A Great Observance
Of What Is Not There
Duane Wristen
From: Valaha
To: Cliff Walker
Subject: Critical thinker/me too
Date: Sunday, January 11, 1998 4:43 AM
Myself and a handful of fellow factory workers have formed a free-thinkers club at work. This ragtag band of gypsy thinker-types have grown bored with that group of people who (for the lack of better words) have a great observance of what is not there. We will have our first meeting this week and, as it is exciting to all of us to have the opportunity to speak our minds to others who have the ability to feed back rational details, we wait in anticipation. Do you have any suggestions as to how we should go about structuring our meetings. Positive feedback and/or warnings would be deeply appreciated.
Thank you, Duane Wristen
I have given little thought to structure; however, I do have a few things to say about purpose. I recommend the following columns, in which I reflect on purpose (or lack thereof) in the CRT meetings. Since there are really no answers, perhaps these reflections will, at minimum, raise the right questions.
04) December, 1995 -- Can Atheism Be Positive?
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff5c.htm
29) January, 1998 -- Atheists In And Out
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff81.htm
24) August, 1997 -- Quite A Long Haul
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff78.htm
18) February, 1997 -- For A Positive Future
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff72.htm
16) December, 1996 -- How Do Others See Us?
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff6c.htm
11) July, 1996 -- Getting Along Outside the Oasis
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff67.htm
[New since this was written]
37) September, 1998 -- A Good Hard Look
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff89.htm
36) August, 1998 -- Change And Growth
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff88.htm
These two also have some primitive observations:
02) October, 1995 -- What? Four Years? Already?
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff5a.htm
01) September, 1995 -- Your New Critical Thinker
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/cliff59.htm
Also, don't forget the role humor plays in making a point. Humor was employed very skillfully by Voltaire and also by Thomas Paine.
The following bits by and about Jerry Billings have kept us rolling in the aisles over issues which would otherwise make us very upset:
Jerry "Edits" a Gideon's
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/gideons.htm
The Abimelech Society
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/writ/abimelec.htm
Fun With Rubber: Jerry's Hobby
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/rubber.htm
Federal Reserve Still Pitches Religion
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/atheist$.htm
Holy Jack Daniels! There's booze in the Temple!
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/ribooze.htm
(deleted at author's request)
[New since this was written]
The Biblical Tale of the Golden Hemorrhoids
http://www.PositiveAtheism.org/crt/emrods.htm
Cliff Walker, [while still] editor
The Critical Thinker
Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.