“Evolving Universe / Evolving Faith” Series

Darwin Day is coming up, and I am happy to announce a new series on the issue of evolution, science, religion, reason, and faith from our friends at The Clergy Letter Project and Darkwood Brew.  The series is titled “Evolving Universe / Evolving Faith” and it starts on Sunday, Feb. 10th; check out the trailer below:

Darwin Day & Evolution Weekend 2011 Approaches

Every year around February, skeptics & science boosters of all stripes join together to celebrate the birthday of Charles Darwin (February 12th) in a series of events outlining evolution & science in general.  I wanted to share with you a couple of good Internet outlets which try to help people connect & organize for these events.  So take some time to look for an event near you, or consider creating your own…

The Clergy Letter Project & Evolution Weekend — Despite what a lot of creationists claim, there are a lot of people out there who both believe in God and accept the science of evolution.  These people are organizing into a series of events during the weekend closest to Darwin’s birthday, and many of the events involve speeches and sermons at religious houses of worship.

The International Darwin Day Foundation — For those of a slightly more secular bent, events commemorating Darwin’s birthday and contributions to science  can also be found here.  In fact, the folks at the IDDF have put together a neat little video outlining why we should all celebrate Darwin Day…

Darwin’s 200th – Happy Birthday Chuck!

Well, this Thursday is the BIG day – it’s the 200th anniversary of that famed naturalist, Charles Darwin, and it also happens to be the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. Seeing as how important the entire scientific concept of evolution is to our daily lives, and Darwin’s specific theory of evolution through natural selection in particular, I think it is only fitting that we pause to honor the man who helped to revolutionize biology & many other aspects of science. It should be noted that evolution is a concept that spans the sciences – in fact, it is so broad-reaching a concept that Scientific American magazine recently called evolution “the most powerful idea in science.”

In celebration of this event, there are events being organized all over the world. Here are some of the groups organizing these events, so feel free to browse and see if there’s something going on near you! In addition, I’ve included below a series of links specific to learning more about evolution and science in general…

Darwin Day
Evolution Weekend
National Center for Science Education
Understanding Evolution
Understanding Science
Evolution Series from PBS-NOVA

And if you are into taking on the pseudoscientific claims of creationists, then you might find these links of use…

15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense
TalkOrigins Archive
Answers In Genesis BUSTED!
Expelled Exposed: Why Expelled Flunks
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Panda’s Thumb
Pharyngula
Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Last, but not least, I wanted to provide you with a couple of special links. The first is a link to the TalkOrigins Archive and outlines the vast amount of evidence that clearly establishes the reality of evolution. Take some time to read that link (it’s a lot of material) and convince yourself that the evidence for evolution is rock solid.

The second is a hilarious video, basically a challenge to creationists from Answers In Genesis BUSTED!, that asks a lot of questions of creationists which they never seem to address…

In closing, take some time this weekend to celebrate Darwin’s birthday and his great achievements. Have a drink, throw a party, and tell your friends & family about the importance of the man and, more importantly, his contributions to science.

Happy Birthday, Chuck! Wheeeee!