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!

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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 light-hearted schadenfreude every officer was bid to the maximum which resulted in two on stage hair cuts (long haired woodsmen were made horrifically respectable and respectable philosophers were made in to Gregorian monks!), the college human trick trifecta (milk, cinnamon, saltines), an April Fool’s reconversion by prominent youtuber Evid3nc3 that received over 20,000 views (http://www.youtube.com/evid3nc3#p/u/2/pk8qkyguBXk ), and my personal favorite a death metal cover of Justin Beiber’s “Baby” among others (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2nqYiOrGLs )

While we were in the process of speaker selection a decision we made the previous semester to contact all the religious groups on campus to offer to debate or work together paid off when the law school Catholic group St. Thomas More Society contacted us with hopes to sponsor a debate on God with local thelogeon and author Dr. John Mark Miravalle. We contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation where Dan Barker agreed to represent the decidedly ‘con’ side of “Does God Exist?” for day one. Not only did we work fantastically together but thanks to our combined efforts we filled the entire auditorium.

My goal for individual presentations was a mix of topics that were informative, balanced, and challenging. Thanks to the generous support and enthusiastic cooperation of multiple national organizations we were able to have each on of our speakers be nationally respected and influential leaders in their field. Before even having contacted Dan Barker to debate for us, I was looking forward to having the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor use her experience with the National Day of Prayer to present the keynote address, America Doesn’t Have a Prayer, an overview of the recent legal battle on the National Day of Prayer and the facts which should persuade every American, religious or not, that the government has no right to be in the business of prayer. (Due to a death in the family Annie Laurie was unable to join us, nor able to give her workshop on women in the freethought tradition based on her book, No God’s No Masters. We agreed and insisted that she should stay there with her family, and were lucky thad Dan Barker could step in at the last minute and present the keynote for us).

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry provided James Underdown, Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry Los Angeles, and an experienced debunker, talk about How Modern Paranormal Investigations Refute Biblical Miracles. Many people are happy to accept or reject biblical miracles as either dogma or patently ridiculous, but paranormal investigators look at such claims in the modern world all the time and can go even further to tell us what evidence and explanations apply to such miraculous claims.

We were lucky enough to have star clinical psychologist and researcher Darrel Ray in our own back yard having just completed the nations largest secular sex survey with SOMA member and now Director of Member Recruitment, Amanda Brown. The largest ever survey of secular persons’ sexual experiences in and out of religion (12,000+ people responded to 69 questions, which was indeed a coincidence) and reported the unsurprising result that your sex life gets better when you leave behind religion. Not because you can be a hedonistic pervert, but because religious and non-religious people both share the human sexual experience but many religions try to convince people to be ashamed of it. (http://www.atheismresource.com/2011/sex-and-secularism-a-fascinating-study-from-darrel-ray-and-amanda-brown )

Recent SSA board of director’s chair and prominent Friendly Atheist blogger Hemant Mehta joined us to discuss what secular students across the country are doing right. His talk was an engaging and exciting looks at the amazing things secular groups are doing all around the country and why they are so important in a society that often demonizes secular citizens.

Philosopher, and Center for Naturalism founder Tom Clark discussed and challenged the audience with the implications of worldview naturalism and a lack of contra-casual free will. Surprisingly to some, it means a more just and empathetic society with all the freedoms, joys, challenges, and surprises we hold so dear.

We marketed aggressively, reaching out to fellow student groups, writing op-eds, placing ads on campus radio and newspapers, posting large color and b&w fliers on campus and off, tabling, canvasing, and chalking. We also worked with professors on campus to announce the event and offer credit for attending relevant discussions. Thanks to SSA’s project grant we were even able to hang a huge banner on the front of one of the university’s most trafficked building for the entire week leading up to Resonfest, inviting people to discuss the idea of whether God exists.

In addition to the academic content of event, we also wanted to highlight two things that our community finds so valuable: doing good and having fun. We combined both in events buffeting the festival on either side. The infamous Westboro Baptist Church found out that atheists were questioning the unquestionable in their own neighborhood and announced they would be protesting us in a press release denouncing such a blasphemous concept (they are not a fan of Catholics either). There have been many rumors about how they found out about the event, but most people it may have had something to do with the personal invitation Reasonfest coordinator Conrad Hudson gave to Shelly Phelps by handing her a flier. When I asked myself for a quote about it, he said, “I thought it would be a question she would appreciate an answer to.” This rabbit grew up in the briar patch of the Phelps Clan, so I saw nothing but positive in this. Soon after we discovered their intention to protest the event one SOMA member made a comment that would become SOMA’s official sound byte regarding their presence: “I’m glad they are here, it means they aren’t somewhere else hurting a grieving family with their hatred.”

Another upside to the attention they provoke is the opportunity to use it to do some good. Last year a campus activist arranged a huge counter-protest that involved dozens and dozens of hilarious light hearted and irreverent signs, to show support for Queers and Allies Brown Bag Drag that raised hundreds of dollars for Planed Parenthood. We partnered with that activist to again bring out signs and supporters to raise money for a worthy charity. More than $600 was raised and the crowd enjoyed the heartfelt sermon we arranged to urge them to “choose the greater evil” and worship not the vengeful & capricious god of Calvinist theology but rather bow to a truly fearful and destructive deity, Cthululu. After a reading of the Necrinomicon, a sign was called for and those who felt his unholy spirit felt compelled to embrace same sex partners in public displays of affection. It was fun, it raised money for a good cause, and broke down prejudices of LGBTQ couples. Westboro sure does know how to do some good in the world!

To wrap up Reasonfest we all met at a local club to socialize and reflect on the event and were pleased to partner with the venue to give a portion of each person’s cover charge to the Douglas County AIDS Project to fight the impact of HIV/AIDS in the community. Again the combination of providing social bonding experiences for community with raising money for issues it faces proved very successful.

The two day attendance was well over 700 people and those involved reported an incredible amount of value from it. Having a large event really energized our membership and volunteers who were absolutely indispensable. They chalked sidewalks, hung fliers, collected donations, directed traffic, wrote articles, collected surveys, designed publicity, and did it all wearing a smile and their Reasonfest 2011 shirts identifying them as “Reasonable Staff.”

Youtube videos of the debate and talks have already received thousands of views at youtube.com/openmindedatheists, with SOMA’s banner proudly displayed in the background. One of the most exciting and unexpected benefits has been to connect with members of the community willing to financially support our efforts, to educate and unite the community with events like these, which are always free to both members and the public. We sold more than $1000 in merchandise and raised a similar amount in donations allowing us to cover the cost of the event, and providing seed money for Reasonfest 2012.

In addition to the members and audience this event was for, I want to thank our sponsors:
Secular Student Alliance
Center for Inquiry on Campus
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
Freedom from Religion Foundation
Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
And all the support we received from our university for their commitment to free speech and student engagement.

It was an outstanding year, and with more people than ever excited to be involved in the “best god-damned group on campus” I’m confident next year will be even better!

- Conrad Hudson

SOMA Vice President & President Elect

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.

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 meeting with some trepidation, not knowing what to expect.

But Andrew Stangl, the president at the time, made me feel very welcome. Keiv, Emily Stangl, Jon Voisey, and Henry (“The Jew”) also made me feel welcomed and respected.

SOMA provided an outlet for me to connect with other like-minded secular people and share my story. I had many lively debates with Paul Youk on the SOMA listserv about all kinds of philosophical and social issues, which eventually transformed into mutual respect and friendship. I connected with Brenda and Mark Frei in sharing a vision for a kinder, gentler expression of atheism. Bruce S. Springsteen was a constant source of intellectual encouragement and continues to be someone with whom I share respect and admiration.

Along the road, many new SOMA friends came and left. I felt they had varying degrees of positive influence on the direction of the group and helped set the stage for an ambitious, energetic, and outgoing new president, Joey Ralph.

I had served with Joey on the officer board prior to his presidency. Joey, myself, and other new officers had recently participated together in a contentious “SOMA name change” debate. We ultimately conceded to leaving the group’s name the same. But I think the underlying issue was that we wanted a new direction for SOMA. We wanted the group to be more welcoming and to provide more opportunities for participation and input from non-officers and newcomers. As Joey would come to say frequently at meetings “This is YOUR group. SOMA is what YOU make it.”

I was pleasantly surprised to see the new approach and the energy that Joey poured into the group to be a stunning success. Newcomers were rising to Joey’s challenge and indeed making the group their own. More and more energy and investment were being poured into SOMA by new people. New members like Thomas and Conrad took the lead in adding new expansions to the group’s activities. Older members like Paul, Charlie, and I had new people to connect with and new activities to invest our time into. Meetings evolved from the basic format they once had to become more energetic, inclusive, and personal.
Along the way, I had created my YouTube series as an attempt to help foster empathy between religious believers and secularists, as well as provide a resource to secularists still trying to understand their new identity and possibly reconcile it with a former religious background. I was extremely encouraged when Conrad, Thomas, Joey, and other members discovered my series and enthusiastically supported it. I was touched to meet new SOMA members like Jon Nelson who found the series personally meaningful.

SOMA has continued to be a source of incredible friendships and experiences for me. It means so much to me to be able to connect with people through intellectual and empathetic discussion as well as just enjoy their company and have fun. Everything from Java Break to the group meetings to the parties provide a joy in my life that I will always value.

Instead of just going through the motions and graduating I decided to get involved in Lawrence to try and do something to make my time in college worthwhile. So I thought, hey why not, maybe there is a secular or free thinking community on campus. I didn’t know about SSA or American Atheists, I didn’t know that there were any type of social groups or anything out there for atheists to get together but I did know that I couldn’t be the only atheist out there in the world that wanted a community again. One that was like the socializing that I was missing from the church scene. So I searched through the campus organizations and found SOMA.
I went to the first meeting and was immediately thrilled to be around like-minded people. Everyone was so easy to talk to and when the dirty words I was used to getting into long winded debates about (abortion, gay marriage, birth control, religion, politics etc) majority of the people either agreed with me or had educated answers for why they didn’t. It was like walking into a world of smart people that had been hiding. I was beginning to doubt that smart people actually made it into college. I hadn’t encountered any and was beginning to really think the American collegiate system was corrupt and a total lie. (Well… it is but that’s a different story).
Joining SOMA changed my life in a lot of different ways. Without SOMA I would have never met the amazing people who constantly question my reasoning, support my crazy ideas, and accept me for the person I am. I have amazing friends in SOMA and I love each and every one of them (including the ones who enjoy getting under my skin and me theirs). Without SOMA I would have never met Darrel Ray who allowed me to help him with this great project: Sex and Secularism Survey/Research Paper. He helped me dive right into the atheist community. After only a few months at SOMA I was diving in head first explaining this amazing research to different atheist groups around the area, on podcasts, and he even spoke at Reasonfest about the amazing research that we did. After that I realized I needed to do more. After speaking with many members of SOMA and members from around the KC Metro Area they all inspired me to continue to stand up and speak out for the marginalized. I decided to become a leader of SOMA and to do much more in the Atheist community to create change and build community.
Without SOMA my life would be dramatically different. I would just be a house-wife who went to college and became a sex therapist. Now with SOMA and the ability to live my life openly and honestly (again, thanks to SOMA) I am able to follow my ideal career path, lobby for change, and encourage more and more people to be ok with being atheist. Thank you SOMA for empowering me to want to lead and create change while offering the support to do this as well. I will never know how to repay this group for all that it has done for me. SOMA gave me a life worth living.

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 meeting room when suddenly someone behind me said, “Hey Paul!” I turned around to see SOMA president Joey Ralph. He thought I was the SOMA Secretary Paul Wille. Joey and I chatted briefly before we found the meeting room. I was nervous but Paul and Charlie were nice enough to introduce themselves and make me feel at home. I nearly shit myself when Joey announced that the meeting was to be about how all of us became atheists. I didn’t know these people and they wanted me to open up and discuss something so private? I was freaking out.

But I learned quickly how kind, generous, and encouraging the the SOMA members can be. Finally, it came to me. I shared… a lot! HAHA! I came out not only as an atheist but I also came out that I am gay because that was such a big part of why I am an atheist. SOMA members weren’t weirded out by me… in fact, they encouraged me! I remember the look on Chris Redford’s face while I talked. It wasn’t judgment but a look of kindness and understanding. I looked over at Joey and his eyes seemed so big and filled with empathy. I’d been so used to being told to shut up and keep my opinions to myself, that I was moved that I finally felt welcomed to speak my mind… and I am sure SOMA has regretted it ever since!

This is getting long so I should cut it short… I could write a book about my time with SOMA and just how much it has meant to me. In conclusion, because of that first meeting and the friends I have made along the way, I finally felt purpose and belonging. Seriously, my life has never been the same since and life has never been better! No matter where I go or what I do in life, I will never forget that first meeting. Joey Ralph, there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t think about how your love and kindness at that first meeting changed and saved me. I am forever grateful to you and your leadership. And to all the other SOMA members, I thank you as well. SOMA truly is the best goddamn group on campus

Not exactly.

I went to the first meeting of the year. I was nervous (I feel like I was constantly nervous during my first semester, it’s a wonder I didn’t explode from all the pressure). I think there were 50-ish [Conrad, if you're reading this, don't hate...I can't remember how many were there] students at this meeting. I don’t really remember what was discussed specifically, I think they mentioned Skepticon in November, and a party to start off the semester, and other events that would be taking place the following year. What I do remember though is toward the end of the meeting we broke off into smaller groups with the people around us, to do introductions. We didn’t just talk about our year in school and majors, we actually went around the circle saying what brought us here or how we came to be atheists/agnostics. Basically, we told our deconversion stories.

This was such a weird experience for me. Never before had I explained to anyone my belief system or how it had come to be. Many other students had stories that were similar to mine, as far as being religious for a time or being uncomfortable telling others that they were atheist. When I talked, no one scoffed. People listened and understood exactly what I was going through. For the first time, I said out loud that I was an atheist (and nobody freaked out!).

From there, we went out to get pizza. This is my favorite part about SOMA. When we get a group of us together, we talk about everything: politics, video games, books, gender issues…and yes, religion does come up. Again, I found myself sitting with Conrad, and I think Charlie. I really don’t remember what we discussed that evening, but I do remember being quiet. This was all so new to me.

After that I attended every meeting I could. SOMA brought in speakers (such as Dr. Darrel Ray), held discussions, and met every Thursday at a local coffee shop. Being with SOMA, I had finally found a community of people that wouldn’t judge me harshly for my views (on religion or just life in general). I found somewhere where I could be myself comfortably. SOMA provided the support I had been looking for.

Small problems did arise. My SOMA shirt which says “‘There probably isn’t a god, so stop worrying and enjoy your life,’” offended a few people. Even a few fellow atheists thought the idea of having an organization was pointless. I also had some attacks on Facebook (I know, mature, right?) when I mentioned SOMA in a status on Easter Sunday. [I'll talk about these issues in detail later. I promise.] BUT because of SOMA, and now the Secular Student Alliance, and some wonderful friends, I have an amazing amount of support. I’m no longer afraid (for the most part) to tell people that I’m an officer in SOMA and yes, I am an atheist.

SOMA: http://www.facebook.com/kusoma

SSA: http://www.secularstudents.org/

- Michaelyn

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, though I had no particularly strong feelings toward my belief, only that I didn’t like having religion forced upon me, and that I did not believe in God.  When I was growing up, I went to Methodist church, and was fairly active within Sunday School, etc.  When I moved away I attended less frequently, and I have not gone back in years.  There is no particular reason, other than being back in Madison less often, that I have for not going to church back then.  I hold no animosity towards members of the congregation, and amoverwhelmingly proud to say that I still have much of their support (though I doubt many of them know that I am an atheist now…).  The more logical part of my brain simply started to question more and more of the religious teachings, such as the “creation” of earth, walking on water, conjuring food and drink from mere scraps, etc.  Even then, my young mind was telling me that there were some logical inconsistencies that just didn’t make sense to me at that age.

Fast-forward to my junior and senior years of high school.  It was in my Honors World History and English classes that I became more enthralled with philosophy, rather than religion.  I had read “The Catcher in the Rye” years before, but didn’t understand Holden’s existential dilemma until then.  I identified with Holden quite a bit then (we’ll leave that there, for the sake of not spilling my guts via Facebook).  I read Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” my senior year, putting up with much of my English teacher’s good-natured wheedling.  These novels, along with my own independent excursions into other random philosophers helped me to begin to form my nonreligious identity.

So there I was, a wide-eyed freshman, last August.  I was scared out of my wits of being out on my own for the first time, before realizing that it has its advantages, too.  I missed out on a lot of Hawk Week and the getting-to-know-you-type activities.  In lieu of Hawk Week, I was in the Marching Jayhawks.  Anyone who knows anything about me knows that if there is one thing that isn’t a class that I am rabidly passionate about, it is music (but that’s a discussion for a different day).  I had some struggles with my roommates, and for a short time, I didn’t think I was fitting in with the band, either.  Last semester, I took Intro to Philosophy.  Through this class and its associated readings and lectures, more and more I began to understand that being an atheist was nothing to be ashamed of, and that I should never feel inferior—or more superior than—anyone else.  I had heard that KU had an atheist/agnostic student organization, and so I joined their Facebook group towards the end of the semester.  However, I didn’t go to a meeting until this semester.

In January, I went to my first Society of Open-Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA) meeting.  It was through a friend that I decided to go, and I have not regretted it for a second.  It was overwhelmingly comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in my doubt, and that atheists were not the terrible, anarchists that they have been portrayed as.  Atheists and agnostics get labeled so quickly in America as being bad people and it simply isn’t so.  The day that I really understood this was a night I’ll never forget, where Thomas Birdeno, Elizabeth Cunningham, and myself sat up the entire night talking about disbelief and other issues in a coffee shop.  This is one of my favorite freshman memories, hands down.  A few of us have formed a trivia team, “Darwin’s Bulldogs”, and we enjoy going to the Bottleneck (a local bar) on Sundays to enjoy great company, and a friendly, fun environment of random trivia.  It is because of SOMA, and my awesome, supportive brothers and sisters in the bond of Tau Beta Sigma that I have become infinitely more positive this semester.

What life has taught me is that being an atheist is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.  I feel like I effectively break the stereotype that we are anarchists trying to convert everyone in sight to atheism, and cause them to disregard their own beliefs.  This simply isn’t me.  Dammit, I have a lot to be proud of in my life outside of religion.  On paper, I am no different.  I am an Eagle Scout.  I graduated with honors from my high school.  I have been successful at all of my jobs, and I have won competitions and awards in several subjects.  I’m a good person.  I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs.  I don’t go out of my way to hurt others, and I have always had a strong sense of morality and ethics—right and wrong are two ideals that I am very serious about.  I have a loving family, and a close-knit group of friends that I can have absolute confidence in to help me with a problem as best they can.  And guess what?  Though they may not agree with me being an atheist, I can say with 110% certainty that none of them think less of me for my beliefs.

So there it is.  That’s what being an atheist means to me.  It means that, no matter what, I’m still a good person, and my friends and family love me for who they are.  Sure, America definitely isn’t ready for an atheist president or anything like that, but hey, who knows.  The idea that we atheists are bad people is an idea that I work hard each day to dispel.  I’m an atheist, and I’m proud of it.

Maybe I rambled a bit more in this than I intended, but that’s alright with me.  This needed to make its way out into the world, from my mind.

This is What An Theist Looks Like