A Christmas Message From Bill Maher

"Third Tuesday Happy Hour"....sponsored by NOSHA

Still in town and all of your shopping done? Then join us for the last NOSHA happy hour of 2010. You owe yourself the chance to sit back and have an egg nog with friends. (Not sure if The Columns has egg nog, but you get the idea.)

We can celebrate that the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education committee agreed to move forward with the purchase of new science textbooks over the objection of the theist crowd. That's one less lump of coal in our stockings for 2011!

See Calendar for more information.

NOSHA December 2010 -- Winter Solstice Potluck Picnic

In place of our scheduled meeting on December 18, we will celebrate the Winter Solstice with a 4pm picnic on the bayou at Harry Greenberger's home in New Orleans, 4314 Bancroft Drive.

See Calendar for more information.

First Wednesday Happy Hour

It's the holiday season already and there isn't much time in anyone's schedule, but if you are looking for a little "rational" cheer, then we're your pals!

The Delachaise offers excellent wine by the glass, some delicious small plates and, if the weather's nice, outdoor seating.

You've been good all year, right?

From reddit: I am an uneducated atheist

I didn't go to university. I haven't read anything by the leading atheists of the current period (and don't specifically plan to. watched a couple of youtube vids though).

I don't know a whole lot about the bible. I don't know much about science. Haven't researched evolution, haven't investigated other religions or beliefs.

I have a interest in History but have never "studied" it. I don't debate with theists, I only really pull out "I'm an atheist" to end conversations on religion.

I'm not good without god, nor am I bad. I just am (is there a way to express that with out sounding like a wanker?)

Yet I cannot recall a point in my life where I did believe in god. i have no solid argument besides "it sounds like a lot of bullshit"

Am I the odd one out here? seems alot of the people here have really put a lot of time and effort into deciding what to believe, I just simply couldn't be bothered.

cool story

submitted by HeyTheist [link]

Would a Secular Majority Make a Better America?

Harry Greenberger, community activist and president of the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association, will be the program speaker at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Lakeview to present "Would a Secular Majority Make a Better America?"

See Calendar for more information.

NOSHA November 2010 -- Celebrating Carl Sagan

We're planning to celebrate "Carl Sagan Day" as a commemoration of the life and work of Carl Sagan (1934-1996). Sagan, an astronomer, educator and secular humanist, is probably best known for his PBS series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" It has now been 30 years since "Cosmos" first aired. NOSHA will be joining other humanist groups nationwide to remember Carl Sagan in November.

See Calendar for more information.

"Third Tuesday Happy Hour"....sponsored by NOSHA

We're trying a totally new place....at least new to our list of watering holes familiar to our merry band of skeptics. We thought it would be nice to branch out a little for the holidays and to give another section of town a try.

See Calendar for more information.

First Wednesday Happy Hour

Located in historic uptown New Orleans, just three blocks from Audubon Zoo and Park, Monkey Hill Bar offers a wide selection of martinis, wines and beers. They have large couches to relax on and a free pool table as well as a shuffleboard table. Also, this area of Magazine Street has a lot of unique restaurants in the vicinity, so it makes for easy dining if you wish to grab a bite after a quick drink with your secular friends.

See Calendar for more information.

The Heretics' Brunch - October 2010

We've talked about adding another social event to our secular calendar and, given how many of us probably don't have anywhere to be on Sunday mornings, we thought that a breakfast gathering might be the best fit!

See Calendar for more information.

Uptown Free Readers

Uptown Free Readers is a reading club emphasizing substantive literature that has been banned, challenged, or censored. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, at the Maple Street Bookshop, located at 7529 Maple Street, between Hillary and Cherokee streets, in Uptown New Orleans.

See Calendar for more information.

Third Tuesday Freethinking Happy Hour

We're heading back to Mid-City to the cool and interesting little bar by the American Can Company apartments on Orleans near Bayou St. John.

See Calendar for more information.

NOSHA October 2010 - Michael Hecht with Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Our guest speaker will be Michael Hecht. He has been the president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., for the past couple of years.

Greater New Orleans, Inc. serves the 10-parish Greater New Orleans region and plays a vital role as the regional economic development hub, serving to coordinate, consolidate, and then catalyze economic development initiatives.

Michael recently wrote a guest column for the Times Picayune: "Looking toward a bright post-Katrina future." He will talk more about the progress our city is making since the storm.

See Calendar for more information.

September's Book Review

All in all, I enjoyed this book. Some parts got very philosophical, so I really had to slow down, sometimes re-reading a paragraph, or even a page or two!

The best chapter in the book is "What's Wrong With Islam?" The chapter went into great depth trying to explain the history of Islam and what it's trying to achieve in this 21st century.

It helped me better understand the clash between Islam and the modern world. The other chapters are all very good, and I think Harris does a very in-depth analysis of all his chapter-topics (only 7 chapters). His treatment of the topic is a bit more philosophical than Dawkins or Hitchens.

I like all three authors, and they all offer great insight and common sense to the often crazy world of religion.

Local News

Billboards advertise atheism, provoke discussion

The billboards rising above the intersection of Canal and Rampart streets advertise lots of things: beer, tequila, the Powerball jackpot.

But atheism? Believe it...(more)

Sit-ins at Canal Street lunch counters 50 years ago sparked a civil rights case that went all the way to the Supreme Court

For weeks afterward, when the phone rang, Lanny Goldfinch, then 21, would listen to the epithets. Then he'd tell the callers that his goal had been simple. "I just wanted to have coffee with my friends," he'd say.

But the year was 1960 and New Orleans restaurants were still segregated...(more)

October's Wednesday Freethinking Happy Hour

Since we had a nice turnout at The Columns for the recent Tuesday happy hour, we thought we'd give it another try so the "Wednesday crowd" can enjoy it, too!

We'll try to commandeer several tables on the porch where we can pick up some cool evening breezes and keep adding chairs as needed.

Haven't been in a while? Stop by for a few minutes and say hello.

See Calendar for more information.

A Penny for Your Thoughts

I was shocked when I first saw the billboard. How can Burger King sell such a tasty sandwich for only $3.99? But, if you look closely, you'll see that the Freedom From Religion Foundation has something to say. New Orleans residents will be asked to "Imagine No Religion" and to trust in "Reason" - not a god, when messages by the Freedom From Religion Foundation go up on 5 "God-free" billboards in the area.

See the Freedom From Religion Foundation News Release for more information, you can get a map of the billboard locations.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, based in Madison, Wis., is a national association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics) that has been working since 1978 to keep church and state separate.

September's Freethinking Happy Hours

The Columns Hotel, designed by one of New Orleans' great architects, Thomas Sully, is the only remaining example of a large group of Italianate houses that he designed in the late 1880's.

Built in 1883 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Columns Hotel is located in the beautiful upper Garden District in New Orleans, Louisiana. Conveniently overlooking the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line.

See Calendar for more information.

NOSHA September 2010 - "Bertrand Russell's Ethical Philosophy"

Peter C. Stone, Ph.D. will address New Orleans Secular Humanist Association with the topic "Bertrand Russell's Ethical Philosophy."

Dr. Stone is Assisstant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and Visiting Professor at Tulane University.

See Calendar for more information.

Uptown Free Readers

Uptown Free Readers is a reading club emphasizing substantive literature that has been banned, challenged, or censored. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, at the Maple Street Bookshop, located at 7529 Maple Street, between Hillary and Cherokee streets, in Uptown New Orleans.

See Calendar for more information.

Join "Team NOSHA" in the NO/AIDS Walk 2010

As one of our annual community service activities, NOSHA has been involved as a team in the NO/AIDS Walk since 2008.

If you'd like to walk with us as a member of Team NOSHA or simply make donation to our goal, please go to: http://www.noaidswalk.com

See Calendar for more information.

Freethinking Happy Hour

Join our merry band of skeptics.

See Calendar for more information.

August 2010 - NOSHA's 11th Anniversary Dinner, Our special guest speaker will be Ellen Johnson

Ellen Johnson is the past president of American Atheists. She has twice testified before the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In 2002 she organized the Godless Americans March On Washington and she was the organizer of the November 11, 2005 "Atheists In Foxholes" March On Washington . In 2003, she established the Godless Americans Political Action Committee now called EnlightenTheVote.com and serves as its Executive Director.

In 1998, she met with the Office of Public Liaison for the Clinton White House to discuss the subject of giving Atheists a "place at the table" in the discussion of issues of concern to our nation's Atheists.

She is also a frequent guest on national radio and TV shows including the Fox Network's Hannity & Colmes, The O'Reilly Factor, Larry King Live, The CBS Early Show, Glen Beck on Headline News, CBS Sunday Morning, a Barbara Walters Special and C-SPAN's prestigious public affairs program "Washington Journal."

Get your seat! Price per guest, $40.00 for NOSHA Members, $45.00 for Non-Member. Seating is limited, so make your reservations. See Calendar for more information, and to pay online.

Freethinking Happy Hours

Join our merry band of skeptics. We're looking for a little variety to take our mind of this August heat, so we've decided to move our "Third Tuesday" happy hour to an interesting little place in Mid-City.

Wine has been the catalyst of great conversations throughout time. For centuries, a vital social component. It enhances meals and friendly exchanges, causing thoughts to flow, livening the senses.

See Calendar for more information.

Freethinking Happy Hours

Join our merry band of skeptics.

See Calendar for more information.

Anointing Oil

Pandering for religious votes, the Louisiana Senate voted unanimously to declare Sunday, June 20, a "state-designated day of prayer" to seek divine intervention in the BP oil spill crisis. Aside from the reso1ution's being unconstitutional (as the National Day of Prayer was recently ruled to be by a U.S. District Court), it is an acknowledgment that if the "divine" can end the spill, he (she) could have prevented it in the first place. Must Louisiana's elected officials continue to display their ignorance to the rest ofthe countiy? - Harry Greenberger

Video by youtuber, VoodooSixxx.

NOSHA July 2010 - "A Capitalist Oil Catastrophe"

Our speaker for July will be author and activist Larry Everest who will present "A Capitalist Oil Catastrophe - System Not A Fit Caretaker of the Planet."

Larry Everest is a correspondent for Revolution newspaper (revcom.us), reporting from Iran, Iraq, Palestine and India, and the author of "Oil, Power & Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda" (Common Courage, 2004), which former United States military analyst and Pentagon Papers author Dan Ellsberg calls "remarkable, horrifying, brilliantly illuminating," and from which director Oliver Stone drew in making "W," his film about George W. Bush.

See Calendar for more information.

July's Freethinking Happy Hours

Join our merry band of skeptics on the FIRST Wednesday and the THIRD Tuesday of the month.

See Calendar for more information.

We're Doing it Again!

The NOSHA billboard has returned to I-10, seen coming from downtown going toward Metairie on the left side between Broad Street and the Carrollton overpass. It will remain through July 4.

This billboard is a part of nationwide effort by the United Coalition of Reason to raise the visibility and sense of unity among local groups in the community of reason. Created by FreeThoughtAction, billboards like this have appeared in communities across the country, letting humanists, atheists, freethinkers and nontheists of all stripes know that they are not alone, and that there are millions of Americans who think like they do.

June's Metting - "Toward a Consilient Approach to Ethics"

Our guest speaker will be Michael Cavanaugh of Baton Rouge, author of the book "Biotheology - A New Synthesis of Science & Religion" (1996, University Press of America). The title of his talk will be "Toward a Consilient Approach to Ethics."

See Calendar for more information.

June's Freethinking Happy Hours

We are adding another secular happy hour to our calendar. Now you can join our merry band of skeptics.

See Calendar for more information.

You can't know which books to burn, unless you read them first.

Uptown Free Readers is a reading club emphasizing substantive literature that has been banned, challenged, or censored.

Why read banned books? To stay informed about the kinds of materials being challenged, so we are better prepared to raise others' awareness of the problem.

"I think it is good that books still exist, but they do make me sleepy." - Frank Zappa

Challenging and Banning Books

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Visit The American Library Association for current news and information.

"Where they burn books, so too will they in the end burn human beings." ("Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.") - German writer Heinrich Heine, his 1821 play, Almansor. Wikipedia has a great article on the history of book burning.

"Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all men and they counted the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." - Acts 19:19-20

If you are not familiar with Landover Baptist Church, you should check them out. Book Burning: A True Christian® Tradition. Ceremony and tradition is such a wonderful thing. I love reading the bible by the light of a good book burning.

June's Freethinking Happy Hours

We are adding another secular happy hour to our calendar. Now you can join our merry band of skeptics on the FIRST and/or THIRD Wednesdays of the month.

See Calendar for more information.

Naughty Marshall

In another sign of the end times, Marshall is out to redefine the definition of "live naughty comedy". So, hide the children, buy gold, and move into the bunker, Glen Beck was right.

Marshall Harris, with special guest star Becky Allen, featuring piano man Jim Walpole. Live music, and naughty comedy in the style of old New Orleans. Come join the fun.

Looking for something to do? Checkout what's going on around town, on our local page.

May's Metting "Getting to know you"

"♪Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...♫" as the tune goes is the subject of this monthly NOSHA gathering.

Every year or two, Lanny Goldfinch, NOSHA board member and retired psychotherapist, leads a discussion with audience participation to discover what our opinions are about a wide variety of topics.

See Calendar for more information.

May's Freethinking Happy Hour

NOTE: The day has been changed to Thursday, to coincide with the National Day of Reason

Located in historic uptown New Orleans, just three blocks from Audubon Zoo and Park, Monkey Hill Bar offers a wide selection of martinis, wines and beers. They have large couches to relax on and a free pool table as well as a shuffleboard table. Also, this area of Magazine Street has a lot of unique restaurants in the vicinity, so it makes for easy dining if you wish to grab a bite after a quick drink with your secular friends.

As always, we will continue to encourage stimulating conversation and to provide a welcoming place for our freethinking friends to stop by and say hello!

An Atheist, Theist Dialog

Is Religion More a Force for Good or for Evil in the World Today?

Sponsored by UNO Campus Freethought Alliance, there will be a two panel discussion, with the dialog ending with an audience question & answer session. For details contact: Paul Hebert at prhebert@uno.edu, (504) 232-1376.

April's Meeting "Moral Excellence in the Teachings of Jesus"

Dr. David E. Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church of New Orleans, will be our featured speaker for our April meeting.

"I have admired many of his columns in the Times Picayune and I think we can have a good dialog with him about relationships between secularists & Christians," says Harry Greenberger.

See Calendar for more information on Dr. David E. Crosby.

April's Freethinking Happy Hour

We've been hosting our casual happy hours for over a year now on the first Wednesday of every month, we are settling on one location for this ongoing social hour!

See Calendar for more information.

A Streetcar Named Enlightened, Rides Again.

Just when you thought you could ride the streetcar in theistic comfort. Those darn atheists are at it again! As Maurice O'Sullivan of the Wall Street Journal puts it, in an article from last year, "...Just in time for this year's Lenten season, an ad in gaudy Mardi Gras colors on the side of a New Orleans streetcar proclaims, "Don't Believe in God? You Are Not Alone."..."

Louisiana Coalition for Science

Our guest speaker in February was Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University and co-author of "Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design." The topic of discussion was The Louisiana Science Education Act of 2008.

To keep up with the current developments, Barbara Forrest has a wonderful on-line resource, the Louisiana Coalition for Science website. Louisiana Coalition for Science (LCFS) is a group of concerned Louisiana residents working to protect the teaching of science in Louisiana.

Secular Social to Welcome OSU Students for Freethought

The OSU Students for Freethought are in town again on their spring break to do good works and they want to meet up with freethinkers (especially students!) in New Orleans this week for a quick chat and a drink or two.

See Calendar for more information.

Coming in March "The Truth About the Bible"

Believers claim that the Bible is the revealed word of God, and as such is an unimpeachable source of morality and history. As secular humanists, we should be prepared to challenge this assumption. A knowledge of the history and contents of the Bible is a powerful tool in any debate with those who wish to give it a privileged role in the American system of ethics and government.

For Professor Peter J. Brancazio, author of The Bible From Cover to Cover, an excoriating book that strips bare the inconsistencies and fabrications of the bible, there is no doubt that someone like Jesus historically existed, though he admits there's very little written evidence for it.

See Calendar for more information.

Potluck Supper & Movie Night

We're hosting a potluck supper and social at Harry's house on Bayou St. John followed by the viewing of Julia Sweeny video, "Letting Go of God."

As usual, bring salads, main dishes, vegetables, desserts, beverages and snacks to share.

March's Freethinking Happy Hour

Because we all have a little Irish in us, we wanted to pick a place that will usher in the season. We're going to the Garden District this month, so all you locals can get your green on.

See Calendar for more information.

February Meeting "Back to the Future"

Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University and co-author of "Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design," will be our guest speaker in February.

The topic is "Back to the Future: The Louisiana Science Education Act of 2008" and will include a slide presentation about developments since the law passed 18 months ago.

See Calendar for more information.

Happy Hour Meetup for February

We're planning our next happy hour at an iconic Marigny bar....atmosphere, coolness and location. Mimi's in the Marigny has it all!

We've heard something about a very unique bathroom design that is sure to cause some discussion. And they have a fantastic tapas menu.

See Calendar for more information.

January NOSHA Potluck Meeting

Since our regular third Saturday meeting date coincides with the NFL playoffs, we've opted for bringing Saints fans together this month.

Instead we will have a potluck lunch at President Harry Greenberger's home beginning at 2 PM to eat and be ready for the game at 3:30. (Those who aren't football nuts can still socialize and get better acquainted.) See Calendar for more information.

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Fundies Say the Darndest Things! Classic Quotes

"Marital sex tends toward the boring end. Generally, it doesn't deliver the kind of sheer sexual pleasure that homosexual sex does. If you isolate sexuality as something solely for one's own personal amusement, if all you want is the most satisfying orgasm you can get, then homosexuality seems too powerful to resist." - Interview with Rolling Stone, 1999

Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute

Reactions to May's meeting.

"What a kick this meeting was! It's good to see people so passionate about life's concerns. It shows we've got spirit---in the secular sense, of course. ha!..." - Ben Gunn

"This discussion was a real participatory sport!" - Glen Sandberg

"I enjoyed learning of the diverse opinions within the group. It was thought-provoking as well as entertaining. The moderator did an excellent job." - Rose

See the 2010 Archive Event Calendar for May's description.

10th Aniversary Banquet Photos

Better late than never. Photos from the banquet are here.

NOSHA on Flickr

First Happy Hour (of 2011!)

atheistneworleans posted a photo:

Peter C. Stone