Fw: The Rise of Atheism - Global Atheist Convention Melbourne
- 12-14 March 2
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John Perkins
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Oct 09, 2009 04:54 PDT
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The Rise of Atheism - Global Atheist Convention Melbourne - 12-14 March
2010
Sending a strong message that atheism is gaining momentum as a
political issue in Australia, thousands of non-believers will gather in
Melbourne next March for a major international convention: The Rise of
Atheism. The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre has been
booked for the event which is set to become the largest gathering of
non-theists in Australia's history.
President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA), David Nicholls,
says that inquiries about the convention have exceeded all expectations
and interest continues to grow as organisers confirm some of the
leading names of the 'New Atheism' movement as speakers.
Leading the lineup is author of The God Delusion, British evolutionary
biologist, Richard Dawkins, along with American biologist, Professor P.
Z. Myers, host of the world's top-ranked science blog, Pharyngula.
Also confirmed is Dan Barker, a former evangelical pastor. Barker,
author of Losing Faith in Faith, now heads America's Freedom from
Religion Foundation and hosts America's first atheist radio program,
Freethought Radio on Air America.
Australian speakers include; philosopher and professor of bioethics,
Peter Singer, broadcaster Phillip Adams, and Age columnist, Catherine
Deveny. More information on the convention is available at:
http://www.atheistconvention.org.au
The enormous contemporary interest in atheism as a social and political
movement has been fueled by global religious conflicts and the
increasing politicisation and influence of the 'religious right'. A
number of best-selling books on the subject, including Dawkins' The God
Delusion, Sam Harris' The End of Faith, and Christopher Hitchens' God
Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, have inspired
thousands to join non-theist organisations and online atheist
communities.
AFA president, David Nicholls says, "Non-religious Australians are
fed-up with an unrepresentative Christian minority influencing
important civil rights issues like abortion, euthanasia, stem cell
research and gay marriage - all issues which the majority of
Australians support. They're also concerned about the amount of
tax-payers' money being pumped into religious schools at the expense of
the public education system."
"People contact us at the Atheist Foundation every day, saying, 'What
can we do to stop this?'" says Nicholls.
Surveys show that only 7.5% of Australians attend church regularly.
While the official Census figures show Australia's 'non-religious' make
up 20% of the population, several major international studies reveal
that this figure is vastly underestimated. Nicholls estimates that
non-believers in Australia are probably closer to 50%.
The Rise of Atheism Convention will bring together atheists from around
the country, and across the world. "Make no mistake," says Nicholls,
"this is not just going to be a talk-fest. The incredible level of
interest should be a huge wake-up call to politicians and Christian
lobbyists, alike, that non-religious Australians are preparing to
stand-up and be counted. Atheism is on the rise, and the non-religious
will no longer sit quietly on the sidelines while good policies are
derailed by religious dogma and prejudice."
Relevant Statistics
Nationally, only 7.5% of Australians attend a place of worship weekly.
Source: Zuckerman, Phil (2005), Atheism: Contemporary Rates and
Patterns, Cambridge University Press
A survey by Germany's Religion Monitor (2008) found that 31% of
Australians do not believe in God, a divine power or life after death,
while a further 26% were uncertain to varying degrees. Source:
Religion Monitor (2008), 'Australia: High level of religious identity
paired with low level of Belief', Bertelsmann Stiftung Foundation,
Sydney/Gütersloh (Germany)
Contact:
David Nicholls
President
Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
Private Mail Bag 6
Maitland SA 5573
Australia
Phone: (08) 8835-2269
International: +61 8 8835-2269
Email: in-@atheistfoundation.org.au
Web: http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au
Forum: http://atheistfoundation.org.au/forums/
Convention: http://www.atheistconvention.org.au
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