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Note: If you can volunteer to help set-up this event, please let us know in the comments.

This event is being hosted by SKEPTIC (Science and Knowledge Empowering People to Intelligently Choose) at The George Washington University.

Fred Edwords
"The Joy of Godless Sex"

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Marvin Center Amphitheater

When it comes to sexuality, two sizes don't fit all. Nor does one institution. That's why a nontheistic, humanist approach recognizes sexual diversity, individuality, freedom, and responsibility. And that's why humanists continue to work for an end to needless guilt and repression and actively call for a broadening of human possibilities and pleasures.

Free and open to the public. The Marvin Center Amphitheater is located on the 3rd Floor of the Cloyd Heck Marvin Center.

Directions? The Marvin Center building has entrances both on H Street between 21st and 22nd Streets, and on 21st Street between H and Eye Streets. If you are traveling by Metro to campus, exit at the stop marked Foggy Bottom/GWU on the Orange and Blue lines. As you exit the station, you will be at 23rd and I Streets; it is a 3 block walk to the Marvin Center. While GW recommends visitors take Public Transportation to campus, a visitor's parking garage is located between 23rd and 22nd Streets and H and Eye Streets. (While there are multiple decks on campus this is the only deck that accommodates visitors.) The visitor entrance is on Eye Street. The parking fee is $7 for one hour, $13 for two, and there is a $16 daily maximum.

This event was made possible with support from the Secular Student Alliance.

A leading voice for humanism in the United States and abroad, Fred Edwords is recognized as an outstanding lecturer, debater, and inspirational speaker on human rights, humanist philosophical issues, and humanist lifestyle concerns. He has appeared on national and local television in the United States and Canada, has been interviewed on radio and for newspapers around the world, and has lectured in North America, Europe, and India. He has also written for several publications in the United States and elsewhere.

Fred Edwords began his humanist activism in 1977 as vice president of the Humanist Association of San Diego. He became president the next year, expanded his reach as American Humanist Association West Coast regional coordinator in 1979, and became national administrator for the organization in 1980. He then served for fifteen years as AHA executive director (1984-1999) and twelve years as editor of the Humanist magazine (1994-2006). Edwords subsequently shifted his attention to bringing humanism to a wider public as AHA director of communications. Today he serves as a management and PR consultant to the AHA while taking on a new role as the head of the United Coalition of Reason, a new organization that promotes local cooperation among humanist and freethought groups in cities across the United States.

Fred Edwords is also seen as a leader in the broader community of reason. He was the first president (2002-2005) of Camp Quest, Inc., a summer camp for freethinking children, and served in various leadership roles on the staff of the Ohio camp from 1998 to 2008. He has also served on the boards of the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the National Center for Science Education, served as vice president of the North American Committee for Humanism, and is currently a co-mentor of Class 16 of the Humanist Institute. In 1980 he was the founding editor of the Creation/Evolution journal—the only publication dedicated to answering the pseudoscientific, philosophical, educational, and legal arguments of creationists—serving as its editor for eleven years. For such work Edwords was recognized in the mid-1980s as Rationalist of the Year by the American Rationalist Federation and as a Humanist Pioneer by the American Humanist Association. He continues as an advisor to the Secular Student Alliance and as a humanist celebrant in the Humanist Society.

We will be discussing "Godless: How and Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists" by Dan Barker. The book is available for $10.17 on Amazon. Also, Mason and GW sold the book during the Dan Barker VA/DC tour in February. It is my understanding that they continue to sell the book in their stores however you may want to call first. "Godless" can also be found in the philosophy section of many Barnes and Noble stores.

I don't want people not participating for financial reasons. If you can't find a copy ask around - many of us have one you can borrow. You can also watch the video online of Dan Barker discussing his de-conversion at The George Washington University.

You can attend the discussion if you have not read the entire book. However, if you do plan to do this, please familiarize yourself with the topic and author online.

We will be meeting in Conference Room 103 at the City of Fairfax Regional Library. WiFi is available. We have the room until 3 PM however the discussion normally lasts 90 minutes. Directions are available online. Parking is free and available in an underground deck. For $0.75 the CUE bus can be taken from the Vienna Metro station on the Orange line.

This event is being hosted by the Rational Response Squad at George Mason University. The RRS @ GMU would like to thank the Secular Student Alliance and the Freedom from Religion Foundation for their generous assistance in making this event possible.

Guest Speaker:
Ellery Schempp
Topic:
"Why Do We Believe What We Believe?"
Location:
Johnson Center Meeting Room F (3rd Floor)

Ellery Schempp, the primary student involved in the landmark 1963 Supreme Court Case of Abington School District v. Schempp which declared public school-sanction Bible reading unconstitutional, will be joining us on the campus of George Mason University discuss reasons for beliefs.

The presentation will be in the Johnson Center Meeting Room F on the 3rd Floor.

It is free and open to the public however there is a fee to park on campus. The Mason Pond Parking Deck is the closest available visitor parking to the Johnson Center. It can fill up during this time of day however - necessitating the use of another deck on campus further out - please plan your time accordingly. The rate is $2/hr with a maximum fee of $8. If you are taking the Metro, for $0.75 you can also take the CUE bus from the Vienna (Orange Line) Station to campus.

This event is hosted by the William and Mary Freethinker Alliance.

Ellery Schempp
Topic: TBA

7 P.M. – 9:30 P.M.
Washington Hall, Room 201

Dr. Ellery Schempp, the primary student involved in the landmark 1963 Supreme Court Case of Abington School District v. Schempp which declared public school-sanction Bible reading unconstitutional, will be joining us. The topic will be announced soon.

Free and open to the public - donations are welcome.

Directions? William and Mary is located in Williamsburg, VA. Driving directions are available on their website. The lecture is being held in Washington Hall which is in block H-7 on their campus map.

Parking? A visitor parking pass is required to park on campus. You can obtain a parking pass from the Parking Services Office at 201 Ukrop Way for $3 per day until 4:30 PM. If you are arriving after 4:30 PM, 4:30 PM may obtain passes good until 10 AM the following day, from Campus Police. With a Visitor Parking Pass, you may park in the garage at 201 Ukrop Way or in any campus space designated for visitors, faculty/staff or students, unless the space is marked as reserved at all times.

Metered spaces, though few in number, also are fair game for visitors. In some areas adjacent to the College, street parking is available (subject to restrictions), and paid parking may be found in the nearby Colonial Williamsburg area.

This event was made possible with support from the Secular Student Alliance and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

This event is being hosted by the Campus Freethought Alliance at Central Virginia Community College.

Ellery Schempp
Patriotism and Separation of Church and State

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Merritt Hall

Dr. Ellery Schempp, the primary student involved in the landmark 1963 Supreme Court Case of Abington School District v. Schempp which declared public school-sanction Bible reading unconstitutional, will be joining us to discuss Patriotism and Separation of Church and State.

Free and open to the public.

Driving Directions are available online. There is free visitor parking available.

After this event, Lynchburg Area Secular Humanists, and several other local organizations, are hosting a dinner potluck social at the First Unitarian Church - Fellowship Hall. The UU is located approx. 15 minutes away at 818 Church Street. For more details, contact Paul though meetup.

This event was made possible with support from the Secular Student Alliance and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.