Greta Speaking in San Francisco Sun. 1/13

Hi, all! If you’re going to be in the San Francisco area on Sunday January 13, come hear me speak! It’ll be from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Women’s Building (near BART), hosted by Atheist Advocates of San Francisco. The topic: “Resistance Is Not Futile: Is Arguing About Religion Worth It?”

Here are more details:

CITY: San Francisco, CA
DATE: Sunday, January 13
TIME: 3:00 – 5:00 PM
LOCATION: Audre Lorde Room (Upstairs), Women’s Building, 3543 18th (at Valencia), San Francisco. (Three blocks from the Mission and 16th St. BART station; there’s also a nearby parking garage at 3255 21st Street at Lexington.)
HOSTS: Atheist Advocates of San Francisco
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?

In this talk, Greta will discuss: why arguing about religion is effective; why many people assume that it isn’t effective; who it is and isn’t worth arguing about religion with; what expectations to have when arguing about religion; when — or with whom — you might decide not to engage in these arguments; and what goals arguing about religion can help us accomplish.
COST: $6 donation to cover the cost of renting the space.

Hope to see you there!

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Greta Speaking in San Francisco Sun. 1/13
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One thought on “Greta Speaking in San Francisco Sun. 1/13

  1. 1

    My observation is this: When I was an evangelical Christian, no amount of arguing about religion was going to make me change my mind, because my mind was closed — hell, it was hermetically sealed shut. That was how it was supposed to be — otherwise, the devil would get in there, with his lies and deceptions! However, when the time eventually, and inevitably, came that I began to suspect it was all a bunch of nonsense, and I needed input from the “other side” to help me get clarity about what I was involved in, the voices of those “arguing against religion” — Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins initially, and many others (including you, Greta!) later on — then became very, very important. The rational arguments do not persuade someone like me whose mind is closed, nor do they — at least in my case — help one open a closed mind. But once the believer begins, for reasons having nothing to do with arguments, to seriously doubt their religious world-view, and begins to get open to other ideas, those who can effectively articulate a world-view based on science, evidence, and reason, and who cheerfully and unapologetically reject faith in the supernatural, can then perform a very valuable service. A lifesaving service, in my case. So yes: arguing about religion is very effective, but maybe not in the way one might expect.

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