UPDATE: My October speaking events at Stanford and in Texas have been cancelled, due to my father’s death. I am hoping to reschedule for a later date; if I do, I’ll announce it on this blog.

I have some updates on my upcoming speaking tour in Texas. Most importantly: The event at Southern Methodist University in University Park is now open to the public! And some of the other previously un-announced details for the Texas tour have now been announced as well — including talk topics. I’ll be giving talks on “Atheism and Anger,” “Resistance Is Not Futile: Is Arguing About Religion Worth It?”, and “Atheism and Sexuality.”

Here are the current details for all the currently confirmed Texas events. UPDATE: And here’s a link to useful maps for the SMU and UTA events.

CITY: Dallas, TX
DATE: Wednesday, October 10
TIME: 4:30 pm
LOCATION: Townview Magnet Center (high school) – exact location TBA
EVENT/ HOSTS: Secular Thinkers Alliance at TMC
TOPIC: Why Are You Atheists So Angry?
SUMMARY: The atheist movement is often accused of being driven by anger. What are so many atheists so angry about? Is this anger legitimate? And can anger be an effective force behind a movement for social change?
COST: TBA — probably free but NOT open to the public

CITY: University Park, TX
DATE: Wednesday, October 10
TIME: 7:00
LOCATION: Southern Methodist University – exact location TBA Umpherey-Lee 241
EVENT/ HOSTS: Secular Humanists of SMU. Co-sponsored by the Fellowship of Freethought — Dallas.
TOPIC: Resistance Is Not Futile: Is Arguing About Religion Worth It?
SUMMARY: Many atheists think that trying to persuade people out of religion never works, and simply alienates people. But debating believers about their beliefs can be effective — in changing people’s minds about religion, as well as in achieving other goals of the atheist community. When does it makes sense to debate about religion? How should we go about it? And what should our expectations be for what these debates can accomplish?
COST: Free Suggested donation of $5 – and now open to the public!

CITY: Arlington, TX
DATE: Thursday, October 11
TIME: 6:00 pm
LOCATION: University of Texas at Arlington, Bluebonnet Ballroom
EVENT/ HOSTS: Freethinkers of UTA, co-sponsored by Metroplex Atheists. RSVP on Facebook.
TOPIC: Atheism and Sexuality
SUMMARY: The sexual morality of traditional religion tends to be based, not on solid ethical principles, but on a set of taboos about what kinds of sex God does and doesn’t want people to have. And while the sex-positive community offers a more thoughtful view of sexual morality, it still often frames sexuality as positive by seeing it as a spiritual experience. What are some atheist alternatives to these views? How can atheists view sexual ethics without a belief in God? And how can atheists view sexual transcendence without a belief in the supernatural?
COST: Students free, non-students $10, open to the public

Hope to see you there!