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Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
CENTER FOR INQUIRYPortland
The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
CFI has established centers throughout the world which provide a means of delivering educational programs and services on a local level and provide a venue for like-minded individuals to meet and share experiences.
In aiming to foster a secular society, we do not seek to abridge the rights of believers. We vigorously object to government support of religion and the use of religious dogma to justify public policy; we do not oppose the free exercise of religion. The secular society we are building is a community of reason and compassion in which the dignity and fundamental rights of all individuals are respected.
Three goals represent the focus of our activities: an end to the influence that religion and pseudoscience have on public policy, an end to the privileged position that religion and pseudoscience continue to enjoy in many societies, and an end to the stigma attached to being a nonbeliever.
January 2012
Cont’d on page 2
CENTER FOR INQUIRYPortland
The mission of the Center for Inquiry is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
CFI has established centers throughout the world which provide a means of delivering educational programs and services on a local level and provide a venue for like-minded individuals to meet and share experiences.
In aiming to foster a secular society, we do not seek to abridge the rights of believers. We vigorously object to government support of religion and the use of religious dogma to justify public policy; we do not oppose the free exercise of religion. The secular society we are building is a community of reason and compassion in which the dignity and fundamental rights of all individuals are respected.
Three goals represent the focus of our activities: an end to the influence that religion and pseudoscience have on public policy, an end to the privileged position that religion and pseudoscience continue to enjoy in many societies, and an end to the stigma attached to being a nonbeliever.
SEPTEMBER 2012
CFI-Portland is bringing the pop-ular Shelley Segal to Portland!After performing this year at the ‘Reason Rally’ to a crowd of 25,000 in Washington DC, Segal’s music video for her single ‘Saved’ has gone global.
The Melbourne based singer-songwriter became involved in secular activism over two years ago, despite her father being the president of a local synagogue. Her songs are a passionate response to dogmatic belief, inequality, religious oppression and the idea that only the devout can be grateful and good. She enjoys bringing this usually controversial topic to the public discourse and finds music to be a effective medium for expression and raising awareness. "I can say what I think for three minutes without anybody interrupting me.” (Melbourne Times City Weekly).Segal’s latest release, ‘An Atheist Album,’ embodies her thoughts on religion and has quickly made her “a new pin-up girl for the international atheist movement.” (Barny Zwartz -The Age).
Shelley Segal comes to Portland!
Thursday, Sept. 20, 7pmBiddy McGraws6000 NE Glisan St,
Portland, OR21 and over
$5 suggested donation
tinyurl.com/8qkukxy
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
Those booths at Kells Brew Pub in NW Portland have a door that you can close, and they looked like the perfect place to have privacy for our first Nuts and Bolts and Beer meeting. They seat about 8-10, plenty for the number of people we were expecting. Over 20 showed up. We moved to the back room. We were floored by the great turnout. Thanks to everyone who attended, and thank you most of all for your great ideas and your willingness to help out! The pur-pose of the Nuts and Bolts and Beer meet-ings is to make Center for Inquiry–Portland easier to understand, more transparent and accessible, and to give people an opportu-nity to become more engaged as volunteers and leaders. Several people stepped up to help out with projects that they suggested or to fill positions on our program and vol-unteer wishlist, which can be found here or at: tinyurl.com/8woaxm9In particular, we now have a team that is drafting a new welcome package with easi-er overviews of our structure, mission, and programs, including an organization chart. We also have a volunteer who will try to assemble a list of speakers for a regular lecture program. In addition, we are work-ing to establish electronic communications between those who want to participate in project teams.
Nuts and Bolts and Beer will be a regular monthly program on the third Monday of every month. The next one will take place on September 17th, 2012. We've moved it to Java Vivace on NW 23rd but if you have suggestions for other venues, we’d like to hear them. Please bring your questions and ideas.
Nuts and Bolts and Beer: How'd it go?
by Dani Tofte, Sylvia Benner and Cathy Whiting
Film Fest Fights Religion, Homeopathy, & Other Superstitions
The third annual Portland Humanist Film Festival (PHFF) is a secular cinematic event where Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Free-thinkers, and the curious from the Northwest and beyond can gather, mingle and share in an exciting and stimulating atmosphere.HIGHLIGHTS: This year's film festival will include a movie filmed in Portland, with many other exciting films to be announced. The venue is Cinema 21 – a great theater with that Northwest vibe including micro-brew beverages.CFI–Portland is sponsoring, and Humanists of Greater Portland are again contributing in a big way to this event.Supporters, volunteers, advertisers – all are encouraged to contact us on our website: HumanistFest.com
Fri-Sat-Sun, October 26-28, 2012
Survey Says: Atheism is on the Rise World-wide (and in America)
By Hemant Mehta, friendlyatheist.com
A new global survey on religiosity (PDF) by WIN-Gallup International has two big findings:
First, the United States has gone from being 1% godless in 2005 to 5% in 2012. (The percentage of people simply calling themselves non-religious is 30%, sig-nificantly higher than ever before.) That jumps us up quite a bit on the Global Atheism Index:
The other finding is that atheists are now 13% of the world population , an increase of 9% since 2005:
… the number of self-declared atheists in the world has risen by 9% since the measure was last taken in 2005.
The massive poll, conducted in 57 coun-tries (not, apparently, including Britain) among 51,000 people asked a single question “Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person or a convinced atheist?”
It shows that on average 59% of the world said that they think of themselves as religious, whereas 23% think of them-selves as not religious and 13% think of themselves as convinced atheists. Naturally there are enormous variations from country to country.
What does all this mean? For America, where only 60% of the population calls themselves “religious,” and an additional 30% calls themselves “non-religious,” politicians are making a big mistake by ignoring us during election seasons. As philanthropist Todd Stiefel pointed out in an email, “they go after Jews (1%),Af-rican Americans (12.6%) and His-panics (16.3%) like crazy, but [the] non-religious+atheist crowd (35%) is larger than those three groups combined (29.9%).”
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
Secular Sunday School Starting Up Again
PORTLAND HOSTS FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION NATIONAL CONVENTION
Sat-Sun, October 12-13 ~ Hilton Portland & Executive TowerIt’s not too soon to register for the Freedom From Religion Foundation's 35th annual national convention. FFRF is committed to separation of church and state.Richard Dawkins will speak Friday night. Other convention speakers: - Mystery Novelist Sara Paretsk- Actress and Playwright Julia Sweeney- Journalist Katherine Stewart, Author of The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children- Clergy Project “Graduates” - Teresa MacBain, who is now acting director of the Clergy Project, left the Method-ist ministry in March with much media attention. Jerry DeWitt, Director of Recovering from Religion, openly parted with the Pentecostal ministry last year, and Annalise Fonza is a former United Methodist clergywoman and joined the Clergy Project in July.- Student Activists Jessica Ahlquist, a plaintiff in a successful ACLU federal law-suit challenging a prayer banner at her high school in Cranston, R.I., and Max Nielson, a student plaintiff in FFRF's ongoing South Carolina lawsuit over a district policy that sanctions graduation prayer.
- FFRF Co-President Dan Barker, "The Singing Friendly Neighborhood Atheist", will perform at the piano.- FFRF Co-President Laurie Gaylor will be Emcee for the weekend.- FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert will discuss FFRF's legal activ-ism.- And Andrew Seidel, FFRF's newest staff attorney will "debunk the 'Christian Nation' myth."Go to for ffrf.org for details, to register and more!
Dinner With DawkinsYou are invited to join Richard Dawkins for a pri-vate fundraising reception, Saturday, October 13, 4pm, at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower.This is an exclusive event, limited to a small number of people, benefiting the US Branch of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science.The mission of this foundation is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering. RDFRS-US is expanding its effort to organize Americans to overcome intolerance and suffering caused by religious fundamentalism. Learn more at the rdfrs.com website.This is a significant fundraising event requesting gifts of $650 minimum per person and $1000 per couple. Details are presented on an individual ba-sis to those interested in conversing with Richard Dawkins and making a meaningful investment in RDFRS-US. Space is limited.RSVP to Sean Faircloth, Director of Strategy & Policy, RDRFRS-US at [email protected].
September 9th, 10:30-12:00Summer vacation is drawing to a close, and the Secular Sunday School program is starting up again! Erin Mueller and Wendi Cooksey will be organizing the program again, along with new teachers, Melissa Lucash and Chelsea Karpa. The program for K-3 students meets twice a month, and teaches children about science and comparative religion in a fun, interac-tive class. We also organize social events for Sunday School families to get together as a group, and participate in at least one community involvement project each school year. This year we will be “traveling around the world” while we explore scientists,
culture, and religions (both ancient and modern) from various countries across the globe. If you are interested in the program or have any questions, please contact Erin at [email protected]. We are compiling a group e-mail list to make sure everyone has the information they need prior to the first class, includ-ing class location and specifics of enroll-ment. We also utilize an e-vite system for RSVP's to ensure that the teachers have enough supplies ready for everyone at-tending each class. Please note there is a one-time suggested donation of $10 per student (max $20 per family) to help cover the costs of materi-als used throughout the school year (free for Friends of the Center).
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
By Fred StrongDecember has, for a long time, been a conundrum for me. I love the pageantry, the music, the arts that flourish at that time of year but I loathe the religious pretense around which most of it is based. I knew there were others like me and so it eventu-ally occurred to me that there might be room for one more type of celebration and performance event at year's end, one for those of us who share a nontraditional, nonreligious view. This was before I even knew of a thing called ’Humanism’ or even that there were formed groups that might represent something along those philo-sophical lines.And so I came up with the concept of a performance event that would connect with the natural world, not the mythological one, and became caught up in the idea of a pro-gram on or around the Winter Solstice. Al-most immediately images and ideas started pouring from my capricious little mind and soon it began conniving vague plans for something (I knew not what.) along these lines (It does that often.). I had heard about the Winter Solstice concerts of The Paul Winter Ensemble in NYC but found that these were really Christmassy concerts dressed in the garb of a sort of New Age-ish aura, I further researched Winter Solstice, its traditions and perhaps legacies and found, to my shock, that this date and phenomenon had been commandeered by the Chris-tian religion to be included in their plethora of platforms to augment their super holiday. In my research, checking out every book on Winter Solstice from the library (pre Google days), I found to my dismay that Winter Solstice had now be-come synonymous with Christmas. I took a deep breath and pressed on. Soon it became apparent that, if nonreligious people were ever to have their day (literally), we were going to have to begin establishing our own culture complete with our own holidays, celebrations, music, literature, art, etc. and so, with this in mind, I began writing music to that end.The first piece I composed in this vein was written for a local soprano duet with whom I’d worked in the
past who called themselves The Duelin’ Sopranos. In their heyday they did several concerts in the US, had a highly energized local fan base and toured Europe. At that time I had no idea as to when or where (or if!) this piece would be performed; all I knew is that I must write it. Titled Songs For Winter Solstice manifested itself into a three-movement work in which I tried to evoke a feeling of linking the past to the present musically and establishing a style that is both modern and ancient. I contacted the Unitarian church which presents a Winter Solstice concert but, despite several attempts at contacting the music director, never received any sort of response. Some-where along the line I discovered Human-ism and began researching any local groups that might exist. CFI had just come to town and I recall going to its first big public event at OMSI where I was impressed with the crowd that turned out, I also learned of HGP (Humanists of Greater Portland). After attending some of the HGP meetings and following the CFI emergence I was buoyed by the fact that I had, in fact, found the community I had been looking for and decided that I would attempt to put on the first Winter Solstice concert.
I had come up with the name DARKTO-LIGHT (DTL) as a working title symbolic of both the transition from the darker sea-sons into the brighter ones and in the Hu-man journey of evolving from the darkness of myth-based thinking into the enlighten-ment of self-awareness and self-responsi-bility. I further had a vision of adding an active arts and entertainment element to local Humanist life as it seemed that there was very little, if anything, offered in this way. And so I booked the Portland Com-munity Music Center and proceeded in putting together a bill of performers. I had little money of my own but was able to find a varied group of performers that were willing to perform for a percentage of any donations which I could raise. The Duelin’ Sopranos were to premier my Songs For Winter Solstice. The year was 2008.I was convinced that I would get great support for my efforts from CFI-Portland and HGP but, to my utter dismay, I got cold shoulders from both. I tried to get CFI to list the event on their calendar, I tried to get them to let me write a few words about the performance that could be posted on their events pages and web articles, I begged the people in charge at HGP to let me have five
minutes to talk about DTL and the importance of adding the arts to local Humanist agendas but was never allowed anything but to stand up at the end of the meeting for ‘general announcements’ and briefly give the date and a word about the event. I was feeling pretty discouraged when at last I received great encouragement from Jon Peters who not only added the event to the SHEP calendar but allowed me time to explain the event at the SHEP meetings of the time. Then the ’Culture Vultures’ of HGP called me and took down the show info intending to add the show to their list of things to do that month. Encouraged, I began to feel better about my plunge into the unknown and proceeded with posters and what-ever publicity I could manage for free. I was both excited and stressed not knowing for sure what kind of turnout there would be and what kind of debt I might be in if not enough donations came in. But, because of one of the nastiest Portland winters on record, the fate of that concert will never be known.
DARKTOLIGHT Achieves Great Roster of Talent
DARKTOLIGHT 2012 - A vision coming into view
Cont’d on page 6
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
by Erin Mueller
On October 27th, the CFI Portland Light the Night Team will be carrying illuminat-ed balloons as we celebrate “The Healing Power of Science” at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual fundraising event. This is my fourth year participat-ing in the walk, and I am excited about the chance to start a new team with all of you this year. In the July newsletter, I shared information about Todd Stiefel's matching fund pledge that allows us to raise twice as much money for a great cause while draw-ing attention to non-theist giving ( http://files.meetup.com/1205883/2012-7%20CFI%20Portland%20Newsletter.pdf ). This time I'd like to take the opportunity to share the courageous story of the person who first introduced me to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society: my 7-year-old friend Alex. Alex's family is a member of the CFI community, and he attends our Secular Sunday School program. In June of 2005, I was a new mom with a 3-month-old baby. I didn't know a lot of people in the Portland area, and I decided to attend one of those “baby gym” classes, with the hope of making some friends. There we met 2-month-old Alex and his mom, Sara. Sara and I started talking while our little boys played. We learned that we had so much in common, from our love of science to our views on politics, parenting, and religion. I had found a great friend, and we enjoyed watching our children grow and explore together. As time passed, it became obvious that Alex was going to charge headfirst into everything he could. He was the first of his friends to sit, crawl, walk...and then RUN! In contrast to my own, very laid-back son, it was like Alex couldn't wait to get going. I remember a trip to the park when our kids were just toddlers. I was the mom relaxing in the grass while my son contentedly dug in the sandbox, and Sara was the one climbing to the top of the “big kid” jungle gym to retrieve her tiny, protesting son! Alex has always just been so adventurous and full of life. That's why, when Sara called me one evening in November of 2008 to tell me they had spent the afternoon in the ER, I was sure it couldn't be anything too seri-ous. She told me that 3-year-old Alex had what the doctors thought was a lingering case of croup, but because his breathing wasn't getting better after several steroid
treatments, they had ordered an x-ray. His thymus was enlarged and pressing on his airway, and everything she read on the Internet sounded very bad. Even so, I re-member trying to calm her down, thinking of all the benign possibilities, and telling her to stop consulting “Dr. Google.” Alex was going to be fine; after all, he was the healthiest, most energetic little boy I'd ever met. The next day, when Sara called to say they were going to Doernbecher Children's Hospital for some more tests, I was still sure it had to be something simple from which he would quickly recover. A few hours later, Sara and I cried together on the phone when she told me the results of the initial tests. I was numb and just couldn't wrap my head around his diagno-sis: Alex had T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Over the next two years, I had a front-row seat to all of Alex's struggles and triumphs as he battled this horrible disease. I watched him lose all his hair, swell from steroids, and get sick from toxic chemi-cals being pumped into his small body. I watched his parents work hard to main-tain a normal family life for Alex and his little sister. I watched Alex face all of his challenges with a sense of acceptance and understanding that was surprising for such a small child. I cried with each setback and re-hospitalization, and cheered when he took what we thought would be his last dose of chemotherapy in November of 2010. Medical science has come a long way since the early treatment of blood can-cers, but watching Alex's battle has made me very aware of how far we still have to go. Just when his family and friends
thought cancer was behind him, just as we celebrated his sixth birthday in April of 2011 with a “Goodbye Cancer” party, Alex started feeling sick. Sara and her husband Eric followed their instincts and brought him back to his doctor, where they received devastating news: Alex had B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a secondary cancer caused by the chemo-therapy used to treat his Lymphoma. All semblance of a normal life they'd enjoyed for the few short months since he finished treatment vanished in an instant. They began life as a “family with cancer” all over again. In September of last year, while most of his friends were starting first grade, Alex was receiving huge doses of radiation in preparation for the bone marrow transplant that would save his life. While we all carried our balloons at the 2011 Light the Night walk, Alex watched the event's fireworks show from a window up at Doernbecher while his new marrow took hold and began to build him a new immune system. Almost one year later, as we look forward to the next walk, Alex is a healthy kid with a head full of wavy brown hair and a con-tagious smile. He plays baseball and takes swimming lessons, and is looking forward to starting second grade. He also has two complete sets of DNA (one he was born with, and another in his marrow and blood that is identical to that of his donor), but you wouldn't know by looking at him. He still has regular clinic visits to make sure he is cancer-free, but is otherwise able to finally just be a normal 7-year-old. Alex is an amazing kid, and someone I am proud to know. He is still here thanks to the skill of his doctors, the generosity of a bone mar-row donor living half a world away, and to
The Healing Power of Science
Cont’d on page 6
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
More pics from a CFI Summer
amazing advances in medical science. Those advances are only made possible through funding of medical research, brought about in part by organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can help us make a difference in the lives of families like Alex's, who are affected by blood cancers. Join our team, walking under the banner of “The Healing Power of Science.” You can find out more by contacting me at [email protected], or by visiting our Facebook group page at https://www.facebook.com/CFIPortlandLTN . If you're ready to join, or if you'd like to make a tax-deductible dona-tion to LLS through the CFI Portland team, visit our fundraising page at bit.ly/PpMFK6 . Thank you for allowing me to introduce you to my good friend, Alex, and for considering sup-porting or joining the CFI Portland Light the Night team! To learn more about Alex's battle against Lymphoma and Leukemia, you can visit Sara's blog at alexbattle.blogspot.com/.
Over the next few years DARKTO-LIGHT has taken a few twists and turns, going from a potluck dinner/talent show get-together, jointly hosted by HGP and CFI-Portland, to a SRO concert/theatri-cal event funded by CFI-Portland with a grant by HGP. But this year, thanks to the generosity of CFI-Portland, DARK-TOLIGHT has finally taken on the parameters of the concept I dreamed of many winters ago. Instead of one show we will have three and be able to serve hundreds of locals. Instead of a 140-seat recital hall or multipurpose room we have a dynamic 200-seat theater with lighting and sound, we have an all-original musical score, a back up four-piece band and a cast of twelve diverse, talented actors and a theatrical director. But most importantly we have an excit-ing public forum to spread OUR mes-sage, an event from and for OUR and all communities that is just as valid as Christmas Revels or any other holiday
program that happens in the most festive and, possibly, meaningful time of year.2012 is a special year for DARKTO-LIGHT. It is truly the beginning, we hope, of a great new holiday tradition, one that secularists have been waiting for and badly need, one that reflects our reliance on science and reason as the basis for civility, hope and progress. Please do your part, whatever that is and whatever you can do…buy tickets, make a donation, volunteer: darktolight.orgSee you in December!!!Editor's Note: CFI did not help to orga-nize DARKTOLIGHT in 2008. We were a new organization and had neither the funds, nor the volunteers, nor the experi-ence to support such an endeavor. We published the event on the CFI SHEP (Secular Humanists of East Portland) Meetup calendar. CFI–Portland began to support the event as soon as we had the capacity to do so.
Dark to Light, cont'd from p. 4 Healing Power, cont'd from p. 5
4th Annual Freethinkers Campout
at Honeyman State Park
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
By Alan LitchfieldHere’s an easy way to start an argument: Question the historicity of Jesus during your next conversation with family or friends. The location of your conversant’s religious beliefs along the atheist-theist continuum won’t matter – everyone has an opinion on this guy.Many hard-core atheists who believe this 1st century Palestinian Jew was simply a charismatic mystic surrounded by myth and superstition will vehemently challenge the assertion of “mythicists.” Mythicists claim that Jesus was not an historical person, but a fiction or mythological character invented by early Christians. “Historicists,” on the other hand, believe his existence can be established with the available evidence.The American cultural milieu that echoes Jesus-claims from every medium – from “What Would Jesus Do?” bumper stickers to Jesus tattoos to Jesus action figures – irrevo-cably distorts our intuitions. Of course Jesus was a real person – he’s mentioned far too often to simply be a fictional character. And let’s not forget that he’s mentioned in the Bible. He must be a real person, right?Right?Dr. Richard Carrier doesn’t think so.The study of Jesus is rife with bias, misun-derstanding and assumptions. A scholarly consensus on the 2,000-year-old historical figure seems unattainable. “It’s a mess,” were the words I used to describe these studies to Carrier when I interviewed him for a recent podcast. He agreed.“I think there are a lot of foundational is-sues that haven’t been well resolved. For example, the dating of documents has been poorly done. You often hear the claim, ‘The consensus is’ that a certain document dates to a certain period. But when you look at the actual evidence, that’s more of a kind of random polling of opinion rather than some-thing that’s really evidence-based,” he said.Carrier is a professional historian, published philosopher, and prominent defender of the American freethought movement. He holds a PhD from Columbia University in ancient history, specializing in the intellectual history of Greece and Rome, particularly ancient philosophy, religion, and science, with emphasis on the origins of Christianity and the use and progress of science under the Roman empire. He is best known as the author of Sense and Goodness without God, Not the Impossible Faith, and Why I Am Not a Christian. He is a major contributor to The Empty Tomb, The Christian Delusion, The End of Christianity, and Sources of the
Jesus Tradition, as well as writer and editor-in-chief, now emeritus, for the Secular Web.According to Carrier, it’s an overstatement when scholars cite that the Gospel of Mat-thew, for example, was “definitely” written in the 80s CE. It could be anywhere from 70 CE to 120 CE, a range more consistent with the data available.“I think there has been sort of an excessive optimism about the ability to apply certain concepts to the evidence we do have for Christianity, and an unwillingness to admit that we really don’t have a lot of evidence regarding the origins of Christianity. The fact of the matter is we have very very little, the data is terrible, and highly biased,” Car-rier said.In his latest book, Proving History: Bayes’s Theorem and the Quest for the Historical Je-sus, Carrier critiques the method and criteria historians use to do their work. He focuses primarily on the practice as applied to the historical Jesus, but his criticism is also directed at historical practices in general.Bayes’ Theorem is a mathematical calcu-lation formulated by the mathematician Thomas Bayes in the mid-18th century. While it has been used in probability theory, it has been recognized that the equation describes a logical argument. This is why Carrier is applying it to the practice of his-tory, and more specifically, the historicity of Jesus.“It’s a theorem about how we reason about probabilities, or how to correctly reason about probabilities, and it just so happens that all empirical reasoning is all probabi-listic. Everything that we claim to know about facts comes down to probabilities, not certainties. Once you start realizing that all empirical statements are probabilistic like that, then correct empirical reasoning has to be described by whatever theory correctly describes probabilistic reasoning, and that’s Bayes’ Theorem,” Carrier said.This is all well and good. But if you’re like me, you fear math like you fear apocalyp-tic zombies. But you needn’t worry, our podcast was non-technical, as is this post, and Carrier’s book is easy to read. (Zombies aren’t real, either. No, really.) During our talk Carrier fielded the common complaint that he is simply reducing history to math:“First of all, we’re already doing the math in our heads, whether we’re aware of it or not or whether we’re thinking in terms of math. We’re weighing probabilities, we’re already doing it. So the question is, are we going to do it soundly or not,” Carrier said.The basic Baysean equation looks daunting,
and you have to invest a little bit of brain fuel to get the basic idea. However, it’s truly not as difficult as it appears.In chapter 4 of his book, Carrier examines historical methods through the lens of this theorem. He looks at the Argument to the Best Explanation and the Argument from Evidence, in particular. Carrier states that all hypothetico-deductive methods reduce to Baysean reasoning.“Bayes’ Theorem describes them all. I think this is a very important discovery, and it’s a very important thing to understand, especial-ly because a lot of historians are very fond of those other methods. But there are serious flaws in them if you don’t understand why they’re valid, or in what conditions they are valid. And Bayes’ Theorem answers those questions, so they really do need to under-stand Bayes’ Theorem to understand why those methods work,” he said.In chapter 5, Carrier focuses on a Baysean analysis of historical criteria in the field of Jesus studies. He studies specific arguments scholars use, such as the Argument from Dissimilarity, The Argument from Embar-rassment and what’s called Multiple Attesta-tion. Carrier mentions 18 criteria, but there are many more.The Argument from Embarrassment, for instance, states that if an author writes something that would embarrass him, it must be true, because he wouldn’t humiliate himself with a falsehood. Thus, any source embarrassing to Christianity is more likely true, since early Christians wouldn’t have created material that portrays the religion negatively.Carrier illustrates common problems with these criteria: They are either applied incor-rectly, or they are logically invalid, or they don’t solve the threshold problem. The threshold problem asks this question: When do we have enough evidence to warrant belief in a conclusion? When is enough enough? Carrier examines the logical foun-dations for all these criteria.Carrier plans to publish part two of this book, On the Historicity of Jesus Christ, next year. It utilizes the method Carrier currently argues for. Until then, I’m keeping a calculator, a caffeinated beverage, and a crossbow nearby. I fear the mathematician zombie the most.
Alan Litchfeld is the coordinator for the Beaverton Atheists Meetup. You can listen to his podcast or read his blog: www.malcontentsgambit.com. Follow him on Twitter: @malcontentsgamb
Scholar Questions Historical Jesus With Method, Criteria, Math
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
CFI September Events For more information about any of these events, late additions, or to RSVP, go to the CFI calendar at www.meetup.com/cfi-portland/#calendar and click on that event
Saturday, September 1, 2pm
Skeptics in the PubEvergreen Pieway3020 Evergreen Way, Washougal, WA“Socializing with like-minded folks is fun. Plus, who knows what future projects may spin off from such meetings.”
Sunday, Sept. 2 & 16, 12:30pm
Rogue Valley Freethinkers (Grants Pass)Union Drop-In Center,225 NW Hillcrest Dr, Grants Pass, ORFor Sept. 2: Just back from TAM! (The Amazing Meeting! with the Amazing Randi) 2012, Ray Briggs will tell us all about the events, fascinating speakers, the great contacts he made and whether or not his winnings were enough to cover all his expenses, maybe.
Thursday, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, 10amPreschool PlaydateBeaverton, ORFor preschool children aged 3 & 4 (and other ages). Please RSVP at CFI-Secular Family Network website.
Sunday, Sept. 2 & 16, 3:00pm
Rogue Valley Humanists (Ashland)Rogue Valley U U Center, 87 4th Street, Ashland, OR
The Humanism Group studies current topics of interest to Humanists, often from a recent book or article. We meet every first and third Sunday under the balcony of the Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Center Ashland from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
Wednesday, Sept. 5, 7:00pmBook Group: Predictably IrrationalTV F&R Station 67, 13810 SW Farmington Rd, Beaverton (Community Room)For this meeting, we will cover from p. 127 to the end of Dan Ariely's book, "Predictably Irrational". This is a fast read compared to our last book, so this can easily be covered in the three-week time frame (six pages per day!). It focuses on the ways our brains often fail to make the best decisions when faced with compet-ing choices and imperfect information about those alternatives.
Thursday, Sept. 6, 11amSouth Coast Skeptics MeetupDenny's, 98 E. 1st St, Coquille, OROrganizer: Greg CollverPizza and skeptical discussion at Denny's!
Monday, Sept. 3, 6:30pm
Save Our Selves (SOS) Secular Support Group in Rogue Valley1505 NW Washington Blvd, Grants Pass, OROur SOS Group offers secular alternative support to individuals struggling to overcome a personal addiction, such as alcoholism. This approach differs from typical 12-step programs.
Sunday, Sept. 2, 5pm
Salem Discussion GroupPrivate home: address upon RSVPWe're coming together to talk about local issues like science, education, separa-tion of church & state. We encourage and support each other to be more active in the local discourse so our secular voices are heard and part of the conversation.
Thursday, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, 6pm
Ask A Skeptic!The Ike Box, 299 Cottage St NE, Salem, ORCome join us for coffee and conversation! We're here to answer questions and offer support for those discovering their inner skeptic.
Wednesday, Sept. 5, 12, 19, 26, 11am
Skeptics of Eugene Coffee KlatchTheo's Coffee House 199 W. 8th Ave, Eugene, OR
Casual conversation about whatever we feel like. Drop in or out as your schedule allows.
Sunday, Sept. 9, 11am
Eastside Sunday BrunchOld Wives Tales, 1300 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214Organizer: Sylvia Benner
Please RSVP so we can reserve the correct number of seats.
A chance to meet and get to know others in the community over good food in a relaxed atmosphere! The restaurant has a children's menu and a separate play room for the little ones. Vegetarian dishes available.
Monday, Sept. 10, 7pm
Discussion: EvidenceJava Vivace 2287 NW Pettygrove St Portland
Never has humanity had greater access to facts, and simultaneously been so full of contention, especially about what is true or not.
Join us for a discussion of evidence, including confirmation bias, trusted sources, false equivalence, authority fallacy, fake quotes, et al.
Contact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portlandContact the Center for Inquiry Portland at [email protected], or visit us online at www.centerforinquiry.net/portland
CFI September Events CONT'D
Thursday, Sept. 20 , 7pm
Shelley Segal Live in Portland!Biddy McGraws, 6000 NE Glisan St, Portland, ORAfter performing this year at the ‘Reason Rally’ to a crowd of 25,000 in Washington DC, Segal’s music video for her single ‘Saved’ has gone global. Now CFI-Portland is bringing the popular Shelley Segal to Portland!This is going to be one fun fun concert!! See the full description on page1 of this newsletter.
Sunday, Sept. 16, 1pm
Skeptics of Eugene PicnicRichardson Park at Fern Ridge Reservoir, 25950 Richardson Pk Rd, Junction City, ORWe had so much fun at our July picnic, we decided to do it again before the summer gives out! And we'll be a little more organized this time. Bring portable chairs, utensils, something to grill if you wish. Bring something you enjoy to do lakeside. Last time we played croquet, did crossword puzzles and played guitar. Many dogs played together (leash required). What fun! There is a charcoal grill on premises and we will provide charcoal.Watch for a sign-up sheet for potluck dishes. It will be online and easy to sign up.Hope you can join us for a great day out!
More details and RSVP: www.meetup.com/cfi-portland/#calendar
Monday, Sept. 17, 6:30pm
Nuts & Bolts & BeerKells Brew Pub, 210 NW 21st Avenue, PortlandThis is a program series specifically for those who want to get some insight into the decision-making and organizing processes of our branch, give input, and maybe find an entry point to volunteering. We’re doing this monthly so people can find their way into participating at their own pace. We’ll have at least a couple of board members there who can answer questions and update members on new developments, projects, and things under consideration. Join us to get a better look at the workings of our branch and consider getting involved in organizing CFI–Portland.
Wednesday, Sept. 13, 6:30pm
SHEP Potluck & GamesLocation TBA in East PortandJoin the Secular Humanists of East Portland for food and fun!
Saturday, Sept. 15, 9:30am
Salem Humanists Monthly BrunchMcGrath's Fish House, 350 Chemeketa St NE, SalemPlease RSVP via the CFI Salem Hu-manists Meetup site. Rides available if requested.Dedicated to the pursuit of Reason, Peace, Justice, and Democracy.
Tuesday, Sept. 25. , 6:30pm
Rogue Valley Freethinkers' Social (Grants Pass)Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co, 595 Northeast E Street, Grants Pass, OROpen agenda socializing and fun with freethinking friends.
Wednesday, Sept. 26 , 7pm
Beaverton Atheists MeetupMoonstruck Chocolate Cafe - Beaverton Town Sq., 11705 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, Beaverton
Organizer: Alan LitchfieldEngaging, relaxing and interesting conversation at our monthly meeting.
Friday, Sept. 28, 3:00pm
Parent and Baby/Toddler MeetupLocation and other details available upon RSVP at the CFI-Secular Family Network website.
Friday, Sept. 28, 7pm
Skeptics of Eugene Monthly Meetup33733 Seavey Loop Rd, Eugene, ORHost: Lowell ThomasThis is Open Topic so everyone is welcome to bring up a specific subject of interest, and if there are copies of news items or articles you can share, please do.
LATE CALENDAR ENTRY!
Sunday, Sept. 9 & 23, 10:30am
Secular Sunday SchoolFor details and to RSVP, to to the Secular Family Network Meetup calendar.
Membership InformationWant to promote science, reason, and
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Basic member benefits include:• CFI Membership card,
good at any CFI worldwide • Free entry into all CFI-
Portland regular events• Preferred seating at major
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More benefits are available with other options. See CFI membership levels and benefits here.
MONTHLY DONATION: Click the green button to make an automatically renewing monthly donation. Sustain your membership while sustaining CFI! We'll keep your CFI membership active as long as your regular donations continue, but if your budget chang-es, you may change or suspend your pay-ment at any time. Starting at $5 per month.
ONE-TIME DONATION: Click the blue button to join or renew your mem-bership with a single donation to CFI. Regular membership is $60. Reduced rates for students and unemployed.
For more information, click on the above buttons, call CFI-Portland at 503-877-2347 or email portland@centerforinquiry,.net
Basic member benefits include:• CFI Membership card,
good at any CFI worldwide • Free entry into all CFI-
Portland regular events• Preferred seating at major
CFI-Portland events• Two Guest Passes• CFI Window Decal
• Discounts on conferences and other special events
• Reduced tuition for CFI Institute online courses
• 15% off Prometheus Books purchased through the CFI-Portland
More benefits are available with other options. See CFI membership levels and benefits here.
MONTHLY DONATION: Click the green button to make an automatically renewing monthly donation. Sustain your membership while sustaining CFI! We'll keep your CFI membership active as long as your regular donations continue, but if your budget chang-es, you may change or suspend your pay-ment at any time. Starting at $5 per month.
ONE-TIME DONATION: Click the blue button to join or renew your mem-bership with a single donation to CFI. Regular membership is $60. Reduced rates for students and unemployed.
For more information, click on the above buttons, call CFI-Portland at 503-877-2347 or email portland@centerforinquiry,.net
Support CFI-Portland, keep informed about our activities, participate in our programs,
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