Greta Speaking in Grand Rapids and Detroit (Farmington Hills), Feb. 22 and 24!

CFI and Birmingham Temple logos

Hi, all! I’m speaking in Michigan in February — in Grand Rapids on Feb. 22, and in Farmington Hills (a suburb of Detroit) on Feb. 24. If you’re in the area, I hope to see you soon!

DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 2017
TIME: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
LOCATION: Women’s City Club, 254 E. Fulton St., Grand Rapids, MI
TOPIC: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life
SUMMARY: So you don’t believe in God. Now what? The way we deal with life can change dramatically when we stop believing in gods, souls, and afterlives. When we leave religion — or if we never had it in the first place — where do we go? How do we deal with love and sex, pleasure and death, reality and making stuff up? How do we decide on our values, and how do we live them?
COST: Free (suggested donation $5)
HOSTS: CFI Michigan
EVENT URL: http://www.cfimichigan.org/events/event/w-lecture-022217/
FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/events/1301724013184454/
MEETUP: https://www.meetup.com/cfi-mi/events/237368909/

DATE: Friday, February 24
TIME: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
LOCATION: Birmingham Temple/Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, 28611 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI
TOPIC: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life
SUMMARY: See above
COST: Free (donations appreciated)
HOSTS: Birmingham Temple/Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, and CFI Michigan
EVENT URL: http://www.cfimichigan.org/events/event/se-lecture-022417/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/events/170895550064620/
MEETUP: https://www.meetup.com/cfi-mi/events/237196590/

Greta Speaking in Grand Rapids and Detroit (Farmington Hills), Feb. 22 and 24!
{advertisement}

Help The Orbit Fight Dr. Richard Carrier’s SLAPP Suit

quiet hand over mouth

Please support the crowdfunder, Defense Against Carrier SLAPP Suit!

Dr. Richard Carrier is suing us for reporting on his well-known allegations of misconduct. These allegations were widely reported on throughout the community, including by third-parties critical and sympathetic to him who are not themselves defendants.

This lawsuit has all the hallmarks of a SLAPP suit — a lawsuit filed to stifle legitimate criticism and commentary. The named defendants are Skepticon, The Orbit, and Freethought Blogs – as well as individuals Lauren Lane, the lead organizer of Skepticon; Stephanie Zvan, a blogger for The Orbit; PZ Myers, a blogger for Freethought Blogs; and Amy Frank-Skiba, who publicly posted her first-hand allegations against Carrier.

We need your help to keep our voices alive. Continue reading “Help The Orbit Fight Dr. Richard Carrier’s SLAPP Suit”

Help The Orbit Fight Dr. Richard Carrier’s SLAPP Suit

Greta Speaking at Perverts Put Out, Saturday Jan. 21: Winter in America

perverts put out

I’m speaking at Perverts Put Out, San Francisco’s long-running pansexual performance series, on Saturday January 21. (Yes, that’s the day after inauguration day and the day of the Women’s March: I’ll be coming to PPO from the March.) This incarnation of PPO will be the Winter in America Edition, as we mark the beginning of the New Dark Ages. There’ll be post-inaugural anger, defiance and smut as co-hosts Dr. Carol Queen and Simon Sheppard and the usual gang of geniuses, including Greta Christina, Jen Cross, Daphne Gottlieb, Philip Huang, Zoe Kat, horehound stillpoint and Xan West, look forward to years of queer struggle, community, and hot sex. If you’re in San Francisco, I hope to see you there!

DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 21, 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00)
LOCATION: Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission St., San Francisco (between 9th and 10th, near Civic Center BART)
COST: $10-20 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds
URL: http://www.simonsheppard.com/pervertsputout.html

Greta Speaking at Perverts Put Out, Saturday Jan. 21: Winter in America

Blogging Every Day

blurry hands on keyboard 600

I hereby commit to blogging every weekday in January.

I haven’t been blogging much lately. Everything seems either too big or too small. The big things — the rise of fascism in the United States, and all the forms that’s taking — seem too big. It’s like playing Whack-A-Mole, in a battlefield of thousands of homicidal moles. And writing about the smaller things — movies, cats, arguments for why God doesn’t exist — seems like denial, normalizing, even gaslighting. How can I write about that stuff when fascism is rising?

I know, I know. You don’t need to tell me the reasons this is ridiculous. I know the reasons it’s ridiculous. I know that thousands of people all playing Whack-A-Mole is a big part of how we defeat fascism. I also know that writing is a major anti-depressant for me, and fighting my depression will make it easier to fight fascism. And I know that small things matter. I know that self-care is not selfish, and that pleasure is resistance.

I know this is ridiculous. But it’s still been hard, and the longer I go without blogging, the harder it is to start up again. Hence, this commitment. I got the idea from Alex Gabriel, who has also been struggling with perfectionism in his writing and committed to daily posting for a time as a remedy. My hope is that this commitment breaks the cycle and gets the juices flowing again. It’s good to be back!

Blogging Every Day

Greta Speaking in Minneapolis Sunday, December 18!

Minnesota Atheists logo
I’m speaking in Minneapolis on Sunday, December 18, as part of the Minnesota Atheists Winter Solstice festivities! They’re having their annual winter banquet: you can attend the banquet, or just sign up for the entertainment (that’s me). They’ll be selling copies of my newest book, The Way of the Heathen: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life, and I’ll be signing them and everything.

This event has filled up in years past, so they recommend that get your reservation now. If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there!

DATE: Sunday, December 18
TIME: Social hour 5:00 pm; dinner 6:00; entertainment 7:00
LOCATION: Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis North, 6300 Earle Brown Drive, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
TOPIC: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life
SUMMARY: So you don’t believe in God. Now what? The way we deal with life can change dramatically when we stop believing in gods, souls, and afterlives. When we leave religion — or if we never had it in the first place — where do we go? How do we deal with love and sex, pleasure and death, reality and making stuff up? How do we decide on our values, and how do we live them
COST: $15 for entertainment only; $50 for dinner and entertainment, with a $5 discount for MA members
HOSTS: Minnesota Atheists
URL: http://mnatheists.org/events/winter-solstice-banquet

Greta Speaking in Minneapolis Sunday, December 18!

Brief Blog Break Until Election Day

I’m doing a temp job, doing get out the vote work, and it’s going to last through Election Day. So I won’t be blogging, or won’t be blogging much, until the election is over. In the meantime, here are some election-related posts you might enjoy.

Why You Should Vote in Downticket Races — and a Neat Trick For Doing It
A Reason to Vote for Clinton: Disenfranchised Voters
A Reason to Vote for Clinton: The Supreme Court
A Reason to Vote for Clinton: Trump Needs to be Trounced
A Reason to Vote for Clinton: Liberal Voting Record
A Reason to Vote for Clinton: Government Knowledge and Administrative Skill
A Reason to Vote for Clinton: Reproductive Rights
7 Sexist Critiques of Hillary Clinton — Not The Ones You Think

And here are some cute pictures of our snuggly cats. Continue reading “Brief Blog Break Until Election Day”

Brief Blog Break Until Election Day

Greta Speaking in Houston Thursday, October 20!

rice-university-logo

I’m speaking in Houston at Rice University on Thursday, October 20! The topic: Atheism and Sexuality. It’s free and open to the public. If you’re in the area, I hope to see you soon!

CITY: Houston, TX
DATE: Thursday, October 20
TIME: 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
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?
LOCATION: 119 Humanities Building, Rice University, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX
HOST: Rice University
COST: Free, and open to the public
EVENT URL: https://events.rice.edu/index.cfm?EventRecord=30466

Greta Speaking in Houston Thursday, October 20!

And Now, A Brief Pledge Break

the word fundraising
Photo by HowardLake

We’ll return to our program, “Feminism Is Awesome and God Doesn’t Exist,” in just a moment. But first:

If you like this blog, won’t you consider supporting it?

Blogging isn’t like any other publishing medium. And it doesn’t earn income like any other publishing medium. As much as I love doing it — and as much as many of you enjoy reading it — the ratio of time spent to income earned is kind of ridiculous. This blog isn’t like a magazine or a newspaper or a book publishing company. This blog is more like public radio.

Which is brought to you by generous donations from readers like you.

If you’ve enjoyed great new posts like The National Anthem, and What It Means to Love One’s Country; classics such as Why “Yes, But” Is the Wrong Response to Misogyny; or ongoing serieses like Reasons to Vote for Clinton, my Frivolous Friday posts, and my writing on depression and mental health — then won’t you consider supporting this blog with a small contribution?

You can make a one-time contribution, or you can set up an automatic donation once a month (which you can cancel at any time). Continue reading “And Now, A Brief Pledge Break”

And Now, A Brief Pledge Break

Greta Speaking in Austin, TX September 24 – ACA Bat Cruise!

aca-bat-cruise-banner

I’m speaking this Saturday, September 24, in Austin, TX — as a precursor to the Atheist Community of Austin’s bat cruise! Every year, the ACA takes a cruise on a double-decker boat, ending at the Congress bridge to watch the bats emerge. Before the cruise, they have a guest speaker give a talk — and this year, it’s me! Rebecca Vitsmun will be there as well, receiving the ACA’s first inaugural Impact Atheist award. The bat cruise costs money ($30 for adults 13+, $10 for kids 5-12, $.01 for tots 0-4), but the pre-cruise talk is free and open to the public. You can do one or the other, or you can do both. If you’re in the Austin area, I hope to see you there!

CITY: Austin, TX
DATE: Saturday, September 24
TIME: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (bat cruise departs at 6:00)
TOPIC: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life
SUMMARY: So you don’t believe in God. Now what? The way we deal with life can change dramatically when we stop believing in gods, souls, and afterlives. When we leave religion — or if we never had it in the first place — where do we go? How do we deal with love and sex, pleasure and death, reality and making stuff up? How do we decide on our values, and how do we live them?
LOCATION: Trinity United Methodist Church, 4001 Speedway, Austin, Texas 78751
HOST: Atheist Community of Austin
COST: Free, and open to the public
EVENT URL:
https://www.facebook.com/events/309151122795013/ (talk)
https://www.facebook.com/events/646076492214347/ (bat cruise)

Greta Speaking in Austin, TX September 24 – ACA Bat Cruise!

Greta’s Podcast Interview with “Geeks Without God” Podcast!

Geeks Without God logo
Podcast fans — I did a podcast interview with the “Geeks Without God” podcast! We had some fun conversation, some serious conversation, and a lot of conversation that was both.

We talked about how life can be different for believers and atheists; how accepting atheism leads to other conclusions; similarities between coming out as TBLG and coming out atheist; how atheism can actually make it easier to cope with suffering and depression; the value of mocking religion (and how to do it without being an asshole); drawing a line between critiquing religious institutions and religious people (and why that’s sometimes difficult); thinking of evil as things we do rather than a substance we’re tainted with; how skepticism can be applied to political and social issues; and more. And we talked about the “Geeks Without God” classic five questions: what movie I will stop and watch any time it’s on; my geekiest or most prized possession; what deity or mythological figure do I wish were real; if religion were gone, what is the biggest problem facing humanity; and my favorite quote. Check it out!

Greta’s Podcast Interview with “Geeks Without God” Podcast!