CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series presents
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Eddie Tabash:
The True
Meaning of Separation of Church and State
Sunday,
May 7, 2006 11 a.m. |
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Has the U.S. government become more religious in the past several
years? Do certain theological positions enjoy greater state support
than other positions, or those of non-believers? How is Jefferson's
"Wall of Separation" holding up to recent assaults on the First
Amendment?
Eddie Tabash, a constitutional lawyer, chair of the Center for Inquiry-West, and chair of the national legal committee of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, will address the convergence of religion and government in the United States, and discuss the future of our secular government. Eddie has publicly debated many of the top international theologians, and has been a tireless activist for both civil rights and secular causes. $6, or free for Friends of the Center. This is a Ten Amendments Day event!
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CFI-West's FEED YOUR BRAIN Lecture Series
presents
The God Who Wasn’t There
on Easter Sunday Screening and Q&A with filmmaker Brian Flemming
Sunday, April 16, 2006
11 am in Hollywood
4:30 pm in Costa Mesa* Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by viewing a documentary that makes the case that he never existed. In his controversial one-hour documentary, filmmaker Brian Flemming argues with the help of biblical scholars, philosophers and historians that an actual man named Jesus may be a composite of earlier stories and traditions. Among others, award-winning author Sam Harris (End of Faith), Jesus Seminarian Robert Price (Deconstructing Jesus), and historian Richard Carrier contribute to the idea that Christianity may rest on a life that never was. A Q&A with Flemming will follow the one-hour screening. DVDs will be available at the event. The public is invited. http://www.thegodmovie.com. *Brian Flemming will be at the Hollywood screening only.
The Costa Mesa Community Center
is located at $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Ray Bradbury
in conversation
with MG Lord:
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Bradbury, author of such classic works as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes, will discuss the future and its impact on us and his writings. Lord is an L.A. writer, book reviewer, and author of Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science. Due to the anticipated high turnout of this lecture, it will be held across the street from the Center at Barnsdall Gallery Theater at Barnsdall Park.
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CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series
presents
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Sabbatai Sevi was a very popular messiah in the
1600s who abandoned his religion at the last minute, converting to
Islam himself instead of converting the Turkish sultan to Judaism as
he had boasted. Sevi’s life
eerily parallels that of the crucified Jesus and the evolution of
early Christianity. By examining the story of Sabbatai Sevi, much
light can be shed on Jesus and the development of Western religion. Bringing this story to light is author Robert M. Price, Professor of Biblical Criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute and the editor of The Journal of Higher Criticism. His books include The Empty Tomb, Deconstructing Jesus, The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man, and The Da Vinci Fraud. Price is also Professor of Theology and Scriptural Studies at the Johnnie Coleman Theological Seminary in Florida. $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. The Costa Mesa Community Center is located at 1845 Park Ave. |
CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series
presents
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Paulin received the 2002 William T. Jarvis, Ph.D. Distinguished Service Award for his work with the Orange County Nutrition Alert Coalition. His Victims of Chiropractic information can be found at www.chirobase.org. $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Paul Kurtz Exuberance, Sex, Moral Empathy, Reason, Creative Joy and Planetary Ethics - A Turning Point for Secular Humanism |
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Celebrating CFI-West's 10th Year! Paul Kurtz is the founder and chairman of the Center for Inquiry and is considered the "father of secular humanism." A professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Kurtz is the editor in chief of Free Inquiry magazine, an editorial board member of Skeptical Inquirer, and the author or editor of 45 books.
-Sorry, this event is
overbooked.- |
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Celebrate Darwin Day 2006! Sunday, February 12 -12:01 am through 5 pm; reception to follow- On the 197th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, CFI-West will sponsor a party celebrating the father of the Theory of Evolution. As a symbolic gesture of science's solidarity with Darwin, CFI-West will host a staged reading of the entire text of The Origin of Species, Darwin's revolutionary work which explains that life evolved on Earth over millions of years. Beginning at midnight on Saturday, Feb. 11, pro-science volunteers of all kinds will begin reading the several hundred pages of text onstage at the Center. Readers and audience are invited to float in and out all through the night and day of Darwin's birthday. The book is expected to take about 16 hours to read aloud. The reading will culminate with celebrities and science notables finishing the book sometime between 3:30 and 5pm on Sunday, February 12. Stay for the reception to see a couple of live exotic animals, and to have a piece of birthday cake! Seeking red-eye readers We are looking for readers, particularly for readings in the wee hours Sunday morning. If you'd like to participate in this unique event, please contact Bob Ladendorf, Chief Operating Officer, at (323) 666-9797, ext. 104, or email bob@cfiwest.org.
Center for Inquiry-West |
CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series presents
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Robert
Sheaffer: The Da Vinci Code Baloney
Sunday, January 15, 2006
11 a.m. in Hollywood 4:30 p.m. in Costa Mesa |
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The Da Vinci Code is a
runaway bestseller and a forthcoming movie. This "factual novel"
purports to reveal "the greatest conspiracy of the past 2000 years."
It says that a secret society of leading intellectuals has allegedly
been dedicated to preserving the astonishing secrets and traditions
that organized religion has conspired to suppress.
The Costa Mesa Community
Center is located at 1845 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa, California.
$6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series
presents
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Alan Harris
Sunday,
December 4,
2005 |
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Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, billions of
dollars have been spent, and our freedoms limited in sometimes major
ways, presumably to provide us with a more secure homeland
environment. But are we more secure? The events following the
hurricane Katrina destruction of New Orleans suggests that in a
broad perspective, we are not. Risks come in many flavors. With
only limited resources available, we must not over-attend to one
risk while ignoring others. After examining rational and irrational
responses to terrorism, tsunamis, hurricanes and other hazards,
Alan Harris will examine the ultimate natural hazard, the risk
of global disaster from an asteroid impact, and ask what should, and
should not, be done in response to that risk.
Alan W. Harris received a Ph.D. from UCLA in 1975, and spent 28 years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He now continues research in planetary science from his home, in affiliation with the Space Science Institute of Boulder, CO. For more than a decade he has concentrated on evaluating the hazard of impacts from an asteroid or comet, and appropriate societal responses. In 2002 he co-authored, along with Clark Chapman, "A Skeptical look at 9-11", which appeared as the cover feature in the September-October issue of the Skeptical Inquirer.
The Center for Inquiry-West
4773 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90027 -back to top- |
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CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series
presents
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Based on his brilliant and controversial book, God Against the Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism, Kirsch will discuss the dark side of monotheism and the bright side of polytheism and show how terrorism today is rooted in monotheistic traditions. Focusing on the fascinating battles between two Roman emperors – Constantine, who started the Christian revolution, and Julian, who attempted to restore paganism – Kirsch will show how we need to understand that struggle to appreciate how religious intolerance arose in the ancient world. Kirsch, who lives in Los Angeles, is the author of 10 books, including the critically acclaimed Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible; Moses: A Life, and The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People. Kirsch is also a book columnist for the Los Angeles Times; a guest host and commentator for NPR affiliates KCRW-FM and KPCC-FM in Southern California; a member of the National Book Critics Circle; three-time past president of PEN Center USA West, and an attorney specializing in intellectual property and publishing law in Los Angeles. His Web site is www.jonathankirsch.com. Copies of his books will be available for sale and signing after the talk. $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Marc
Cooper
The Psychology of Luck |
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A frequent contributor to The Nation magazine and L.A. Weekly, Marc Cooper turns his critical eye to discussing the psychology of luck at the Sunday lecture. Author of the recent book, The Last Honest Place in America: Paradise and Perdition in the New Las Vegas, Cooper has had published articles, essays, and interviews in numerous publications over the past 30 years. He hosts "Radio Nation" on public radio and teaches journalism at USC's Annenberg School of Communication "in between blackjack tournaments," as his website [marccooper.com] proclaims. Copies of his book will be available at the lecture. The Center for Inquiry-West 4773 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90027 $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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M.G.
Lord Love and Rockets: The Dark Side of The Space Program
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005
11 a.m. in Hollywood 4:30 p.m. in Costa Mesa |
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At first glance, M.G. Lord,
author of the critically acclaimed Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized
Biography of a Real Doll, would seem an unlikely choice to write
a cultural history of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
But her recent memoir, Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science,
does just that--exploring the darker side of glory rides to the moon and
Mars through the lens of her father, an aerospace engineer at JPL.
Where Barbie looked at an icon of "feminine" culture, Astro
Turf looks at a totem of masculinity, the lid-century Rocket
Scientist, and his descendents, some of whom are women.
Lord will talk about
politics and gender in the heyday of the space race--the rise of Nazi
scientists, the fall of JPL's leftwing pioneers, and the battle of women
engineers for a place in the control room. Lord, who lives in Los
Angeles, is a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review
and "Arts & Leisure" section.
Copies of her books will be
available at the lectures.
The Costa Mesa Community Center is located at 1845 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa, California. $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Dr.
Miriam Cotler Schiavo, Stem Cells, and Medical Ethics
Sunday, October 2
11 a.m. in Hollywood |
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To the chagrin of scientists,
physicians, and many members of the community, politicians have taken
strong positions on the Terry Schiavo case and on stem cell research.
Personal religious and moral considerations have entered into the
discussion about how to handle medical and research issues. How do we make
these kinds of decisions? How should we make these decisions?
Medical Ethicist Dr. Miriam Cotler
received her M.S.and Ph.D. in public health from UCLA, and is currently a
visiting porfessor of public health there. She also directs the Center for
Health Ethics and Policy at California State University at Northridge, and
consults for several hospitals and the California Medical Association
Medical Ethics Advisory Council. Please join us for this eye-opening look
at deciding right from wrong in the medical world.
The Center for Inquiry-West 4773 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90027 $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Space and Spirit Sunday,September 1811 a.m. |
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Author and columnist Margaret
Wertheim will discuss how our scientific conceptions of space have shaped
the way we see ourselves as human beings, both physically and spiritually,
during the rise of modern science. The talk will be based on her book
The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace.
Wertheim is a science writer whose
articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including the
New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Science Digest.
She also currently is a science columnist for the L.A. Weekly, author of
the book Pythagoras' Trousers: God, Physics, and the Gender Wars,
a TV documentary writer, and a lecturer about science and society.
Originally from Australia, Wertheim has two science degrees: a B.S. in
pure and applied physics, and a B.A. in pure mathematics and computing.
$6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series
presents
The God Who Wasn’t There
Film Showing and Discussion
Sunday, August
21, 2005
11 a.m. at CFI-West
4:30 p.m. in Costa Mesa Brian Flemming will show his hour-long documentary film, The God Who Wasn’t There, and discuss its no-holds-barred criticism of Christianity and religious believers. A former Christian fundamentalist, Flemming interviews such luminaries as author Sam Harris (The End of Faith) and scholar Robert M. Price (The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man). The movie examines the questionable historicity of Jesus, the inhumanity of Christian doctrine and the existence of God. "Provocative -- to put it mildly," said the Los Angeles Times about The God Who Wasn't There when it played at the Grassroots Cinema Festival. Flemming will have DVDs of the film available at the showing. The movie’s Web site is http://www.thegodmovie.com.
The Center for Inquiry-West $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series
presents
The Kansas State Board of Education is again in turmoil over whether to teach Intelligent Design in the state's public schools. This political battle pits the majority of those who approve the science curriculum against a scientific community that sees no reason to compromise the teaching of evolution. Since 55% of the state has doubts about evolution, why shouldn't both ideas be taught? Indeed, how does evolution really work, and why do scientists subscribe to it? Dr. Ronald H. Pine will travel to Los Angeles from Lawrence, Kansas, to report on not only what's happening in Kansas but also why evolution itself is such a strong theory. He will talk about the overwhelming evidence for evolution and will discuss the history and philosophy of creationist pseudoscience, including its most recent manifestation, "Intelligent Design."
Dr. Pine has a B.A. in zoology from the
University of Kansas, an M.S. in zoology from the University of Michigan,
and a Ph.D. in wildlife science from Texas A&M University. He has served as
a curator at the Smithsonian, a college professor, Instructor and Resident
Scientist at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Dr. Pine has led
or otherwise participated in numerous scientific expeditions to five
continents and various islands, and has over sixty scientific publications,
including one co-authored book, primarily on the classification,
biogeography, and ecology of mammals. For years, he has had an intense
interest in pseudoscience, especially in young earth creationism and
intelligent design creationism, and has published on and given many talks on
the subject. Dr. Pine has now returned to live in his home state of Kansas,
the current hotbed in the creationists’ political push to dilute and pervert
science education. |
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CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series presents
Reza Aslan
The Origins and Future of Islam 
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Reza Aslan, author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, will discuss misunderstandings of Islam and the status of the "Islamic Reformation" as part of the Sunday lecture series. Aslan, born in Iran and now living in Santa Barbara and New Orleans, is currently a Doctoral Candidate in History of Religions at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He received a B.A. in Religion from Santa Clara University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. Aslan has taught at the University of Iowa, received a fellowship in fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and served as president of Harvard’s Chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace – a U.N. organization committed to solving religious conflicts. He has written numerous articles in periodicals, including The Nation and Los Angeles Times and has appeared on NPR, “The Dennis Miller Show,” and “The Daily Show,” and spoken to organizations overseas and in the U.S., including the World Bank, Royal Commonwealth Society of London, and, most recently, the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The Los Angeles Times featured him in its July 1st issue. Copies of his Random House book will be available for signing at both sites. $6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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CFI-West's 1st and 3rd Sunday Lecture Series presents
The Truth About Psychic
Sleuths
Sunday, June 5, 2005
11 a.m.
Court TV and various other media have featured psychic
detectives allegedly helping police investigations. Psychic detectives
have claimed to help solve murders, missing persons and a host of other
investigations. While they may not charge law enforcement agencies for
their services, they do use their experiences to make money by
conducting seminars or individual readings.
Are these psychic sleuths really solving cases? Do the police go
to them for help? Find out as
Independent Investigations Group
members Owen Hammer, Sherri Andrews
and
Jim Underdown uncover the results of a lengthy investigation into
two nationally-known psychic detectives, Carla Baron (Court TV)
and Allison DuBois (Medium).
$6.00, or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Tory Christman Sunday, March 6, 2005 11:00 a.m. From the lips of Church of Scientology defector Tory Christman, you will hear some of the much-criticized religion's most closely guarded secrets. Tory was a 30-year veteran and a member of their shadowy Office of Special Affairs where she headed what was known as the Parishioners League, where she pressured television, radio, and newspapers to drop negative content about the church. Tory finally awoke about 4 years ago and realized the true nature of the organization. She now spends much of her time trying to educate people about the dangers of becoming involved in cults. $6.00 or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Singer/Songwriter Roy Zimmerman Sunday, May 15, 2005
11:00 a.m.
The Los Angeles Times says, "Zimmerman
displays a lacerating wit and keen awareness of society's foibles that
bring to mind a latter-day Tom Lehrer."
Please join us in the Steve Allen Theater for
a morning of music where Roy Zimmerman will share some of his 23 original
songs including "Love Your Neighborhood Priest," "One World, One Bank," a
"Multinational Anthem," and the breezy pop tune, "Kill a Doctor for
Christ."
This enjoyable, yet thought-provoking,
political, religious and social commentary-set-to-music will start your
Sunday with a bang.
$6.00 or free for Friends of the Center. |
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Sunday,
May 15, 2005 Bob Ladendorf, the new chief operating officer of CFI-West, will discuss one of the most famous and bizarre historical episodes in U.S. history. During World War II. a series of alleged gas attacks terrorized Mattoon, Illinois, residents for two weeks. Was it real or mass hysteria? Collaborating with sociologist and author Robert Bartholomew, Ladendorf demonstrates their conclusions based on archival research. $6.00 or free for Friends of the Center. The Costa Mesa Community Center is located at 1845 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa, California. |
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Natural Moralities April 17, 2005 11:00 a.m. Is divine will the only source of morality--or even the ultimate source? If not, what makes humans moral animals? Cultural anthropology shows that moralities differ in innumerable details, but under this cultural diversity, we can see that all morality is based on four innate intuitions. All human morality is grounded on communality, authority, equality, and proportionality. The basic intuitions are (1) that people should care about each other and act compassionately; (2) that people should respect authority while authorities protect the people they are responsible for; (3) that people should be treated equally and respond reciprocally; and (4) that justice should be based on proportionality, both in rewards and punishment. Alan Page Fiske is Professor, Department of Anthropology at UCLA, and Director of the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development. Please join us for this fascinating look at the nature of morality. $6.00 or free for Friends of the Center. This talk will be repeated in Costa Mesa at 4:30 p.m. |
