The Living Nonreligion Discussion Forum

Posted on 24 April, 2012 by admin

Would you be interested in helping to shape/contributing to academic research exploring what it is like to be nonreligious in Britain?

Do you like contributing to online discussions on topics related to atheism, humanism, secularism, religion and nonreligion?

I am a PhD student at University College London and, as part of my research into the lives and experiences of nonreligious people, I have set up a new online discussion forum.

This forum is designed to be a place where nonreligious people can discuss their opinions and experiences, talk about any concerns they have over the role of religion in society, debate current news topics and share links and ideas.

If you think you might be interested in contributing to this forum please head over to http://livingnonreligion.proboards.com/index.cgi to register and find out more.

If you don’t think the forum is for you but you know someone who might be interested then please do pass along the link.

Please note: Any comments you make in this forum may be used as part of my research. However, no personal or identifying data will be included in any published material resulting from this research. You are not required to supply your real name, and joining the forum does not constitute an obligation or commitment on your part to take part in any further research. Please read the ‘Welcome Note’ on the forum for full details before posting.

If you have any questions please email at lorna.mumford.10@ucl.ac.uk

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Meetings for May, June, July, August, September 2012

Posted on 14 April, 2012 by admin

This site has gone very quiet because we’ve been using our main site

Our guest speakers will be

May 3rd – Lorna Mumford of UCL “‘Is the British political system institutionally pro-religion?”

“The inevitable decline of religion in modernity, as predicted by the ‘secularisation narrative’, has failed to materialise. Most importantly for non-religious people religion continues to have significant power and influence over political decisions and policies. My paper describes responses to this continued influence of religion on politics among members of atheist and humanist groups where I conducted my research. It queries whether a tendency to focus on stereotypical images of ‘religion’ and ‘atheism’ divert attention from the real issues causing concern; and asks whether we need to redefine the religious-secular ‘terms of engagement”

June 7th -Trystan Swale, ex-host of the Righteous Indignation Podcast

The not so curious case of the crop circles:

From the early 1980s into the following decade, the curious circles and patterns that appeared in English cereal fields made global headlines. Twenty years after the bottom seemed to fall out of the crop circle phenomenon, the bad science, questionable beliefs and bizarre philosophies surrounding it remain in place. An amateur contemporary folklorist and founder of the Righteous Indignation podcast, Trystan Swale delves inside a world where delusion, pseudoscience, art and insanity are never far away.

July 5th – to be advised

August 2nd – Open meeting

September 6th – Lucy Harper, the Communications Manager at the Society for Applied Microbiology.

Venue – The Galleon, Old Wolverton, Milton Keynes

Starting at 7:30pm to 9:00pm

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Jourdemayne at MKSitP !

Posted on 11 November, 2011 by admin

Our guest speaker for December is Deborah Hyde. Meet at The Galleon on 1st December at 7.30pm.

“Jourdemayne” is written by Deborah Hyde. During the day, she’s a film-industry makeup effects coordinator who also gets on the wrong side of the camera from time to time.
Deborah is a Skeptic. Skeptics like an evidence-based approach to life, especially if someone is telling them what to do. The American spelling – ’Skeptic’ – is deliberate. The noun denotes a growing movement of people; more coagulated than coordinated, most of them like science and a rational approach to life.
Deborah is the editor in chief of The Skeptic Magazine, the UK’s only regular magazine to take a critical-thinking and evidence-based approach to pseudo-science and the paranormal. The magazine was previously edited by Professor Chris French of Goldsmiths, who stepped down after ten years to take a well-earned break in 2011.
She is also deputy convenor ofWestminster Skeptics in the Pub where there are monthly events related to law, policy and the media at The Old Monk Exchange in Victoria, London.
Past events have included:• The Law and Policy of Sex Work with Brooke Magnanti (Belle du Jour) and Birkbeck academic Belinda Brooks Gordon.• Science Policy and the General Election with Dr. Brian Cox• Evidence-Based Policy Making with Professor David Nutt, former chair of the goverment’s Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs, & Dr Evan Harris, former MP for Oxford West & Abingdon.• Thinking critically about the riotsThe acclaimed Guardian journalist Paul Lewis at Westminster Skeptics discussing the recent civil disturbances• Libel Law Reform with scientist and journalist Simon Singh
Deborah says:“I have always been fascinated by the supernatural, especially the macabre supernatural. I have been writing and speaking on the subject for around twenty years, and probably know way too many facts about werewolf folklore. I have very patient friends.”

http://www.jourdemayne.com/

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Liz Lutgendorff – November’s guest speaker at MKSitP

Posted on 30 October, 2011 by admin

We are very pleased to have Liz from the Pod Delusion along to speak at our November meeting.

Liz Lutgendorff

Liz Lutgendorff

Liz’s talk will be a brief introduction into skeptical and secular history, the problems with history portrayed in the popular culture and how to spot it. So giving a tool kit to people who might not be historians but can be skeptical about historical claims.

Meet at The Galleon in Old Wolverton on Thursday 1st November at 7.30pm.

We can recommend The Pod Delusion – a podcast of interesting things, the latest podcast, 28th October, is available for download.

You can follow Liz on Twitter too – @sillypunk

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Great fourth meeting with Crispian Jago

Posted on 9 September, 2011 by admin

Last night (8th September) we were very lucky to have Crispian Jago as our first external guest speaker.

See Crispian’s blog and follow him on Twitter. Also see the Periodic Table of Irrational Nonsense and the hilarious Youtube debunking of homeopathy.

Our next meetings are :-

October 6th at 7.30 pm – Iszi Lawrence

November 3rd at 7.30pm – Liz Lutgendorf of the Pod Delusion

December 1st at 7.30pm - Deborah Hyde aka Jourdemayne who edits the Skeptic magazine and the Jourdemayne blog as well as being heavily involved with Westminster Skeptics in the Pub.

Deborah Hyde aka Jourdemayne who edits the Skeptic magazine http://skeptic.org.uk/ and the Jourdemaynem/ blog.
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Fifth Meeting – with Iszi Lawrence

Posted on 18 August, 2011 by admin

We’re very pleased to have skeptical comedian Iszi Lawrence as our guest speaker on October 6th at 7.30pm at The Galleon, Old Wolverton.

Iszi Lawrence - Tope Trumps card

Iszi Lawrence

There will be a small charge to cover Iszi’s travelling costs.

Iszi Lawrence publicity photo
Iszi Lawrence in performance

Iszi is also a podcaster – “Sundays Supplement”, episode 148 can be downloaded from here (caution – some adult language use).

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Fourth Meeting – with Crispian Jago !

Posted on 29 July, 2011 by admin

We’re very pleased to announce that we have a very popular speaker for September 8th – Crispian Jago.

To quote from his own blog -

I am a freelance IT consultant specialising in the development of software test strategies and managing the full software testing of complex systems. I write the satirical skeptical blog, “Science, Reason & Critical Thinking”, and am the co-founder and co-organiser of the Hampshire Skeptics Society and Winchester Skeptics in the Pub.

He has produced his own Youtube video “If Homeopathy Works, I’ll Drink My Own Piss” and has his own Skeptical Trump card.

Crispian Jago

Crispian Jago

Please rest assured that homeopathy testing is not compulsory.

As usual we meet at The Galleon, Wolverton, MK12 5NL at 7.30pm until 9.

There will be a small charge this time to cover Crispian’s traveling costs.

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Third Meeting of MK Skeptics in the Pub

Posted on 20 July, 2011 by admin

Change of plan

Obviously if we were Spiritualist Mediums then we would have foreseen this.

So, we’re just going to meet up and have a general chit-chat about Skepticism in general and how we think MKSitP is doing.

Same venue – The Galleon, Old Wolverton Road, Milton Keynes MK12 5 NL starts at 7.30 finishes at 9.

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Next Meeting of MK Skeptics in the Pub

Posted on 13 June, 2011 by admin

Once again we’re at The Galleon, Old Wolverton Road, Milton Keynes – at 7.30pm on Thursday 7th July.

Paul Vella will be presenting a talk on the Minnesota Iceman (and how he disproved it) and we’ll be talking about other skeptical stuff too.

Please do come along !

 

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Inaugural Meeting 03rd June 2011

Posted on 3 June, 2011 by admin

I think that in the end there were 17 of us there, which was great. Tony and I were sat at 7.20 on our own thinking we’d got the date, time or location wrong.

Photos to follow.

Next meeting Thursday 7th July at 7.30pm – same location.

First meeting of MK Skeptics in the pub

First meeting of MK Skeptics in the pub

 

 

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