Reason Rally Recap

It’s been a little over a week since the Reason Rally ended and we got home. It was pretty phenomenal – everything about it! The Cthulhu-crazed protestor (ok, mock protestor, but still!), the real protestors: WBC (flanked by guards), preachers in boxes spouting Bible verses and a small group of sign-wielding protestors near the stage was cool to see since I’ve ever actually been a part of something that got protested against! The speakers were excellent, the crowd was huge despite the drizzle, I got to hang out with my awesome Camp Quest friends AND I was there with the coolest chick in the world, my wife!

I loved listening to Adam Savage speak. He’s not someone that’s automatically associated with atheism like Dawkins or even Minchin is, and he’s mainstream enough that he’s recognizable to a huge portion of people across the US (and world). He was also so well-spoken – he got his point across that he doesn’t believe in a god or magic or the supernatural, but he also stressed the point that what we all need to do is just love each other. I don’t know why the religious have a problem with that, but many do.

As fun as that was, it didn’t compare to the Camp Quest tent. Jen and I had volunteered for setup and a 2-hour shift, but ended up staying in the tent for the vast majority of the day on Saturday. It was our base of operations and we tried to help fill in wherever we could. Lots of kids came through and some of them were incredibly impressive. I ran the games table, Jen ran the science table, and there was a 10 year old boy who came through and played with the Ooblek. Someone asked him what it was and he responded “It’s a non-Newtonian fluid that displays properties of liquids and solids depending on the force applied”. I just wanted to stare at him. Badass.

Even better than that was the chance that Jen and I had to sit in a small group of people and chat with Dale McGowan, author of Parenting Beyond Belief. Between his advice and stories and listening to the situations of the other parents in the group, some of whose concerns mirrored mine and Jen’s, was simply amazing. Many of our atheist and skeptic friends don’t have kids yet, so being involved with Camp Quest and especially this small group for the small part of the day, was enlightening. We came away with recommendations on books, an understanding of how good we have it in many ways and some great ideas on how to introduce religion to Mat without biasing him one way or the other. One thing we plan on doing is using a book called ‘In the Beginning’. It’s a collection of creation myths from dozens of cultures around the world, with Christianity included in the middle. It’s a good way to show Mat all of the stories that exist, all of the beliefs and cultures that have grown around our origins and let him begin to form his own opinions and thoughts on it. We’re going to do the same for some holidays – let him learn about how different cultures celebrate the same holidays, for instance. This, plus the 3-questions game at night, should be fun.

This weekend, while Jen had her session for her awesome tattoo, I went to a Reason Rally recap and panel discussion with the Humanist Community of Central Ohio (HCCO). We heard from a few attendees of Reason Rally, including one of the kids who came through the Camp Quest tent. I got to hear from JT Eberhard on his input and thoughts on the secular movement in general, on Reason Rally and more, which was enlightening. He’s a firebrand, but he needs to be.

Finally, we went out to dinner with a few members of HCCO/Camp Quest/Secular Student Alliance and ate amazing Indian food and had some amazing conversation. I wish we didn’t have to drive 2 hours to do it! Adams County: you suck.