September 2023 Newsletter
Did you know that September 1 is Alberta Day? Be honest now, did you? Do you recognize the Alberta Shield? On September 1, 1905, Alberta was formally declared a province but it was not until July 11, 2022 that September 1 was officially declared to be Alberta Day. There will be festivals in many communities across Alberta, celebrating the uniqueness of Alberta.
September will also be a great month for RMA. On Saturday, Sept. 9th, there is a blood donor clinic. As one of RMA’s Community Service programs, a group of volunteers meet at Eau Claire Market and go to the Canadian Blood Services clinic together, donate blood, and then have lunch together.
An important change in a monthly event is also happening this month. Skeptics in the Pub will be meeting at a new location, the Trolley 5 Brewpub, 728 17th Ave. SW. This new pub will provide a completely private room and good electronic facilities. Be sure to check it out.
We have an exceptional speaker, Dr. Andy Thomson, for this month’s WeCanReason Webinar. Andy is a psychiatrist who has a private practice as well as teaching at the medical school of the University of Virginia. He has spoken at many conferences and is on the board of the Center for Inquiry in the United States. Andy wrote the book, Why We Believe in God(s), and will be speaking on that topic. As a practicing psychiatrist with a deep interest in evolutionary psychology, Andy knows what makes people tick. You don’t want to miss this webinar.
Lois’s Pick
My pick for September is the Harmonic Atheist, which is the YouTube channel of Tim Mills. It has been only four years since Tim deconverted from fundamentalist Christianity. Tim is so concerned for people still living with the lack of information that he lived with that he has created several YouTube channels and has many other projects underway. Tim’s wife is still a devout Christian, making life a challenge. He stays in the marriage because he has four young children and he is determined to help them learn critical thinking and understand that they are free to choose their own path. On his YouTube channel, Tim interviews many ex-believers about their paths to unbelief. Tim is a very soft-spoken, gentle but determined man. I think you will enjoy his podcasts.
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.
Tuesday, September 5  | Skeptics in the Pub First Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p DON’T FORGET, Skeptics in the Pub is at a new location! Join us at the Trolley 5 Brewpub at 728 17th Ave. SW. The protocol will be just the same with Jeff presenting some video clips about a skeptic or religious topic that will stimulate discussions. You will still mingle with like-minded thinkers and have a great time. Check the Meetup page for more detailed directions. |
Thursday, September 7 
| Life Without Religion First Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm Life Without Religion (LWR) is a peer support group for people whose lives have been negatively impacted by religion. Usually, the difficulty is a result of having left a high-control religion but this is not always the case. Sometimes, people who have never been religious have close friends or relatives who are fundamentalists or someone new comes into their lives who is “born again” and creates dilemmas. LWR is here for these people also. We discuss difficult problems and analyze possible approaches to a solution. If you are not yet a member but feel that you would benefit from the support of those who have had a similar journey as you, contact Lois at loislwr@gmail.com. |
Thursday, September 9  | Blood Donor Clinic Saturday as announced, at 12:05 pm As members of RMA, we want to be of service to our surrounding community in ways that are not associated with religion. One of our community services is a blood donor clinic. Volunteers check with Canada Blood Services to make sure that they are eligible to donate blood. They then meet as a group at the clinic at Eau Claire. After donating blood, the group has lunch together. So, while being of service, you enjoy time with your heathen friends. For details about the event, go to the RMA Meetup page. |
Monday, September 11  | RMA Coffee Chat Second Monday of every month at 1:00 pm How do you describe the RMA Coffee Chat? Most likely, each person who attends would describe it differently. But one thing that everyone could say is that it is never dull. The conversation is always interesting but never predictable. Join us for a fun, laid-back afternoon by clicking on the link, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84462089282. |
Thursday, September 14  | RMA Book Club – ONLINE Second Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm The title of the book for this month’s Book Club meeting is The War on the West by Douglas Murray. Everyone will have ten minutes to talk about their impression of the book then we have an open discussion. For this book, ten minutes might not seem like long enough. You never have to wonder what Douglas Murray is thinking; he makes his ideas abundantly clear in his writing. Murray is a gay, conservative, British man, so you can imagine how his views might be controversial in certain places. This is bound to be a great discussion. You can join the us by clicking on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85035122663 |
Thursday, September 14 | RMA Book Club – In Person Second Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm The title of the book for this month’s Book Club meeting is The War on the West by Douglas Murray, as described above. If you prefer in-person discussions to Zoom meetings, this is for you. We read the same book and meet at the same time, but we meet in person. Go to the Meetup page to find the meeting location and how to get there. By the way, if you haven’t read the book, you are still welcome. After hearing the discussion, you will probably be inspired to read the book. |
Sunday, September 17  | RMA Monthly Board Meeting Third Sunday of every month at 1:00 pm As you have probably noticed, RMA is a very active organization. And these activities don’t plan, coordinate, or manage themselves. The RMA board does this so we need monthly board meetings. Everyone is welcome to attend the board meetings and make suggestions or, maybe, volunteer for some task. However, only board members vote on motions. This month, the board meeting will be at the Calgary Central Library in 2-05A meeting room. You can get more information on the Meetup page. |
Tuesday, September 19 | Life Without Religion Third Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm This is a very exciting meeting for LWR because it will be the first time we have met in-person since COVID shut us down. This will help us get better acquainted with each other by having conversations on the side. But our overall goal is the same, to support each other as we cope with the challenges that religion created in our lives. Because some of our members have not revealed their atheism or doubts about religion to religious friends and family, we maintain confidentiality about our meetings. Members will receive information about the location of the meeting in an email that will be sent a day or two before the meeting. If you are not yet a member but are interested in joining, contact Lois at loislwr@gmail.com. |
Monday, September 25  | Movie Night - Online Fourth Monday of every month at 7:00 pm The movie for this month is the documentary, Minimalism. As young men, Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn had a craving for things, stuff, just like the advertiser said they needed. But they soon realized that having “stuff” wasn’t making them happy. The documentary follows them on their path to minimalism and happiness. Join us for the movie and the great discussion which is sure to follow by clicking on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89167241618. |
Wednesday, September 27 
| WeCanReason Webinar Fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm We are very fortunate this month, to have an extraordinary speaker, Dr. Andy Thomson. Andy is a practicing psychiatrist and medical school professor at the University of Virginia. Andy’s research led him to an interest in the origins of religion. He also developed a deep interest in evolutionary psychology. When he put his interests together, he developed an evidence-based concept of why humans create religions. The title of his presentation is the same as the title of his book, Why We Believe in God(s). Learning about Andy’s concepts will give us, as atheists, answers to questions that believers like to bombard us with. To hear Andy’s presentation and have a chance to ask him questions, just click on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89815203439. |