Potluck Supper & Movie Night
When: Saturday March 13th at 6:00pm
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.
Where:
Greenberger's on Bayou St. John
4314 Bancroft Drive
New Orleans, LA 70122
(just off St. Bernard Avenue and Park Island Drive across from City Park on Bayou St. John.)
View Map
For more information, call (504)282-5459
March Meeting "The Truth About the Bible"
When: Saturday March 20th at 2:00pm
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.
"I think his message is so radical that there had to have been a historical Jesus," says Brancazio. "If he wasn't real, somebody had to have said all those things."
But what has happened to Christ's message? "A lot of what Christians believe about Jesus Christ was actually developed 100, 200 or 300 years after his death," says Brancazio, who will trace how Jesus was transformed by the early Christians into the son of god and a member of the trinity.
It was all done by committee, he insists: "All of the attributes that Christians presently believe about Jesus-the trinity, being the son of god-were actually created by church conferences where people basically voted on what was to become canon."
But, adds the professor: "What was Jesus' actual message? What did he really say to people and did this get transformed over time?"
Dr. Brancazio was chosen by Newsday as one of six "Great Teachers in New York" in 1990. He taught for 35 years in the Physics department of Brooklyn College. He created, and has taught for seven years, a now-famous course called "Science and Religion," inspired by a grant from the famous Templeton Foundation. He now teaches this course at Long Island University, where, according to Dr. Kay Sato, of C.W. Post-Long Island University, "he thoroughly amazes and delights students with his fascinating insights and in-depth knowledge."
The professor, a scientist turned biblical scholar, confesses to having read both the New Testament and the Old Testament four times, an exhausting and critical study which inspired him to write his book The Bible From Cover to Cover. But it also put him in the forefront of bible debunkers and inspired a whole new career in teaching the truth about the bible and the Jesus fables.
Monthly Meeting Directions
Audubon Zoo, Dominion Learning Center
6500 Magazine St, New Orleans, (504)581-4629
View Map
To get to the meeting place at the zoo: Enter from Magazine Street at Zoo Avenue (between the two stone lions) and continue to the statue of Audubon. The entry way to our area (the Dominion Learning Center) is to the right of the main entrance through the metal gates.
If it's a pretty day, parking will be at a premium so give yourself plenty of time to find a spot.
For more information about this event, contact Harry Greenberger at (504) 282-5459. All NOSHA meetings are open to the general public.
