Who are we? Atheists lack, and sometimes specifically reject, a belief in the
existence of a god or gods.
Humanists believe that ethical philosophy should be based on human
needs and rational thought.
Agnostics believe that the truth about the existence of god or gods is
unknown or unknowable.
If you find the above ideas interesting, you are invited to join AHA! for
fun and lively discussion. We have regular meetings every other Tuesday at 7pm in
Old Union.
Contact e-mail: atheists [at] stanford.edu
Join now!
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When: Tuesday, April 24, 2012, 7pm – 8pm
Where: CIRCLE common room, 3rd floor Old Union
For this Tuesday’s CIRCLE meeting, we would like to hear what YOU think of “interfaith” and how AHA! fits in. Last quarter, the Stanford Assoc. Religions received two criticisms of using the word “interfaith” to describe activities: one that it is not inclusive of non-believers, and another that it is too inclusive by implying that all beliefs are equally valid. AHA! was asked for our opinion (namely about the first criticism), but at the time we didn’t have a good gauge of what our members think. More than just the word itself, we’d like to know what you think about AHA!’s interactions with the religious community on campus. Should we be focused on interacting with student religious groups (and in what way? e.g. debates or joint community service), or should we only be concerned with building a community for secular students? Please stop by and share your thoughts!
Facebook event
 When: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 7pm – 9pm
Where: CIRCLE common room, 3rd floor Old Union
In honor of the 51st anniversary of the first human spaceflight this week, come join AHA! for a showing of the first episode of Carl Sagan’s brilliant 1980 television series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.
Food is allowed, so bring dinner or snacks to eat while you watch!
In honor of the 51st anniversary of the first human spaceflight this week, come join AHA! for a showing of the first episode of Carl Sagan’s brilliant 1980 television series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. If you’ve never seen this series before, this is a great way to start! Afterward, we’ll have a discussion where you can share your thoughts on what human spaceflight means for our future. Food is allowed, so bring dinner or snacks to eat while you watch!
With the help of travel grants from the Secular Student Alliance, one of AHA!’s own went to the first ever Reason Rally in Washington DC over Spring Break (http://reasonrally.org/). Jeremy sent us back a photo and a summary of his experience, thanks!
The Reason Rally in March: A reasonable way to rally one for a march.
While initially thunderstorms threatened to potentially deter turnout and ‘dampen’ the mood, the weekend primarily consisted of light drizzle, which I’d like to think of as an apropos, yet mild, secular baptism for this ‘coming out’ of the closet as a non-believer in any religion. Thus, it appears that ample ironic “prayers” to the Flying Spaghetti Monster have enabled his many dough enriched tentacles to absorb the worst of a downpour to protect his disciples from what would have inevitably been claimed by some as a Patrobertsonian sign that an ancient war god was displeased.
One of the standard ‘stereotypes’ of atheists is that they are typically white, middle aged males; at the rally and the convention, though, this stereotype was challenged as people of all ages, as well as women and minorities, were present in large numbers, even if such demographic groups were still somewhat underrepresented proportional to their respective percentages in the U.S. population. What was particularly challenging to my preconceptions was how often I would hear people speaking with a southern accent, which reminded me of the importance of seeing more complexity and nuance when thinking of, for example, the “Bible Belt.” We all have multiple identities, though the seemingly and relatively high proportion of southerners I encountered may reflect the strengthening of a particular identity (that of agnostic/atheist/freethinker) that can take place when one feels that such a minority identity is marginalized within one’s given community.
While occasional signs and comments reflected an unwelcome display of intolerance (and the sporadic calls for chanting among a few speakers seemed a bit silly), the much more common experience was to meet a wide array of friendly, polite, and interesting people from all across the country who have a wide variety of political and philosophical beliefs but share a common cause of wishing to eradicate the divisive religious influence on our public policies. Being among a community of self-described freethinkers, it was interesting that some of the most thought provoking ideas (both from lectures and personal discussions) did not revolve around either religion or atheism but related to other topics such as animal rights, free speech, and abortion.
Thus, overall, the Reason Rally and its subsequent atheist convention was both an enjoyable and an enlightening experience that will hopefully motivate freethinkers around the country to continue to strive for the voice of reason be heard in our national discourse.
When: Tuesday, March 13, 7pm-9pm
Where: CIRCLE common room, 3rd floor Old Union
Last Tuesday meeting of the quarter: take a break from studying and join AHA! for a casual evening of board games and discussion. Join in on one of our board games or bring your favorite! We also may discuss plans for next quarter and beyond.
Food is allowed, so feel free to bring dinner or some snacks if you want.
Optional RSVP on Facebook.
From the SSA, here is a great opportunity for summer, and several essay-contest-scholarships with sizable sums (free godless money!!!):
Center For Inquiry Summer Internships
Opportunities to break into the secular movement just keep coming up. This year,  CFI is providing two student internships at CFI-Transnational in Amherst, NY during the summer. There is a $165 a week stipend and housing is provided. The interns will be trained in campus outreach, grassroots organizing, event planning and management, and other skills useful in non-profit advocacy. Specific projects depend on the interns’ interests and experience but may include: developing new online campus organizing resources, producing audio and video materials, and designing new CFI On Campus promotional materials. The tentative dates for the internship are May 14th-August 3rd. Applications are due April 2nd.
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Freedom From Religion Foundation Scholarships
Freedom From Religion Foundation has finally released details of their  scholarships to us! There are three different scholarships: one for high school students (due June 1st), one for all graduate, and 25 years or older undergraduate students (due July 15th), and finally one for undergraduates under 25 (due June 15th). All applicants must submit an essay on a specific topic. Winnings range from $3,000-$200 for each scholarship type and but there is no specific limit to how many could win (honorable mentions are awarded $200). If you are college bound in the fall apply for the free money!
Check our scholarships page to see if there are any new scholarships floating about for non-theistic students.
When: Wednesday, February 29, 7-8:30pm
Where: Herrin Hall T175 (near the Oval)
Ever wonder what it’s like to speak in tongues? To go to a Bible College and help perform an exorcism on a fellow student? To be ordained a preacher…and later to become an atheist professional gambler living in Las Vegas?
Meet Tommy Nugent, former pentecostal youth pastor turned atheist comedy-theater performer. Preacherman is his award-winning comedy monologue describing his unlikely journey from faith, to faithlessness, to discovering his life’s ‘meaning.’ See it live at Stanford!
When: Thursday, February 23, 12-1pm
Where: CIRCLE common room, 3rd floor Old Union
Is it possible to be an atheist or agnostic, but still participate in religious communities? Does it make sense? Does religion have value beyond belief?
Join AHA!, Hillel, and the Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha’i groups for a lunchtime panel and discussion. Come share your thoughts!
Facebook Event
When: Wednesday, February 1st, 7pm
Where: Room 218, Old Union
Instead of our normal CIRCLE meeting this week, we will be having a joint discussion meeting with the Confucian club (note the different day and location). We will hear about the Confucian tradition in modern times and how it relates to Humanism, and will have a chance to learn about each other’s ethical views. It will be a good opportunity for us to meet another ‘non-traditional’ Stanford Associated Religions group. Bring your questions! As a primer, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism
The club’s website: confucian.stanford.edu
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/287442844649849/
 AHA! at Stanford is teaming up with DAMN (Doubters, Agnostics, Mythbusters, and Nontheists) at De Anza College to donate blood!
When: Saturday, January 21, 9am – 12pm blood drive, 12:30pm lunch
Where: Campus Blood Center (780 Welch Road), Ike’s Place (Huang Engineering Center)
The blood supply is always critically low after the holidays, so come help us save lives and/or join us for lunch later. All donors will receive a free AMC theaters movie ticket! After the blood drive, we will meet up at Ike’s Place in the Engineering Quad for lunch at 12:30pm (~15-20 minute walk from the blood center, or you can take the Marguerite shuttle).
How to sign up:
- Go to bloodcenter.stanford.edu
- Check the donor requirements (at least 17 years old, 110 pounds, cold/flu free, drink fluids, bring ID, more details on the website)
- Click on “Schedule an Appointment”
- Click on “Campus Donor Center”
- Schedule anytime between 9am and Noon on Jan. 21
- Let us know you are coming!
Of course, feel free to join us for lunch even if you aren’t able to donate blood! Let us know if you are!
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When: Tuesday, Jan 17th, 7pm – 9pm
Where: CIRCLE common room, 3rd floor Old Union
Join AHA! for a showing of God on Trial:
Why is there so much suffering in the world and what kind of God would allow it to happen? Universal questions about faith and philosophy are at the heart of God on Trial, which was inspired by the legend that a group of concentration camp prisoners conducted a mock trial against the Almighty God. From all walks of life, a physicist, a glove maker, rabbis, a law professor and at least one criminal weigh the evidence and offer thoughtful arguments taken from history, science, theology and personal experience.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/godontrial/index.html
Food is allowed, so bring dinner or snacks to eat while you watch!
RSVP on Facebook
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