ACA Lecture Series

Free and Open to the Public

The Atheist Community of Austin hosts a monthly lecture series as a community service and a means of promoting and disseminating ideas of interest to atheists and the greater Austin community. Lecture topics usually focus on core areas of atheist interest such as science, skepticism, the impact of religion, philosophy, church/state separation, and community activism. While many of our lecturers are PhDs, lectures are targeted to a lay audience of people who want to enrich their understanding.

We usually hold our lectures at the Austin History Center, located downtown at 9th and Guadalupe (Yahoo map). Lectures are scheduled usually on the 1st Sunday of every month starting at 12:15pm. We meet in the "Reception Room". The building opens at noon.

Our next lecture will be presented on August 1, 2010 at 12:15 p.m..

Sarah Weis and Brian Spears from Americans United
The Importance of the Separation of Church and State

Description: Brian Spears and Sarah Weis, President and Vice President of the Austin Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State will discuss the meaning of Separation of Church and State. On what is it predicated? Are we a "Christian Nation"? Is that belief required in order to anchor at Fox News? What have the Supreme Court, our legislators, and former Presidents had to say about it? Finally, what is the climate of Separation here in Texas and what has the Austin Chapter been doing about it?

Spears bio: Brian Spears has served as the founding President of the Austin Chapter of AU since August of 2009. He is a graduate in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University. After spending 25 years on the wrong side of Church-State Separation as an evangelizing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), he has since been working with Jefferson to rebuild the Wall of Separation between Church and State. However, Brian Spears will also not be featured in any upcoming Texan World History textbooks.

Weis bio: Sarah Weis has served as the Vice President of AU-Austin since the chapter was just a glimmer in Rev. Barry Lynn's eye - roughly, the summer of '09. After completing her Masters degree in the Northeast, she moved to Texas, and is still recovering from the shock. Though thoroughly infatuated with Austin, the imbroglio of church-state separation in Texas compelled her to take up arms - or masonry tools, as the case may be - to help rebuild and maintain the Wall.

Upcoming speakers

September 12, 2010
Dr. James H. Dee
The Second Wave of Secular Humanism: How Scholarship Undermines Religion

October 3, 2010
Matt Dillahunty
The Superiority of Secular Morality

November 7, 2010
TBA

December 5, 2010
TBA

Recent speakers

July 11, 2010
Aime Parsons
Camp Quest Texas, A Journey of the heart for the secular community in Texas

June 6, 2010
Doyle Duke, author
A Critical Analysis of Christianity

May 2, 2010
Election meeting
In lieu of a lecture, we will have an election meeting for the next ACA Board at the Austin History Center.

April 11, 2010
Noelle George
Effective Secular Activism -- Not Just Politics and Protests

Click here for a full list of our past speakers

From the officers:

The ACA Lecture Series continues Sunday, August 2, at 12:15pm with Sarah Weis and Brian Spears from Americans United speaking on The Importance of the Separation of Church and State.

The 2010 ACA Bat Cruise is slated for Saturday, September 25th, 6-8pm. Get your payment in early to reserve your place at this popular event. You may pay for tickets online via our products page.

The NonProphets radio program is on hiatus for a few weeks.