Independence (From Superstition) Day Brunch

If you're not headed out of town for the holiday weekend (or if you're headed to our area from points beyond), join the Missoula Area Secular Society for Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch to celebrate our independence from superstition and dogma.

We'll be meeting at the usual time and place for our usual lively and educational discussions on science, secularism, and superstition.

Where: The Stone of Accord, 4951 N. Reserve St. (in the meeting room).
When: Sunday, July 4th, 10am - Noon

If you're not sure where the meeting room is at the Stone of Accord, just ask the host(ess) at the door and they'll direct you to the right place.

Fireworks Photo (c) Michael Seljos

M.A.S.S. Movie Date: The God Who Wasn't There

The Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to present a free public screening of the critically acclaimed documentary, The God Who Wasn't There.

From exposing the hidden history of Christianity to lampooning the bloody excesses of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (which caused Gibson to attempt legal action against the documentary), The God Who Wasn't There pulls no punches.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker (and former Christian) Brian Flemming, The God Who Wasn't There includes stimulating interviews with:

• Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation
  
  
• Alan Dundes, Professor of Folklore at the University of California at Berkeley
  
  
• Richard Carrier, historian and author of Sense and Goodness Without God
  
  
• Barbara & David P. Mikkelson, authors of the Urban Legends Reference Pages at snopes.com

Join us for this free public screening at the Missoula Public Library on Saturday, June 19th at 3:30pm in the Large Meeting Room (downstairs). After the film, you are invited to join us for dinner & drinks to discuss the film at a downtown restaurant (location TBA at the screening).

June Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch

It's time once again to enjoy the bewildered looks on the faces of your friends and family when you tell them that you're going to Sunday M.A.S.S.

We've been seeing more and more people coming to our monthly brunch event, and if this keeps up we're going to outgrow the meeting room at the Stone of Accord soon. We look forward to the day that we move into the regular dining room and claim part of it as our own, but we're not there quite yet, and won't get there without *you*.

We had some people who thought the meeting room was full last month and declined to join us. So, allow me to say that, depending on how we arrange the tables and chairs, we can fit up to 32 people in that room. We re-arranged once last month as more people showed up and we would have happily done it again. Don't be shy, even if we look crowded. Too many people is our favorite problem to solve.

So, please join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM at The Stone of Accord (aka the *new* Sean Kelly's) at 4951 N. Reserve St. near Interstate 90. If this is your first brunch with us, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the "meeting room" and she'll show you the way.

Keep up to date on all of our other events by joining our Facebook group, following us on Twitter, and/or subscribing to this site's RSS feed. All of our events also get posted to our new calendar page long before they get announced anywhere else, so if you like to plan ahead, bookmark that page and check back often.

UPDATE: This month's Sunday M.A.S.S. will include a special all-ages sneak preview of Brother Sam Singleton's latest sermon. You don't want to miss this!

Waffle Photo (c) avlxyz

M.A.S.S. Movie Date: COSMOS

COSMOS: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter and first broadcast by PBS in 1980. As of 2009, it is the most widely watched PBS series in the world. It won an Emmy and a Peabody Award and has since been broadcast in more than 60 countries and seen by over 500 million people.

With special permission from Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc., the Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to present two more episodes of COSMOS at the Missoula Public Library on Saturday, May 22nd, at 3:30pm.

Episode 2: "One Voice in the Cosmic Fuge"

Dr. Sagan's Cosmic Calendar makes the 15 billion year history of the universe understandable and frames the origin of the Earth and the evolution of life. We see the steps from microbes to humans. Our understanding of how life developed on Earth enables us to venture to other worlds for imaginative speculations on what forms life might take elsewhere in the Cosmos.

Episode 3: "The Harmony Of The Worlds"

Historical re-creation of the life and time of Johannes Kepler – the last scientific astrologer, the first modern astronomer, and the author of the first science fiction novel. Kepler provided the insight into how the moon and the planets move in their orbits and ultimately how to journey to them.

This event is free of charge and open to the public. Families are welcome.

When: Saturday, May 22nd, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Where: Missoula Public Library - Large Meeting Room (downstairs)

M.A.S.S. socializing at a downtown bar likely to occur after the show. Stick around after the lights go up and introduce yourself if you're interested.

Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch for May

Due to someone managing to reserve our usual room for the first Sunday in May before we did, our Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch this month will be on the Second Sunday (that's the one coming up now).

Hopefully nobody went to the usual place last Sunday. I meant to post something ahead of time warning people, but time slipped away from me.

Anyway, it's on again, like butter on toast.

When: Sunday, May 9th, 10 AM
Where: Stone of Accord (in the Meeting Room) 4951 N. Reserve St

If you're not sure where to go, ask the host(ess) for directions. It's literally right around the corner after you come in the front door.

Next month we'll be back on the First Sunday, and measures have already been taken to try to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Photo (c) Alasam

Camping with The Bozeman Freethinkers

Put in your vacation notice at work now. M.A.S.S. is taking a road trip at the end of July for our (1st annual?) joint camp out with the Bozeman Freethinkers.

When: Friday, July 30th - Sunday, August 1st

We'll head over the divide to the camping spot that the Bozeman Freethinkers will have picked out for us and stay Friday and Saturday night. On Saturday there will be a group trip to the Lewis & Clark Caverns, and (if there's enough time and interest), maybe a trip in to the Museum of the Rockies.

We have a CDL licensed driver on our Board of Directors, so we're planning on renting a bus to get everyone over there. This way everyone (except our driver) will be able to start having fun as soon as we roll out of Missoula, and we don't need to worry about anybody getting lost. Cost for bus rental and gas will be split among the participants.

I anticipate we'll have campers representing every generation, so feel free to bring your whole family.

Updates and additional details will be sent out regularly to those that have RSVP'd to the Facebook Event, and occasionally posted here as the time gets closer. If you're planning to attend but for whatever reason are unable to RSVP to the Facebook event, please email jon@secularmissoula.org with the number of people in your family that will be attending so he can add you to the list and contact you with any important updates.

Above photo (c) Isabelle Boucher

Movie Date: Creation

Change of plans!

Instead of Oceans on Saturday, we'll be attending Creation at The Wilma on Sunday at 3PM. Then we'll wander up to the Old Post for dinner and drinks.

Where: The Wilma Theater (downtown)
When: Meet under the tent in Caras Park at 2:30. We'll head up to the theater at 2:40.

If you can't join us for the movie, please feel free to meet us at the Old Post a little after 5:00.