WHO: Arlene-Marie, Michigan State Director
WHAT: Guest on the Lou Perry Radio Show
Topic: church and state issues
WHERE: WLBY Radio – 1290 AMAnn Arbor, Michigan(covering a number of communities in Michigan, but not a national program)
WHEN: Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:30 p.m.
CALL-IN: 734-827-1290
ARLENE-MARIE, Michigan Atheists State Director*Director, Michigan Atheists Affiliate *Chairman, American Atheists Convention 2009*American Atheists, Inc., Board of Directors
amarie@atheists.org
Phone: 313-938-5960
http://www.michiganatheists.org/
PO Box 0025, Allen Park, MI 48101
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Correction
My appearance on the bob Dutko show will be on January 28th. I corrected it in the article, but corrections within posts already created do not get sent to the group.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Another Bob Dutko Show Invitation
Some time ago, I made a deal with one of my colleagues at work that if he'd read a book on evolution, I would debate Bob Dutko on 103.5 FM on the subject. Bob Dutko is a Christian radio talk show host who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible.
I emailed Bob, telling him I was a biology major in college (before I switched), that I am a board member for Michigan Atheists, and that I would like to debate with him regarding evolution. He responded promptly, and that's how it began.
Since then, we've had conversations (they are not formal debates in any sense) about separation of state and church, the plausibility of dinosaurs and humans coexisting, and the existence of gods. We're having another round regarding the last subject.
There have been mixed reviews. Some people will say I did well; others will say I missed this or that point; others will say that I failed to "go for the jugular". All I will say is this: I am not going on Bob Dutko's show to win or lose. I will answer his points as well as I can and as time allows, as always, but my real goal is to demonstrate that an Atheist can stand his ground and be civil about it. My goal is to show Bob's audience that Atheists aren't bitter, angry, hateful people; we're rational, sane, and reasonably intelligent.
So far, it's worked fairly well. Bob's audience members have called and written him to say that the Atheist he had on seemed like a nice guy. They like that I don't try to shout him down--which means that ultimately, they'll be likely to listen to the whole conversation. I know that several of my colleagues at work do, and their feedback has been positive. I've given them things to think about. They may not give up religion, but at least they know someone who is an Atheist, so their prejudices toward and caricatures of Atheists have to come into conflict with what they know about me.
In any case, the show will be airing live at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 28, for anyone who wants to listen.
I emailed Bob, telling him I was a biology major in college (before I switched), that I am a board member for Michigan Atheists, and that I would like to debate with him regarding evolution. He responded promptly, and that's how it began.
Since then, we've had conversations (they are not formal debates in any sense) about separation of state and church, the plausibility of dinosaurs and humans coexisting, and the existence of gods. We're having another round regarding the last subject.
There have been mixed reviews. Some people will say I did well; others will say I missed this or that point; others will say that I failed to "go for the jugular". All I will say is this: I am not going on Bob Dutko's show to win or lose. I will answer his points as well as I can and as time allows, as always, but my real goal is to demonstrate that an Atheist can stand his ground and be civil about it. My goal is to show Bob's audience that Atheists aren't bitter, angry, hateful people; we're rational, sane, and reasonably intelligent.
So far, it's worked fairly well. Bob's audience members have called and written him to say that the Atheist he had on seemed like a nice guy. They like that I don't try to shout him down--which means that ultimately, they'll be likely to listen to the whole conversation. I know that several of my colleagues at work do, and their feedback has been positive. I've given them things to think about. They may not give up religion, but at least they know someone who is an Atheist, so their prejudices toward and caricatures of Atheists have to come into conflict with what they know about me.
In any case, the show will be airing live at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, January 28, for anyone who wants to listen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
