Reasonfest 2012
SOMA is Proud to announce the schedule for Reasonfest 2012, taking place February 11th & 12th in Lawrence, KS. Reasonfest is run entirely by the members of the Kansas University Society of Open-Minded Atheists & Agnostics, and is free to the public. See the full schedule at Reasonfest.org with an amazing line-up of speakers. Don’t forget to register, last year was standing room only! [Show as slideshow] ...
read moreReasonfest 2011
Reasonfest 2011 President’s Report With great enthusiasm the officers announced the first annual Reasonfest would take place May 5th & 6th 2011. That enthusiasm was shared by group members, shortly after that announcement an internal fundraiser raised more than $350. Officers created a list of fun and soul-destroyingly embarrassing tasks they were willing to do for the sake of the group. Members then bid at this “Soul Auction” to decide which things they would have to do. Through a combination of generosity and...
read moreCharity Event 2011
SOMA members pulled together to pack meals for the Lawrence Hunger Project. We helped to organize, pack, and load meals onto the trucks to be distributed to the Horn of Africa. ...
read moreBlasphemy Day
SOMA members supported our right and the rights of others to free speech and the ability to speak out against religion.
read moreOpen To Students and Non-Students
Our first meeting was a success! Many people came out to show their support for a secular community and a need to connect with others who share similar views about life and their pursuit of happiness.
read moreChris’ Story
Thanks for the stories guys. I enjoyed all of them, including the one from Michaelyn linked to above. I knew some of these details but definitely not all of them. It’s encouraging to see what the group has provided for everyone and how. It gives me some useful perspective on what might be going through new members’ heads. As for myself, SOMA became a lifeline for me when I reached the point where I could no longer tolerate being a covert atheist is a Pentecostal church anymore. Like Thomas and Michaelyn, I came to the first...
read moreWhy I Joined SOMA and How It Changed My Life
by Amanda Brown I moved to Kansas when I was ~5 months pregnant with my daughter. I moved up here to get away from the crazy, stringent, uptight, conservative, church-going people of Springfield, Mo. I was ostracized in Springfield for being different and speaking my mind. Which wasn’t unusual for me but in this city it was nasty and downright mean. So, I made the decision to go back to my “home” in a way where I knew I would be accepted a little more easily if I lived in the right area. Well as it turns out neither Overland Park nor...
read moreThomas’ Story
By Thomas Birdeno After living in western Kansas for twenty years, I decided to start a new life in Lawrence. Quickly, I found a job and a place to live. Shortly after that, my friend Mindy Jenks from back home invited me to a party on Tennessee Street. She told me about this “Awesome KU club” called SOMA. I was nervous to check it out since I wasn’t a student and I was over 30. She convinced me to go and, nearly backing out several times, I finally went. Nervously, I walked up the stairs at the KS Union to find the...
read moreWhy We Need Secular Student Groups
Originally Posted at: http://skepticalnovice.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-we-need-secular-student-groups.html By Michaelyn Everhart Last August I walked onto campus at KU as a freshman. I was nervous, but mostly I was excited. Let me introduce you to me about a year ago. I was quiet. I was going to major in physics. I really wanted to join clubs: I wanted to start doing yoga regularly or take a dance class, but I was open to pretty much anything. Did I meniton I was excited? I had just graduated high school, said goodbye to most of my old...
read moreThis is what an atheist looks like
by Brett Steinbrink Well, for the past two months or so, I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection. I’ve been thinking a lot about my life at this point, reflecting a lot about how my life has become different because of college life, and how atheism has become a bigger part of my life, and has helped me to connect to many people that I would otherwise not have met. This is what atheism means to me, and how I have lead, and will continue to lead, a life without God. Before coming to college, I identified myself as an agnostic,...
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