Participants talking with physicists Dr. Sean Tulin and Dr. Brian Nord. (Including my daughter and I)

Ann Arbor Science & Skeptics is hosting their second annual “Scientists Fair” this Saturday, May 25th from 1:00-3:00pm at the downtown library. This event will feature scientists and researchers in a variety of fields including cosmology, evolution, human cloning, geology, climate change, and nuclear power – all available to answer questions or provide explanations. It is open to the public.

Located in the Multi-Purpose room (in the lower level of the main branch of the Ann Arbor Library), there will be several professors and researchers from the University of Michigan and other institutions with expertise in general fields of knowledge, available to answer your questions. Some of the topics will include particle physics, human cloning, climate change, the Big Bang, and more.

You can watch a short video about the Scientists Fair here (video).

The purpose of this event is to not only acquaint people to scientific knowledge, but also to how that knowledge is obtained. We want people to ask these experts how theories are supported with experimentation, what hypotheses were tested and confirmed or falsified, and to what extent is there consensus amongst their colleagues about a given theory.

Professor Candida Moss teaches early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame.

Candida Moss, a Professor at Notre Dame University and practicing Catholic, has written a book that tackles the “myth of martyrdom in the Christian faith.”

Sunday school tales of early Christians being rounded up at their secret catacomb meetings and thrown to the lions by evil Romans are mere fairy tales, Moss writes in a new book. In fact, in the first 250 years of Christianity, Romans mostly regarded the religion’s practitioners as meddlesome members of a superstitious cult.

The government actively persecuted Christians for only about 10 years, Moss suggests, and even then intermittently. And, she says, many of the best known early stories of brave Christian martyrs were entirely fabricated.

In Professor Moss’ new book, The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom, she maintains that the Catholic Church and historians have known for centuries that most early Christian martyr stories were exaggerated or invented.

[W]hen Christians were executed, it was often not because of their religious beliefs but because they wouldn’t follow Roman rules. Many laws that led to early Christians’ execution were not specifically targeted at them—such as a law requiring all Roman citizens to engage in a public sacrifice to the gods—but their refusal to observe those laws and other mores of Roman society led to their deaths.

Moss calls early Christians “rude, subversive and disrespectful,” noting that they refused to swear oaths, join the military or participate in any other part of Roman society.

She goes to lengths to argue that Christians were prosecuted, not persecuted. With true government persecution, victims have no room to negotiate when trying to convince the government to stop targeting them, Moss said. But when the government’s laws inadvertently lead to the persecution of Christians, there remains room for dialogue and debate over changing those laws.

Moss pointed to the new U.S. health care law’s requirement that insurance companies cover contraception as an example of a law that inadvertently targeted Christians but was interpreted as a direct attack on the faith.

Much like the Emperor Diocletian’s edict that all Romans make a sacrifice to the gods (which Moss describes as being like a mandatory “pledge of allegiance”), the contraceptive mandate was not designed to target or single out Christians, she says. (Christians and others who refused to make the sacrifice in the fourth century were slaughtered. Christian organizations that do not want to provide contraception under the 21st century law will be fined.)

Notre Dame University is one of the many religious schools and businesses that sued to stop the mandate. Their argument was that forcing them to provide coverage for contraception violated their religious freedom. As a deliberate attack directly at religion. In other words, persecution.

“Labeling it persecution is saying, ‘We’re under attack, we’re persecuted. The other side has no reason to do this and we have to fight. We shouldn’t have to negotiate or compromise,” she said.

“I think that the University of Notre Dame does not control how I spend my salary, therefore controlling what kinds of health care people have access to is maybe something we should not be trying to do,” she said. “I think Catholic institutions should trust their employees not to use contraception.”

Source: Notre Dame professor tackles ‘myth’ of Christian martyrdom

They call it “congregation discipline.” When they speak of it, they make it sound like it’s a punishment from Jehovah God himself. In reality, the decision to disfellowship is made during a closed-door session with three local elders. It’s how they keep their followers in line.

So how does it work and how far does it go? Technically, people living in the same household aren’t required to shun one another or expel the wrongdoer. But I know of many cases where the local elders did pressure parents to kick out their adult (18 years old+) children even if those children had no where else to go. Since good Jehovah’s Witnesses are supposed to obey their elders, this can put the parents of the disfellowshipped person in a tight spot. So while the elders can make it hard for the family, at least they do have the right to say no to the elders. That’s mostly because the Society hasn’t made expelling family members from the home mandatory, even though shunning in every other respect is mandatory.

There’s no rule that forces married couples to split up if one of them is disfellowshiped. But many do. It should be noted that the Society encourages couples in this situation to stay married in the hope that the “wrongdoer” can be brought back to the light with the help of his or her devoted spouse. That fact has not stopped many Jehovah’s Witnesses from leaving spouses who have been disfellowshipped, however, especially if the disfellowshipped individual was deemed to be an apostate. Many Witnesses will leave their disfellowshipped spouse for fear that they will be lead astray, or because they want to prove that their love for Jehovah is greater than their love for their spouse. The Witness hopes that this will ensure his own survival when Armageddon strikes and avert any chance that Jehovah will hold them guilty of bad association.

Despite the rigidity of the rules about disfellowshipped individulas, some exceptions do get made at some Kingdom Halls.

There are cases where Jehovah’s Witnesses are given special permission to write to – or even talk to (gasp!) a disfellowshipped person. These are usually special cases where an exception has been granted by local elders just once and only once. There are also stories – legends, almost – of congregations so liberal that they allow Witnesses to have some level of regular contact with disfellowshipped relatives so long as religion is not a topic of discussion. I have never seen this happen with my own eyes, but like Big Foot or alien abduction, it could be true. But it’s far from the norm. And more to the point, the Society’s literature makes it more than clear that it does not approve of any meaningful contact between its loyal Witnesses and disfellowshipped individuals for any reason. Period.

So here’s the bottom line: it doesn’t matter if it’s your best friend, your kids, your parents, or your siblings, all disfellowshipped individuals must be shunned by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Loyal Jehovah’s Witnesses are not to speak with them, write to them, or even eat a meal with them in silence. Note that even the sharing of meals with a disfellowshipped person is explicitly forbidden by the Society. The Society does allow disfellowshipped family members to live under the same roof as Witnesses in good standing, but in many cases, pressure from elders, the disapproval of other Witnesses, or even the family’s own fear of divine retribution can drive them to expel disfellowshipped members of the family.

Unless you ask the Watchtower Society or many of its Witnesses, that is…

Denial of Shunning

I had to put this in because it’s something you’ll hear from time to time. It’s also completely wrong.

The Watchtower Society – the corporation behind the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses – has publicly denied telling its Witnesses to shun the disfellowshipped on more than one occasion. One example comes from the The Independent:

Rick Fenton, a spokesperson for the Watchtower Society, insisted last night that ostracisation was “a personal matter for each individual to decide for himself”. “Any one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is free to express their feelings and to ask questions,” he said. “If a person changes their mind about Bible-based teachings they once held dear, we recognize their right to leave.”

Click here to read a clip from the Watchtower that encourages Jehovah’s Witnesses to shun the disfellowshipped

I need to point out something here. When it comes to its more controversial practices, the Watchtower Society has a knack for … um … obfuscating the details, dare I to say. For instance, it is technically true that a person can change his mind about the Society’s “Bible-based teachings,” which he “once held dear.” Yes, he will be shunned for it and condemned to die at Armageddon like a mangy dog, but it’s not like they can chain him to the Kingdom Hall or cement him to the floor. So yes, technically, he can leave whenever he chooses. He just can’t leave with his friends, family, or his honor intact. I know former Witnesses who lost their jobs because they were employed by Jehovah’s Witnesses and, after being disfellowshipped, were fired. For some, even their livelihoods could be in jeopardy if they leave their Kingdom Hall.

So while it is technically true that Jehovah’s Witnesses are physically capable of choosing to leave the faith as the Society suggests, for many of them, it isn’t a real choice at all.

Another infamous example of an elder denying the practice of shunning to the public – in court, no less – can be found right here in glorious video. The overseer featured in the video starts out by hemming and hawing over the meaning of the word “shunning.” It takes a while for him finally deny that this is what Jehovah’s Witnesses are told to do. But deny it he does.

If there’s nothing wrong with the practice of shunning, then all of this denial seems pretty weird to me. Wouldn’t it be better – and more honest – to simply admit it and explain why it’s done?

Why Do They Deny Shunning?

There are several likely reasons. I suspect one of them has something to do with the fact that the Society has been sued more than once over the practice of shunning. It isn’t illegal to shun for religious reasons in the U.S., but defending yourself in court still takes a lot of money. Here’s another point: the Society isn’t just an American religion. It can be found in many countries, and some of them aren’t so tolerant of shunning in the legal sense. Maybe this, combined with a desire to avoid the whole creepy-cult-like-vibe that could run prospective converts down the road screaming, has something to do with it.

What’s even weirder is the fact that they talk about it – a lot – in their literature despite their denials to the media and courts. Even the Society’s website acknowledges that shunning exists, although the Society goes about this in its usual no-we-don’t, yes-we-do style of explanation. Let me show you what I mean.

Those who were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses but no longer preach to others, perhaps even drifting away from association with fellow believers, are not shunned. In fact, we reach out to them and try to rekindle their spiritual interest.

Oh, I guess I was wrong. They don’t shun … but wait.

If, however, a baptized Witness makes a practice of breaking the Bible’s moral code and does not repent, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped. The Bible clearly states: Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.—1 Corinthians 5:13.

Um … which is it, guys? Please note that the Society’s literature is full of contradictions like these, especially when that literature is open to public consumption. Somehow, Jehovah’s Witnesses usually know which lines count. Note that what the Society sees as a violation of the Bible’s moral code may not jive with yours and mine, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Here’s another quote that is technically true but also leaves out certain details that you and I would probably deem important.

Disfellowshipped individuals may attend our religious services.

Yes, that’s true. In fact, attending meetings is a critical step for any disfellowshipped Witness who wants to be reinstated so he can have the ban on communication lifted. What the article doesn’t mention is that no one will speak to him, that he will have to sit alone, that he will have to scamper off with his head held low right after the prayer, or that anyone who does speak to him can be disfellowshipped too. So it’s not as if he’ll be welcomed with open arms. But hey, that’s probably not important. (Yes it is.) It’s not like that detail completely alters the impression made on anyone who reads the article, right? (Well, I think it does.)

More recently, on page 16 of the January 2013 edition of the Watchtower, under the article entitled “Let Nothing Distance You From Jehovah,” it tells Jehovah’s Witnesses the following:

Really, what your beloved family member needs to see is your resolute stance to put Jehovah above everything else – including the family bond… Do not look for excuses to associate with a disfellowshipped family member, for example, through e-mail. (1 Cor. 5:11).

Maybe it’s time they stopped pretending that this doesn’t happen? It’s starting to get embarrassing already.

Note that there are degrees of shunning. For instance, I was never officially disfellowshipped by my old Kingdom Hall. Yet many Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to talk to me anyway. I’ve literally had some of them approach my wife to talk to her about her meeting attendance or to offer her the latest magazines (to remind her that she isn’t living up to their expectations) while completely ignoring me as if I wasn’t there. They have done this while literally standing three inches away.

While I was talking to them. Waving my arms. Jumping up and down. Offering to shake their hand. And getting nothing – not even an acknowledgement of my existence – in return.

As a former Witness, I am a very bad associate. So many Jehovah’s Witnesses will shun me even though I was never officially disfellowshipped. And that’s without any of them knowing that that I have written articles like this one. If they did, I would be disfellowshipped for it!

For many Witnesses, that’s a devastating loss of family, friends, even livelihoods.

I should mention that some Witnesses commit suicide after being disfellowshipped. I personally know of one case where a disfellowshipped Witness finally committed suicide after years of separation from his wife and children. His death had a big impact on many in the ex-Witness community. As you can imagine, developments like this don’t make the Society look very good, either.

What Can Get Jehovah’s Witnesses Disfellowshipped?

Only the most horrible of crimes! Like putting up a Christmas tree. Smoking. Openly disagreeing with the Society’s teachings. Expressing a lack of faith in the Society’s leaders or in Jehovah God. Accepting a life saving blood transfusion. Celebrating someone’s birthday. Premarital sex… Well, you know that last one would do it. They all hate the sex. And the gay. But you get my point. Surprisingly, masturbation won’t get you disfellowshipped. They don’t approve of it. I sure hope they aren’t checking you for it, either. But they consider it better than premarital sex.

Bear in mind that the rules about disfellowshipping do change from time to time. It used to be that you could be disfellowshipped just for going inside of a church (a place of worship that wasn’t in the control of Jehovah’s Witnesses) and for things like participating in “worldly” governments or joining the military. But those waters have gotten so muddy – and the teachings have changed so many times – that I hesitate to include them here. For now, just remember that those things are bad too.

Conclusion

In the end, Jehovah’s Witnesses do shun and they do it because the Watchtower Society tells them to. Many will deny it unless you ask the question in the right way. Don’t waste your time with something like, “Is it true that you guys shun your own family members?” Many of them will deny it if you ask it like that. Their excuse? Technically, they don’t call it shunning, which is the word you used when asking the question.

No, I’m really not joking.

But if you ask them, “Is it true that you refuse to talk or interact with family members who have been removed from the congregation for serious wrongdoing?” many more will admit it then. Just remember, once again, that their idea of serious wrongdoing isn’t the same as yours and mine.

Note that the Society’s Insight on the Scriptures book defines a lie in the following way:

The opposite of truth. Lying generally involves saying something false to a person who is entitled to know the truth and doing so with the intent to deceive or to injure him or another person.

Are we evil worldly-types entitled to know the truth about disfellowshipping? I bet you know the answer to that one.

But the truth is that Jehovah’s Witnesses do shun and shunning does irreparable harm to most of the people who experience it.

12 Angry Men Movie Poster

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors’ prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

This month we are going to watch a classic in critical thinking and a classic in its own right, 12 Angry Men. We’re going to see the movie then review the logical problems in it.

Come and join us for lively discussion, drinks, dinner and debate! This is a good event for Skeptics of Michigan to come together and discuss local, national, worldwide items affecting skeptics. All are welcome to listen and participate.

Remember! We are using our summer hours now. We start at 4:00 PM. We will go back to fall/winter hours in September.

Please be sure to RSVP so I know how many are coming. That way I can modify the reservation if necessary.

You can RSVP on our Meetup page, our Facebook page, or our Google Plus page.

Don’t forget to follow us on Meetup, Facebook, and Google+ for further events, news articles and interesting ideas.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

We sell these at our MISkeptics store.

This Saturday, April 13th at 1:00 PM is our April Get Together.

This is a social gathering. There’s a lot that has happened so be ready for good food lots of talk and great conversation!

Please RSVP at one of the following pages:

Our Meetup Page, our Facebook Page, or our Google Plus Page.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Peter Sinclair, one of our recent Get Together guests and blogger on Climate Denial Crock of the Week will be a guest on The Magic Sandwich Show.

Peter Sinclair

The Magic Sandwich Show is a bi-weekly live call in show, broadcast every other Sunday on BlogTV and uStream. During the show a panel of 3 or 4 discuss topical issues relating to religion and science.

You can access the show on BlogTV and uStream.

After the show check out his blog for the latest information on his Dark Show Project.

Don’t forget to subscribe to his YouTube channel and follow him on Twitter!

This month we are pleased to welcome William Konkolesky, the State Director for MUFON, The Mutual UFO Network. He’s going to talk to us about aliens and UFOs.

Because of the large field of of the topic we need to limit today to just UFOs. If there’s time afterwards, we can entertain other questions. We will ask Mr. Konkolesky back to discuss other topics such like abductions, crop circles, and that guy on the History Channel with the crazy hair.

Come and join us for lively discussion, drinks, dinner and debate! This is a good event for Skeptics of Michigan to come together and discuss local, national, worldwide items affecting skeptics. All are welcome to listen and participate.

Please be sure to RSVP so I know how many are coming. That way I can modify the reservation if necessary. We’re expecting a large crowd for this so be sure to RSVP early. You can RSVP at our Meetup site, our Facebook Event Page, or our Google Plus Event Page.

I look forward to seeing you there!

We only have two available so far but they are good ones.

Dr. Ron Fleming

Click here to download Dr. Ron Fleming‘s talk on Thorium as a nuclear fuel.

Dr. Zachary Blount

Click here to download Dr. Zachary Blount‘s talk on his paper about documenting the steps of evolution.

We also recorded Peter Sinclair‘s talk about Climate Change and will be posting that as well. In the future we hope to record as many of our guests so that members that cannot make the Get Togethers can still listen and take part. Stay tuned! There will be more great discussions available in the near future.

February 12th is Darwin’s 204th birthday

This month we are going to celebrate Darwin Day. February marks Charles Darwin’s 204th birthday.

For our third Darwin Day celebration, we are going to watch “Charles Darwin and The Tree of Life”. A stunning BBC documentary hosted by Sir David Attenborough. Last year we tried to see this documentary but no one could hear it because the venue was too loud. We have a better venue this time around and we will finally be able to see the movie.

We’re going to follow that up with a presentation on how Darwin’s work has been twisted into murderous intent.

And we will finish up with one of Chris Lindsay‘s famous games. Which will include prizes for the winners. (Yes, we promise there will be winners.)

You can RSVP for the celebration by going to our Meetup Site, our Facebook Page or our Google Plus Page. Please be sure to RSVP, these events fill up quickly.

Come and join us for lively discussion, drinks, dinner and debate! This is a good event for Skeptics of Michigan to come together and discuss local, national, worldwide items affecting skeptics. All are welcome to listen and participate.

Dr. Darrell C. Smith is the author of the new book ‘You Are Not Alone: Blacknones”

On February 2nd Minority Atheists of Michigan will be hosting Dr. Darrell C. Smith as a guest speaker. Dr. Smith will be discussing his new book “You Are Not Alone: Blacknones“.

“You Are Not Alone”….brings together Black NonBelievers from Cities, States and Provinces throughout the US and Canada to journey with them as they recount their personal stories of why they left and/or rejected their faith-based religious experiences to adopt a lifestyle that is doctrine free.”

This event is open to everyone and is will be a very informative and entertaining afternoon.

To RSVP for this event click here.