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Dinner & Documentary Night - September 24th, 2008

Join us for a movie and free dinner (not just chips and snacks!) - and of course, free discussion afterwards!

We’ll take a vote from everyone who shows up to decide what movie we see! Choices will include:

- Deliver Us From Evil — critically acclaimed documentary (100% on Rotten Tomatoes): “a superb documentary and a searing look at an institution protecting its leaders at the expense of its followers. A profoundly disturbing chronicle of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the film builds a clear-eyed case against pedophile priest Oliver O’Grady, and the Catholic bureaucracy that protected him. The recollections of O’Grady’s victims are nothing short of shocking and heartbreaking.”

- Jesus Camp — “Evangelical indoctrination is given an unflinching, even-handed look in this utterly worthwhile documentary.”

- Secular Believers — “Beliefs, and believers, come in many shapes and sizes, and not all of them can be described as ‘religious’. This programme provides an introduction to a fascinating range of non-religious people and their beliefs.”

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The entrance to the Multi-Faith Center is right by the Grad Student Pub, not off of Spadina.

When you enter the Multi-Faith Center, go to the right and take the elevator up to the second floor. It’s the first door on the left - it’s humongous and you can’t miss it!

Popular Evolutionist PZ Myers - Friday, October 31st, 2008

PZ Myers

Popular evolutionist PZ Myers on:

SCIENCE EDUCATION: THE WAR BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION

At U of T, October 31st, 2008, 7:30pm

The UTSA and the Centre for Inquiry Ontario are hosting Dr. PZ Myers, author of the popular science and atheism blog Pharyngula (http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/), and Professor of Biology at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Dr. Myers’ blog is the most widely read science blog on the internet. He has generated significant controversy with his writings on religion, intelligent design creationism, the culture wars, and getting kicked out of Ben Stein’s Expelled.

More information can be found here: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/ontario/events/pz_myers_of_pharyngula_comes_to_toronto

Advance tickets are $5 for students and $8 for everyone else. Tickets are $10 at the door. However, tickets are free for new and renewing Friends of the Centre for Inquiry (http://www.centerforinquiry.net/support)

More details will follow. This should be a fantastic event!

Please email us or kkish@centerforinquiry.net for more information.

First Meeting and Social of the Year! - September 10th, 2008

Join us at our first meeting and social of the year at our brand new meeting space and time!

When: September 10th, 2008 7pm-10pm
Where: Multi-Purpose Room (2nd Floor) of the Multi-Faith Centre, 569 Spadina Ave. (Entrance from Bancroft Ave. off Huron St.)

This is another good opportunity to check out our group and socialize with other like-minded students. We’ll have snacks, good discussion, and possibly a movie (but definitely snacks and good discussion!)

UTSA @ the UC Clubs Fair - September 2nd, 2008

Check out our table at the University College Clubs Fair this coming Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008:

Where: University College East Hall

When: 10am - 1:15pm

We’ll have information about our group, what we’re all about and how you can get involved.

See you there!

Hemant Mehta - Friday, June 27, 2008

Friday, June 27th, 2008 - 6pm at the Multi-Faith Centre (Koffler Institute Building)

6 - 7: Reception & Meet and Greet
7 - 9: Lecture + question period

Hemant Mehta comes to Toronto to talk about faith and his experience with “selling his soul”.

In January 2006 Hemant Mehta, once Jain now atheist, created an auction on eBay offering up his atheist mind&body to go to the worship service of whatever the winning bidder chose. Every $10 would equal one hour in that particular place of worship.

The bidding ended on February 3, 2006 with the final bid sitting at $504 from Jim Henderson, a minister from Seattle, Washington. The money was later donated by Hemant to the Secular Student Alliance, a non-profit organization.

The agreement was for Hemant to visit a variety of churches and to write about his experiences at them at the web-site off-the-map.org, and later developed into his book “I Sold My Soul On eBay”. He continues to open up dialogue at his personal blog friendlyatheist.com

Co-hosted by the University of Guelph Skeptics

Science in the Age of Endarkenment - Friday, January 25, 2008

Should complementary and alternative medicine be considered alongside evidence-based medicine? What role does it play in today’s society? Should unscientific medicine be taught in universities? David Colquhoun tackles these issues and more.

Eminent UK scientist and noted skeptic David Colquhoun, FRS is a professor of Pharmacology at University College London, fellow of the Royal Society, and blogger (Improbable Science). He was recently the centre of controversy surrounding his popular blog, dedicated to critiquing alternative medicine and pseudoscientific claims, after criticizing a herbal medicine practitioner about her questionable practices. This herbalist threatened legal action and Prof. Colquhoun was forced to remove his site from the UCL server. After much backlash from the scientific community, his website was revived. A leader in the skeptical community, Prof. Colquhoun will be speaking on issues surrounding alternative medicine, academia, and the intersection between the two.

Dr. Colquhoun’s website: http://www.dcscience.net

$7, $4 for students

A reception with Prof. Colquhoun will take place immediately before the main event from 5pm-6:30pm at the Centre for Inquiry Ontario (216 Beverley St), exclusively for friends of the centre (join any time!).

Co-sponsored by the Centre for Inquiry Ontario, in partnership with Skeptics Canada.