Happy Darwin Day, you heathens!

[PassingFair]

I'm going out tomorrow to my first Atheist Meet-up.

We're going to see the new movie "Creation" and then
meet up for dinner across the street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BREvUKpZTeU

The movie had a hard time getting a studio
to pick it up on this side of the Atlantic.

[amyrose2712]

1. Cool. Have fun. I'll have to check out the movie. nt

[onager]

2. Sounds like a great weekend!

Definitely have fun. I want to check out that movie too.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Happy Darwin Day to you sinful unbelievers!

[ZombieHorde]

4. What is an Atheist Meet-up? How does it work?

I imagine it is a bunch of atheists getting together for a preplanned activity, but how did you contact each other, how many of you are there? Is the meet-up focused on atheist families, atheists looking for love, college students, etc.? Details please!

[immoderate]

5. Check with meetup.com and atheistnexus.com for meetups in your area.

American Atheists and other similar organizations might be helpful. Groups vary as to their habits. My group is FLASH(Florida Atheists and Secular Humanists.) (Don't worry. We don't really give a shit about secular humanists. We wanted a cool acronym.) Currently we run four weekly meetups in south Florida, which really means southeast Florida. It's an evening of beer, pub food, and jovial conversation. We run several events during the year, some social, some educational.

Our Darwin Day drew several hundred and was a great success. Check out the site: http://www.darwindaybroward.com

FLASH is here: http://www.freethoughtflorida.com though the site could use an overhaul.

Good luck.

--imm

[PassingFair]

6. I just Googled "Detroit Atheists" and a meet-up group showed up.

We had a late lunch/early dinner after the movie (a tear-fest)
and I met some very interesting people. All were very political,
which is refreshing, since we all have the political handicap of
being non-believers. There were over 40 of us.

I will go to another meeting soon.

[Ruthe]

15. ZH...Google 'Atheists Meetup Groups'

Take a look at some of the different groups and you'll get the various flavors.

Ruthe

[salvorhardin]

7. Cool!

I really liked Creation. Another must see movie for atheists is Agora about Hypatia and the fall of Alexandria to the Christian horde. Trailer and a brief review at my Posterous: http://womm.leolincourt.com/has-anyone-else-seen-agora-the-2009-spanish-f

[PassingFair]

9. That trailer took my breath away.

I'm not sure I could handle SEEING what
happened to Hypatia.

It's bad enough KNOWING.

Probably plays a part in why I tell my
two daughters to keep their mouths shut
about their atheism.

[salvorhardin]

10. Thankfully they don't really show that part

The movie ends with her former servant turned Christian executioner suffocating her.

[PassingFair]

11. So many atheist women identify with her....

I'm glad that they didn't "show" it, although
I think it's important that we know what they
did!

I'll put it in my queue and make it a suggestion
for my atheist group!

Thanks!

[onager]

14. Thanks for mentioning that movie "Agora!"

I'd never heard of it.

Some traditions about Hypatia that I learned while living in Alexandria:

--Early Xians must have hated women drivers as much as modern Wahabbi Muslims. According to one story, Hypatia was dragged out of her chariot and hacked to death with sea-shells.

This happened at a spot in Alexandria that positively vibrates with history, most of it bad. Legend says Hypatia was killed in front of modern Zaghloul Park, right smack in the middle of downtown Alexandria. This was also the site of Cleopatra's temple built in honor of Marc Antony, but named for her son by Julius Caesar - the Caesarium.

That's where Cleopatra died. Facing the square is the Hotel Cecil, built in 1928 in eye-popping High British Colonial style. And as lit-fans know, where much of Lawrence Durrell's Justine takes place, in the Alexandria Quartet.

--Hypatia's killers were fanatical monks from the Wadi Natrun monastery, out in the Western Desert. If "natrun" sounds familiar...natron salt was one of the primary "secret ingredients" used in mummification.

The Alexandria rabble was usually roused by Xian leaders like "Saint" Athanasius.

--History Eventually Gets Revenge Department...

For centuries, the grandest Xian church in Alexandria was the Church of St. Athanasius. Since about 642 CE, it has been known as the Attarine Mosque. You can still visit it.

When you walk into the modern Alexandria Library, one of the first things that catches your eye is a stylized female statue mounted on a high plinth. That's Hypatia.

[Synnical]

8. Thank you. Happy Belated Darwin Day to you, too!

Looking forward to "Creation" on DVD. I don't "do" theaters. Too much like church!

How was your fist Meet-Up?

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[Ruthe]

12. I was at the DAM Movie & A Dinner Outing too!

I had a blast!

How did you like it, PassingFair?

Did you see the photo album? -> http://www.meetup.com/Detroit-Atheists/photos/?photoId=13085634&photoAlbumId=826390

Were you at Tuesday's Detroit Athiests' Monthly Meetup? -> http://www.meetup.com/Detroit-Atheists/photos/?photoId=13164277&photoAlbumId=829440

[PassingFair]

13. I missed the Tuesday meeting, Ruthe...

I had an upper-respiratory thing going on....