AgASA Meeting 10/30/08
– Some attendees wore awesome Halloween costumes.
– Matt Coker presented on religion in politics.
– Presented Dylan’s “With God on Our Side”
§ What are meanings of the lyrics?
§ How has history/way been influenced by God and ‘religious justice’?
– AgASA held a Halloween costume contest and here are the winners:
§ 1st Place: Arash ‘Arashional’ Khosrowshahi as Jesus
§ 2nd Place: Shiva ‘Shivs’ Kasravi as Shiva The Destroyer
§ 3rd Place: Ryan Rhodes as Mad Hatter
§ Honorable Mention: Michael Clifford as Death at a Party
– How well separated is the separation of church and state?
§ Does the First Amendment exclude religion from legislation or does religion still manage to creep its finger into legislation indirectly?
– Does religion define those politicians follow it? Do politicians advocate religious stances to merely gain support rather than express their genuine feelings?
– Is there desperation from the religious side?
§ This is a rhetorical device to help garner support
§ Religious people use self-victimization cries to appeal to pity, and thus gain support in their issues.
– Are there any atheists in politics?
§ Pete Stark (not related to Tony Stark)
– Are atheists/agnostics a silent presence in the political arena?
§ Why is this? Does being silent all the time portray atheists as deceiving and untrustworthy?
§ County was founded by Protestantism, does this anything to do with political risk in term of declaring oneself to be an atheist?
– Is posing as religiously devout a political strategy?
– Are atheists experiencing discrimination, and if so, do they need to unite and speak up and demand their rights such as those minority groups did before them?
– Why do some state constitutions require political candidate to believe a particular religion in order to run for office?
§ Is this not a blatant violation of the First Amendment?
– Why do courts make its participants swear before God in order to testify?
– Is gay marriage opposed against because of religious beliefs or there legitimate secular reasons for doing so?
AgASA 