A Christmas Celebration for Atheists

London skeptics will not be waging any War on Christmas this year. Instead, they’re providing a secular alternative.

English comedian Robin Ince is putting together a Christmas celebration… for atheists.

The event is titled “Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People.”

It’s sure to be a day of positivity:

Rather than talking of Jesus’s birth, acclaimed science author Simon Singh will talk about the birth of the universe. Instead of talking about Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, Bad Science Columnist Ben Goldacre will talk of alternative medicine and charlatans, while Josie Long will talk about the wonder of the stars.

So far the confirmed speakers are Stewart Lee, Phill Jupitus, Mark Thomas (who might be bringing along his grandfather’s travelling harmonium for a carol sing-a-long), Natalie Haynes, Chris Addison, Ben Goldacre, Christina Martin, Simon Singh, Josie Long, Jo Neary and Richard Dawkins.

…

The evening will also include projections of classic archive footage of Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman.

I want to go. But my teleportation device is broken.

If you live in London, though, you can get tickets for the December 19^th event by calling The Bloomsbury Theatre.

Where is the American version of this party?! We can’t let the British outdo us!

(via The Skeptic)

Adrian Hayter

Awesome! I am so going to that…December 19th will be a photoblogging day for sure 😀

Might as well bring my entire student group along for the ride…
Alice

This sounds brilliant! I’m going to book asap. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Shelley Mountjoy

the american version is belway atheists festivus party this december. ok, so it won’t be quite as educational but we’ll have a blast. 🙂
Reed Braden

If the election goes poorly, I might be living in London at the time. An almost-entirely Republican SCOTUS and a creationist woman-hating woman in the White House are far less appealing than travelling harmoniums and science lectures.
Sabayon

Hmmm, I’ll be on a layover in London on December 19th. I was just going to just shop and then sleep in Heathrow, but drinking wassail with English skeptics sounds a much better plan (jet lag and a hangover, it’s going to be a great Christmas!).
James

What about Festivus for the rest of us?
Zack

What? the silly colonials outdo us? I think not
Desert Son

Zack wrote:

What? the silly colonials outdo us? I think not

That’s MR. Silly Colonial to you!

🙂

In all seriousness, have a great time at the party, Londoners and sundry in proximity. Sounds like it would be a great time. Phil Jupitus, too, no less, for much laughs.

No kings,

Robert