Off to Alabama September 11, 2010

Off to Alabama

By Guest Contributor
September 11, 2010

I’m off to Mobile, Alabama today to speak at the University of South Alabama!

The event will take place at 6:00 p.m. in the USA Humanities Building — Auditorium Room 170.

The newspapers haven’t offered much coverage, but I was told someone called the Mobile Press Register to leave them a “Sound Off” message — easier to call in rather than write a letter-to-the-editor, I suppose?

Where’s outrage over atheist?

— The world is in a rage about a preacher burning the Quran, but I’m reading where the University of South Alabama is having an atheist come make a speech on “I sold my soul on eBay.” Here’s a man that doesn’t believe in God, but they bring him to Mobile to speak to the students. Oh my goodness, what a backward generation.

Yes, when compared to the Koran-burning pastor, I’m really the evil one…

Ah well, might as well make the most of it. Maybe I should offer porn, pot and cookies to everyone who attends…

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  • THINK OF THE CHILDREN. Or teens. Or young adults. Whatever

    Sinners. The lot of us.

  • Jim

    Welcome to Alabama Hemant. If you were passing through Cullman I would offer to buy you a beer but, alas, this is a dry town.
    I wish I could attend your event, I like porn and cookies.

  • Yes you are a wicked tool of the devil infusing doubt in people that will probably cause a few to burn in hell for all eternity.

    Or so the preachers say.

  • Next they’ll be dancing!

    😀

  • jose

    cookies? I was hoping for babies.

  • Peter McDonough

    “In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.”
    Galileo

    Stand tall and speak your truth today.

  • Luther

    Meanwhile in OK they have trouble distinguishing Atheists from Satanists: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/09/10/us/AP-US-Godless-Billboard.html?_r=2&ref=global-home

    Atheists in Oklahoma City have erected a billboard seeking fellow non-believers, and Satanists have scheduled a conference in a city-owned building, drawing criticism from ministers in a state where more than eight out of 10 people say they are Christians.

    Not often I agree with religious types on religion but I do agree with one quoted in the article. In fairness the article also included a good atheist response:

    ”It’s not the people who don’t believe in God that worry me,” said Robin Meyers, senior minister at Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City and a professor of rhetoric at Oklahoma City University. ”It’s some of the people who do.

    ”Fundamentalism is the enemy worldwide, no matter what the strain.”

    …

    Singer, from the atheists’ group, said his group has no connection to the Satanists.

    ”As far as Satan goes, we don’t believe in him either,” he said.

    And I guess “Labor” will join “Communist”, “Terrorist”, and “Atheist” in the doghouse:

    One state lawmaker wants to change the state’s motto from ”Labor omnia vincit” — Latin for ”Labor conquers all” — to ”In God we trust.”

  • Matt

    Just think: when you run for office you can promise a baby in every pot!

    Sorry, random thought, not completely relevant to this post.

  • Ben

    Maybe I should offer porn, pot and cookies to everyone who attends…

    And let the quote mining begin in 3…2…1…

  • Ron in Houston

    easier to call in rather than write a letter-to-the-editor, I suppose?

    You’re assuming they know how to write…

  • Sven

    Do be careful. 9.11 is a national day of zealotry.

  • Anonymous

    I bet you’ll have a great reception. Hichens already warmed up the state for you with his debate in Birmingham a few days ago.

    http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/09/hitchens_sets_an_example_for_u.php

    Knock ’em dead!

  • JD

    Luther, according to some Christians (and some passages), anyone not worshipping the Christian God is actually worshipping the devil. So they don’t spend any time “splitting hairs” about Satanism, Wicca, Buddhism, Islam, Neo-paganism, Voodoo, Atheism, it doesn’t matter, they think it’s all really devil worship in different clothes. I don’t know how they think they can reach out to people (a major Christian tenet in many circles) if they can’t be bothered to understand the people they reach out to.

  • Well, I’m going to be there and I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic. There will be some people ill that we atheists are in town but they’ll probably be too lazy to do anything about it.

    Looking forward to seeing as many as possible tonight!

  • Heather

    I will be there with my 12 yo daughter. She loves porn, pot and cookies!

  • Jason

    Jose I agree with you I want babies but I would’nt mind having cookies as an appitizer.

  • fatherdaddy

    Porn, pot, cookies, and atheism? Great! All my favorites! Do the cookies have baby chips? I’d go even if it was imitation baby flavor (the price of pure baby extract has been going through the roof, lately).

  • I’M GOING TO SEE HEMANT TONIGHT!!

    WOOO!!!!

    I’m bringing a copy of his book….I hope I can get him to autograph it and maybe take a picture….:D

  • Nancy

    I’ll be there tonight too! And don’t knock Sound Off, it’s the funniest part of the Mobile Press Register. 🙂

  • nancynancy

    I’m looking forward to tonight’s event.

  • Jeff

    I would like to know why Atheists are always lumped together with Satanists. I’ve seen it several times.

  • Cookies!?! You really are evil! Think of all those saturated fats…

  • muggle

    Double chocolate chunk, please…

    or else, just bake brownies. 😉

  • sarah

    I suppose being a free thinker means being “backwards.”

    Kind of funny…

  • foolie

    Here I am back in Mobile for the weekend…but unfortunately won’t be attending. Other classic Alabama priorities tonight, i.e. football and home cooking.

    There’s often somebody with stick up their ass in the Sound Off whenever there’s a mention of godlessness in the news. Nancy’s right, it’s definitely the most entertaining part of the paper.

  • Jeff B.

    As an atheist who has read Anton LaVey, I can attest to our differences. Satanists seem like they’d be way more fun to trip acid with.

    And their costumes seem pretty rad too.

  • ElitistB

    Wait, Porn, Pot, AND Cookies? I’d drive a couple hours out of my way for that.

    Oh, and to hear you speak. Yeah, that too.

  • Needless to say, the event was awesome 😀 Got my book signed, got to go out to dinner (Mexican!) with Hemant & the gang, lots of stimulating conversation, and also pics! This is all so rare here in Alabama…I hope Hemant comes back again someday!

    (P.S. For anyone who was there, I was the twitchy-giggly Hemant fanboy in the Bad Religion shirt~)

  • Michael

    I managed to make it, eventually.

    I have to say, severely disappointed in the lack of porn, pot, and there was only a small number of babies.
    Not enough to go around, and they all seemed taken by the time I got there.

    The meatballs were pretty good though.

  • In a state as backward as Alabama, some of us feel that the only noble thing to do is to be backward. The negatives cancel out and we end up going forward!

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