Rationalists of East
Tennessee
Newsletter
February 2008
Potluck Dinner
Saturday evening,
February 2nd, 2008, 7:30 p.m.
Kings' Home
Bring a potluck dish
and enjoy fellowship the evening before Susan Jacoby's presentation at our
annual RET Public Meeting.
Susan will be the guest
of honor at our gathering.
1109 Venice
Road
Knoxville, TN 37923
(865) 690-7687
Phil and Sharron
865) 690-7687 (Home
Telephone)
--------------------------------------------------------
Directions to Phil's
and Sharron's home:
- On Interstate 40
about 8 miles west of Knoxville, Cedar Bluff exit (Exit 378)
North on Cedar Bluff
Road, to Gulf Park Drive
(about a mile, big
Catholic Church is on your right, Lutheran Church on your left)
- Left onto Gulf Park
Drive, to Venice Road (about three-quarters of a mile)
- Right onto Venice
Road. Proceed to stop sign at Sanders Road.
Continue on Venice Road
about 1/4 mile to our home:
1109 Venice
Road, (865) 690-7687
(basketball goal down
the hill at back of driveway).
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THE BIG ONE
Feb 3rd - Susan
Jacoby - RET Public Meeting
Please bring everyone you can.
Award-winning author,
Susan Jacoby, will address one of the most thought-provoking issues of our time
in an appearance at Pellissippi State Technical Community College on Sunday,
February 3 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in Goins Auditorium. Jacoby will discuss "The
Ages of American Unreason, Past and Present." Arrive early for coffee,
refreshments and socializing. Stay late for Susan's book signing session.
Her topic, the subject
of her upcoming eighth book, "The Age of American Unreason" (Random House
2008), is the widespread new cultural phenomenon characterized by the decline
of reading and the rise of scientific and historical illiteracy.
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Book Club
February 10 At 4:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
Economics as a Religion By
Robert H. Nelson
This book draws parallels between
economic paradigms and religious dogma.
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THIRD SUNDAY
MEETING
February 17 10:30
Pellissippi State
Extinction of the Dinosaurs
Speaker will be Colin Smurall,
University of Tennessee
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Highway Cleanup
Who can participate in a trash
pickup on Saturday morning - February
2, 9:00a.m. - Noon, on Pellissippi
Parkway?
Let's spruce up our highway before
folks travel it to attend our
annual meeting. Please let me know
by Thursday night (Jan. 31) if you
will be able to help.
Please reply to:
padlrdie@yahoo.com (NOT to the group email)
An Expert Defines
"cults"
"Cults donÕt welcome
questions about their beliefs, and if they do they find out youÕre having
doubts IÕm sure theyÕll try to discourage you from seeking answers on your own.
In fact, one of the characteristics of cults is that they believe they, alone,
are right and all other groups are wrong."
"People who are
attracted to cults often become convinced that they alone are right and
everyone else is wrong, and the become afraid to listen to anyone outside their
group. They may have been searching for God for some time and believe theyÕve
finally found Him. Only later to realize their error."
"The real issue for
you, however, is this: Are you willing to face the evidence, wherever it might
lead you?"
Excellent advice from
one who is a believer in free inquiry and a rational, naturalistic world view?
This line answers the
question: " Only you can answer this, of course - but donÕt deceive yourself,
and donÕt turn your back on God just because you want to run your own life."
"...give your life to Him." "...seek godÕs will in everything."
"Only one sin is
unforgivable - and that is the sin of turning our backs on god and refusing to
heed his call ..."
"I donÕt know of a
single serious scholar today - either believer or unbeliever - who would deny
that Jesus existed, and that He walked the roads of Palestine in the opening of
the first century." "They would agree that the evidence is simply too
overwhelming to come to any other conclusion.""
When a writer was told
by a counselor to forget God and to try to face his problems on his own Graham
replied: "Whenever I meet someone like your counselor, I always wonder why they
are so hostile toward God. There may be many reason - but often itÕs simply because
they want to run their own lives and donÕt want God to interfere." ...
"He (God) doesnÕt want you to be enslaved by whatever was wrong in your past."
All of the above quotes
are from Billy GrahamÕs column, My Answer.
--------------------------------------------------------
ItÕs Not Just Water
Any More
Years ago RET tested a
dowser for the Randi challenge. Dave Buck set up a double blind test and, of
course, the dowser didnÕt do better than chance. (Actually, the dowser did a
bit worse than chance.)
Now there is a new
dowsing goal that may be a bit harder to test. Why look for water when one can
find energy. Now this isnÕt just something mundane like coal or oil. Just sign
up for a UT non-credit (fortunately) course and one can "find beneficial and
and detrimental energies in homes and workplaces." This is useful because
it can be use to "find high energy places on your property or in your
home to ÔrechargeÕ after a hectic day."
So, if you are tired in
the evening just grab some coat hangers or make a pendulum and recharge. It
will only cost four hours and $69 plus a $10 materials fee.
--------------------------------------------------------
Ingersoll
"Were we allowed to
read the Bible as we do all other books, we would admire its beauties, treasure
its worthy thoughts, and account for all its absurd, grotesque and cruel
things, by saying that its authors lived in rude, barbaric times. But we are
told that it was written by inspired men; that it contains the will of God;
that it is perfect, pure, and true in all its parts; the source and standard of
all moral and religious truth; that it is the star and anchor of all human
hope; the only guide for man, the only torch in Nature's night. These claims
are so at variance with every known recorded fact, so palpably absurd, that
every free, unbiased soul is forced to raise the standard of revolt."
--------------------------------------------------------
New Board and
Officers
- President: John
McCaffrey
- Vice President:
Dave Buck
- Secretary: Kenny
Graham
- Treasurer: Phil
King
- Board Member:
Jonas Holdeman
- Board Member:
Margaret Klein
- Board Member: Carl
Ledendecker
Board Member: Anne
Little
Board Member: Eric
Richter
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RET Newsletter submissions
Feel free to submit news
of interest. Submissions are welcomed but may be limited by space and topic
relevance. The format may vary depending on the amount of information
submitted. Short submissions are preferred but longer ones may be accepted if
they can be published as a series over two or more issues. Text or Word format
are best for submission. Text may also be included in an E-mail. Carl Ledendecker at: (ledendecker@earthlink.net
<mailto:ledendecker@earthlink.net>
) 2123 Stonybrook Rd., Louisville, TN 3777 982-8687 evenings
The Newsletter can also
be found online at our Web site: www.rationalists.org <http://www.rationalists.org>
. Scheduling: Philosophy (Michael Lance) lancem@ornl.gov
<mailto:lancem@ornl.gov>
; Round tables (Carl Westman) cawestman@bellsouth.net
<mailto:cawestman@bellsouth.net>
; Book Club (John McCaffrey) jkmccaffreytn@yahoo.com
<mailto:jkmccaffreytn@yahoo.com>
Newsletter: (Carl Ledendecker) ledendecker@earthlink.net
<mailto:ledendecker@earthlink.net>
, 982-8687 Material published in The RET
Newsletter represents the views of the individual authors. Publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Rationalists of
East Tennessee or its members.