What we’re about
Minnesota Atheists is Minnesota's oldest and largest atheist organization. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization that seeks to promote the positive contributions of atheism to society, provides a community for nonbelievers, educates the public about atheism, and promotes separation of state and church. We help make atheism part of mainstream society. We look forward to meeting you!
We are a member-supported organization. Everyone who works for Minnesota Atheists is a volunteer, but getting our word out does cost money. This site, our website, mailing newsletters, filming a cable TV show and participating in public events like festivals and parades all add up. We can do all of this thanks to you!
To make a tax deductible donation, go here:
http://mnatheists.org/join-and-donate/gener...
To offically join the state's largest and most active atheist organization, click here:
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Freethought Toastmasters HYBRIDLarpenteur Estates Party Room, Saint Paul, MN
You’re invited to attend Freethought Toastmasters (http://freethought.toastmastersclubs.org/), a club of Toastmasters International (http://www.toastmasters.org/). Build your leadership and communication skills in a supportive, freethinking environment; a place where you will find familiar faces you know from Minnesota Atheists. (most club members do not RSVP on Meetup since they attend most meeting and coordinate through the 'Toastmaster' of the evening if they cannot attend, so don't let the low RSVP numbers dissuade you from attending)
Join us IN-PERSON or join us ONLINE! This meeting will be HYBRID, but we expect most participants to be there in person. For those wishing to join us on zoom, please use this ZOOM URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89851371791?pwd=WFZmcHgxZkw4bFJidWQ2c05kbEQ4Zz09
We open the party room at 6:00 PM for socializing before the meeting. We encourage zoom participants to join the meeting between 6:15 and 6:25 to socialize and iron out any technical issues. Use the meeting url to access the meeting, this will allow you to join via your computer or smartphone zoom app and will use your devices built in speakers/microphone/video. Message us or comment below if you need the call-in alternative.
Schedule:
• 6:00pm - The party room opens for in-person attendees, a meal is provided
• 6:15pm - Join the Zoom meeting for a pre-social
• 6:30pm - Freethought Toastmasters Business Meeting
~6:40pm - Toastmaster calls the meeting to order
~6:50pm - Scheduled Speeches
~7:25pm - Table Topics: impromptu speaking opportunity
~7:40pm - Evaluations
~7:55pm - Closing
• 8:00pm - Meeting Ends, optional post-social
The roles for this meeting are as follows:
| Role | Name |
| ---- | ---- |
| Emcee | Brian P |
| Speaker 1 | Randall T |
| Speaker 2 | Erica K |
| Evaluator 1 | Bob M |
| Evaluator 2 | Norm H |
| Grammarian | George K |
| Timer | Tom M |Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. While in many other Toastmaster Clubs the culture deters any mention of religion, so atheists feel guarded and often stay "in the closet," this club provides not only training in public speaking, but also continuous education in topics of interest to atheists.
This club offers the opportunity to talk about a wide range of topics. We welcome people of all worldviews, but of course our members tend to be non-religious. We take current events seriously, but our politics range from capitalist to socialist, from liberal to conservative. Our ages run from the 20s to the 60s (and beyond).
If you decide to join, you can learn to be a better, more confident speaker. No matter what our worldviews, we are committed to mutual respect, tolerance, honesty, encouragement and constructive criticism. If you become a member, you will have the opportunity to prepare and deliver speeches regularly, and receive constructive evaluations of your speeches. It’s a great place to become comfortable as a speaker. With the help of other members, we learn to prepare and present effective speeches on a wide range of topics from humorous to serious. We also learn to think fast during our "Table Topics" sessions (impromptu speeches). We never know quite what to expect from our speakers, but we can always count on an interesting evening together.
As a club of Toastmasters International, we charge the standard rate with no additional club dues. To join Toastmasters, it costs $45 per six months (prorated depending on when you join) plus a $20 new member fee. The new member fee pays for the educational program and the general membership fee pays for district events (local educational sessions for the greater Toastmasters community), general overhead, and a Toastmasters magazine members can opt to receive in the mail.
- MNA Online Book Club — Nothing to Be Frightened Of by Julian BarnesLink visible for attendees
The Little Canada Book Club has been rebranded as the MNA Online Book Club to reflect the fact that we comprise a wider region now that we are online.
Join us online Sunday December 8th at 2 p.m. to discuss Nothing to Be Frightened Of by Julian Barnes.
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Julian Barnes gives us a memoir on mortality that touches on faith and science and family as well as a rich array of exemplary figures who over the centuries have confronted the same questions he now poses about the most basic fact of life: its inevitable extinction.
If the fear of death is “the most rational thing in the world,” how does one contend with it? An atheist at twenty, an agnostic at sixty, Barnes looks into the various arguments for and against and with God, and at the bloodline whose archivist, following his parents’ death, he has become—another realm of mystery, wherein a drawer of mementos and his own memories (not to mention those of his philosopher brother) often fail to connect. There are other ancestors, too: the writers—“most of them dead, and quite a few of them French”—who are his daily companions, supplemented by composers and theologians and scientists whose similar explorations are woven into this account with an exhilarating breadth of intellect and felicity of spirit.
Deadly serious, masterfully playful, and surprisingly hilarious, Nothing to Be Frightened Of is a riveting display of how this supremely gifted writer goes about his business and a highly personal tour of the human condition and what might follow the final diagnosis.
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Our book for January is Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will Robert M. Sapolsky. Please note that this is a longer book, so it may be useful to get an early start on it.Tentative Future books are:
Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot
Fluke: Chance, Chaos and Why Everything We Do Matters by Brian Klaas
Seven Flowers: And How They Shaped Our World by Jennifer Potter
Corsets and Codpieces: A History of Outrageous Fashion, from Roman Times to the Modern Era by Karen BowmanIf you would like us to read any of these titles, or have other book suggestions, please message me or leave a comment below.
