The Many Faces of Charles Darwin

SHIFT - Secular Humanism, Inquiry and Freethought - is pleased to Co-Sponsor this Lecture with The College of Science and The Department of Biology at the University of Utah:

Daniel J. Fairbanks, Associate Dean of Science and Health at Utah Valley University, will be presenting his lecture, "The Many Faces of Charles Darwin" in Room 161 of the University of Utah A. Ray Olpin Student Union at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, December 11, 2009.

Please come early, at 10:30 a.m. for light refreshments, and to make sure everyone is seated in time for the lecture to begin!

This event is completely free and open to the public.

Donations will gratefully be accepted at the door to help bring in our first lecturer of Spring Semester, Dr. Austin Dacey, former Center For Inquiry Representative to the United Nations.

The God Who Wasn't There

The God Who Wasn't There is a documentary that sounds spectacular - this Thursday, December 3, let's all join the Atheists of Utah to see what it's all about! 7:00pm at the Downtown Salt Lake Public Library - 210 E. 400 S.

Ray Comfort

If you see people on campus handing out copies of Ray Comfort's version of On The Origin of Species, PLEASE TAKE ONE. Take multiple copies, if they will give you more than one, telling them you'd like to give some copies to friends. Please bring them to the next SHIFT meeting. The more copies we can get out of their hands, preventing them (peacefully) from being further distributed on campus, the better.

Whatever Happened to Civility in Politics?

This Thursday, November 12, at 7:30pm join the Humanists of Utah in Eliot Hall of First Unitarian Church (600 S. 1300 E.) for a lecture by Alan Coombs entitled "Whatever Happened to Civility in Politics?" The lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session and light refreshments. This lecture is free of charge and open to the public - please encourage fellow free-thinkers or interested parties to attend!

Carl Sagan Day

When you make the finding yourself - even if you're the last person on Earth to see the light - you'll never forget it. - Carl Sagan

This Saturday, November 7, 2009 we will be joining other Center For Inquiry affiliates in celebrating the 1st annual Carl Sagan Day - commemorating the time of his birth (Nov. 9) 75 years ago.

Carl Sagan (1934-1996) was a renowned Astronomer and Secular Humanist.

Please join us this Saturday in the Union Theatre at 12:00pm to begin our celebration!

12:00pm - Lunch Buffet

12:15pm - Contact

2:45pm - Research Assistant Professor John Belz

First Secular Monday (FSM) in November

Have YOU Been Touched By His Noodly Appendage?

Whether you answer "Yes!" or "No?" join us for the first-ever F S M - First Secular Monday - This November 2, 2009 in the Union Theatre.

You will be enlightened on many fascinating topics such as Pastafarianism, The Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster, and Talk Like a Pirate Day.

If you would like to do a bit of Homework before the event, read this:

http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter/

Or, just come curious! Delectable refreshments will be provided.

The purpose of First Secular Monday is to come together as a group for entertaining discussions and planning. We hope to hold these in Coffee Shops next semester, possibly with proceeds benefiting our group or other worthy local causes.

In addition to our discussion honoring First Secular Monday's acronym's namesake, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, we will be beginning preparations for Festivus, The Holiday For The Rest Of Us!

Check out this website to come ready with your preferences on how to celebrate Festivus:

http://www.festivusbook.com/

Or, again, just come curious!

Third-Thursday Discussion Group

Please join us THIS THURSDAY at 7:00pm in the Student Union, Room 319 for a week-day discussion group for those for whom Sundays aren't so convenient ... I know this is our Fall Break, but please take the opportunity to come to campus this Thursday evening for some great snacks and discussion with like-minded peers!

Humanists of Utah Thomas Paine Day Celebration

Thursday, October 8th marks the second annual Thomas Paine Day celebration, as held by the Humanists of Utah. In addition to free food, the event will feature Professor Bruce Dain from the University of Utah History Department, in his address of the issue of how historians see Paine's place in the intellectual history of the Age of Revolution and of American political thought. Also, the winner of the Humanists of Utah essay contest will read the winning essay (The Importance of Secularism in a Truly Democratic Society) and be awarded the first prize of $250. The event will occur in Elliot Hall (southwest door) of the First Unitarian Church at 7:30p. All of the public is invited to attend for free.

This Wednesday!

On Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00pm, SHIFT will welcome Brian S. King, Representative, Utah House District 28, to speak with our group about his experiences with the American Health Care system. Please join us in the Union Theatre for a discussion led by Representative King, followed by a free showing of the Michael Moore documentary, Sicko.

Humanists of Utah Discussion Group

Vice-president, Jason Cooperrider, and treasurer, Shawn Thomas, attended the Humanists of Utah (HoU) discussion group last night (9/24). The group of 10 people met at the First Unitarian Church (600 S. 1300 E.) to discuss the recent article "Profiles of the Godless," which analyzes some of the shared and differing characteristics among the different types of nonreligious people (several copies of the article will be available at the next SHIFT meeting for those who are interested). The discussion was very entertaining and enlightening, lasting from 7:30 until around 9:00. While much of the discussion did focus on various interesting aspects of the article, there was also a great deal of banter about personal stories and opinions, ranging from the existence of other intelligent life in the universe, to the reasons why those present had abandoned religion and how that has affected their lives. The discussion group meets once a month on Thursday at 7:00 (check the HoU website for specific dates) in room RE 201 of the First Unitarian Church. The HoU members were excited to see participation from younger people at the discussion group and were very accommodating.

Health Care Discussion at First Unitarian Church

After the 11:00am service on Sunday, September 27, there will be a Health Care Discussion held at First Unitarian Church (569 S. 1300 E.) If you're interested, come to the 11:00am service and enjoy some Coffee for a few minutes before the discussion, or just come at 12:20 to join in the Health Care Discussion!

This will be a great introduction to our Brian King event next Wednesday!

Movie & Discussion Event

On Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00pm, SHIFT will welcome Brian S. King, Representative, Utah House District 28, to speak with our group about his experiences with the American Health Care system. Please join us in the Union Theatre for a discussion led by Representative King, followed by a free showing of the Michael Moore documentary, Sicko.

First General Meeting

On Sunday, September 13, please meet us on the West Side Patio of the Student Union building for our first general meeting of the school year.

Come meet our group's officers and other like-minded U of U students, and learn about available officer positions/ways you can get involved, as well as upcoming events.

PIZZA and soda at 1:00pm, then we'll be carpooling to Big Cottonwood Canyon at 2:30pm to hike up to Donut Falls - I would call it an easy-medium hike. So be sure to bring a water bottle, and be ready to walk under the waterfall as well! Well, you don't actually have to walk under it if you don't want to ... you can just look at it if you would prefer.

Bring friends who would like to meet us and get to know what our group is all about!

Movie & BBQ Party Saturday

I just wanted to remind everyone about the party in two days! I hope you all have it on your calendars, and can bring friends as well. I want lots of people at the U and Utah State to have the chance as the school year is starting, to just socialize and make some friends who are similarly dogma-free!

Just as a reminder, the meat (grass-fed and vegetarian) will be provided, so please bring one item to share - either a side or a beverage of your choice. If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment here! Let others know what you're bringing, or ask me what you can bring if you're unsure.

Also, if you own a movie in any way related to Skepticism, Secularism, Humanism, Atheism, etc, please bring it around 3:00pm and we'll all choose from what movies people bring.

And of course if you don't have the time to come at 3, join the party between 6 and 7 for food and drinks! See you all there,

Elaine

Humanists of Utah Picnic

The Humanists of Utah have invited our Student Group to join them for a Picnic this Thursday, August 13 at 6:00pm. It will be held in the backyard of John Young, at 2127 S. 1900 E. in Salt Lake City.

The Humanists of Utah are providing all food and beverages, they just want us students to come and have a good time, so we can all meet more secular freethinkers in Utah!

SHIFT Into Gear

Welcome Secular Humanists, Inquirers, Freethinkers - Welcome Atheists, Agnostics, and Dogma-Free Students at the University of Utah!

Are you ready to SHIFT Into Gear for the 2009-2010 School Year? I am thrilled to welcome you to this diverse, growing student population, organizing to socialize without dogma, in the name of Science and Freethought.

Get ready for a spectacular year!

On the Saturday before school starts, August 22, join us for a movie at 3pm and/or BBQ at 6 in Sandy - meet fellow SHIFTers for spirited discussion, food and drink. See the Facebook Group and the Facebook Event Page for more information. I look forward to meeting you all,

Elaine Ball
President