January 2024 Newsletter

Happy New Year

This one really snuck up on me. I can hardly believe that it is 2024. Does anyone remember how worried everyone was at the end of 1999 because they were afraid that everything on computers that used a calendar would go crazy at midnight on New Year’s Eve because they had all been programmed for 19__ and it would be 2000? After all of their effort to reprogram everything, every IT person was nevertheless at their computer at midnight, waiting for the possible chaos. Nothing. Happened. Can you believe that was almost a quarter of a century ago? Time flies. Considering the condition of the world today, we have more to worry about than computers. But for today, New Year's Day, let’s put that all aside and focus on our good fortune to be living in Canada and to have such great friends as our fellow heathens in RMA. Conditions at home and abroad can get better if we all work together.

This month, we have an interesting speaker for our January 24th WeCanReason Webinar. Shortly after our WeCanReason Conference in May, Uthman Khan reached out to us and to Janice Selbie to make connections with people who had left a religion. Janice interviewed him on her Divorcing Religion podcast and now he will be speaking to us on the topic, "From Conformity to Liberation: A Journey through Religious Boarding School and its Aftermath." Uthman is working on his Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology with a focus on understanding the experiences of individuals who challenge conservative religion. You can join us at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, January 24 by clicking on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82004333472.

Lois’s Pick

Lois’ Pick: The Genetically Engineered Skeptic. After I had decided on my pick for this month, I opened my computer, and up popped Seth Andrews saying that Al Jazeera English had done a piece on atheist YouTubers, focusing on Drew McCoy, AKA, the Genetically Engineered Skeptic. It was a nicely done piece. Drew McCoy was raised a fundamentalist Christian, young Earth creationist and all. As he approached adulthood, he began to question and it wasn’t long before he ceased believing in God. Fortunately for Drew, he and his wife deconverted at about the same time. Nevertheless, they lost their community. So, Drew took to YouTube to express himself and to find fellow nonbelievers. His channel took off and now Drew is a full-time activist. In some of his videos, he tells his own story. He talks about current events that involve atheism, analyzes YouTube videos by other people, and sometimes analyzes scripture. Check out the Genetically Engineered Skeptic; you might enjoy his work.

Note: Some events might not appear on this list because they are not yet confirmed. Check the Meetup page to find any new events that might be planned during the month.