei
 sts\, agnostics and atheists. Congressman Pete Stark\, the only member of C
 ongress to acknowledge being an atheist is also a Unitarian.\n\nCalling the
 m Unitarian Universalist "Churches" is something of an historical artifact.
  Many congregations are called Fellowship's. The one on Franklin in San Fra
 ncisco calls itself "The First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Franci
 sco". Atheists are welcome\, not as prospective converts like with evangeli
 cals\, but as fellow freethinkers. They are not about blind faith\; you are
  expected to use your mind.\n\nI'm not a Unitarian myself\, but I've been t
 hinking for a while now of checking out my local "Fellowship" to see what i
 t's like. They seem to have preserved some of the good aspects of "church":
  the community\, the humanist values\, without the bad: religious dogma.\n\
 nAfter reading the news of an unbalanced individual worked into a froth by 
 hate rhetoric walking into a UU church in Knoxville\, Tennessee\, and firin
 g at people with a shotgun\, after reading about the brave people who stopp
 ed him\, I'm feeling it's time to show some solidarity with the Unitarian U
 niversalist movement.\n\nThese are the people brave enough to prominently a
 dvertise "Gays Welcome" in the bible belt. These are people whose charity i
 s not some supernatural edict\, but Humanist values that arise from within.
  These are Humanists. These are Freethinkers.\n\nAnd there are people who w
 ould shoot them down.\n\nI listed the location of this meetup at a prominen
 t Unitarian Universalist location in San Francisco because Meetup requires 
 a specific location. I'm not suggesting everyone go to that particular one.
  I'm suggesting that everyone find their nearest local Unitarian Universali
 st meeting this Sunday and show up in solidarity.\n\nI'm going to my neares
 t local UU meeting. If they pass the plate\, I'll even put in something in 
 honor of Greg McKendry who stopped a shotgun blast to protect others.\n\nHe
 re's a link to help you find a UU location in the Bay Area:\n\nhttp://www.u
 ua.org/aboutus/findcongregation/results.php?zip=94115&radius=250\n\nI turne
 d off "Maybe" for this RSVP. \nNobody is going to be checking who went and 
 who didn't. \nRSVP "Yes" if you like this idea and are going to do it.\n\nS
 an Francisco\, CA  94109 - USA\n\nSunday\, August 3 at 11:00 PM\n\nPhoto: h
 ttp://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/5/1/b/event_3114555.jpeg\n\nA
 ttending: 14\n\nDetails: http://atheists.meetup.com/561/calendar/8435141/
LAST-MODIFIED:20080806T060628Z
UID:event_8435141@meetup.com
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20080729T162230Z
DTSTAMP:20091210T191327Z
DTSTART:20080804T060000Z
DTEND:20080804T080000Z
GEO:37.8;-122.4
LOCATION:Unitarian Universalist Society of SF - 1187 Franklin St - San Fran
 cisco\, CA  94109 - USA
URL:http://atheists.meetup.com/561/calendar/8435141/
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