If you happen to be within traveling distance of Springfield, MO the second weekend in November, I’ll be presenting a workshop at Skepticon 9 on the afternoon of Friday the 11th at 4pm. My topic?
“Nonversations: How NOT to Talk to Very Religious People”
If you’ve been following some of the ongoing discussion about how to engage religious people about their beliefs, you know that I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all approach that works. What’s more, I believe some of the more abrasive, confrontational approaches can produce a “backfire effect” which sends the very religious into a defensive mode, effectively shutting down conversation.
Further Reading:
- “The Diplomats and Firebrands Can Be Friends” (GiD)
- “Skeptrack Panel Discussion: Diplomats vs Firebrands (Video)” (GiD)
- “Which is Worse? Lying to Children? Or Being Truthful with Them?” (Aron Ra)
So what do I suggest as an alternative? I guess you’ll have to show up at Skepticon to find out 🙂
What is Skepticon?
This will be my first time to attend Skepticon, so I’ll let the organizers tell you (visit their site here):
Skepticon is a skeptic/freethinker/educational/awesome conference that is held annually in Springfield, MO.
It is the mission of Skepticon to support, promote, and develop free-thought skeptic, and scientific communities through inclusive educational programming.
This year the conference will be at the Ramada Plaza Hotel & Oasis Convention Center the weekend of November 11- 13. Here is the address if you need to look it up:
2546 N Glenstone Ave
Springfield, MO 65803
Help Me Make the Trip!
One of the great things about Skepticon is that it’s completely free to all attendees. You still have to cover your own travel and lodging, but there’s no cost to attend the events. The conference organizers raise all their funds independently through fundraisers, and they do an excellent job of publishing all the relevant financials for anyone who wants to know where all the money goes.
Of course, this also means workshop presenters have to cover their own trip expenses, so this is where you can come in. I need help covering the travel and lodging myself, so if you’re in a position to pitch in, please do so by following the button below to give to the cause:
And while you’re at it, if you want to help support freethought/skeptic conventions to keep them going (it’s been a rough year for holding conferences), please consider donating to this conference to guarantee that the event is all that it can be. You can contribute by clicking on the button below:
Thanks in advance for anything you can give, and I’ll make sure to pass along any recordings or materials from the workshop that I can provide.