Weekend: VPAC Dinner, Unitarians, The Church, Gloranthan Mythology

[tcpip]

Friday night caseopaya and I went to the VPAC end-of-year dinner at the Rainforest Room at the Melbourne zoo. Had good conversations with the new HPC centre manager and the CEO and their respective partners on a wide-range of topics. Eventually made it home in the wee hours, "a little bit" ineberiated on the cheap red wine that was on offer. Found myself awake and at the Melbourne Convention Centre by 9am for the Parliament of the World's Religions, where I was looking after the International Council of Unitarian Universalists (ICUU) stall. I agree strongly with a local Greens MP (and a Christian) who was argued that it is "vile" religious bigotry that this conference has received $2m in funding from the State government, but next year's Atheist Conference will receive nothing. I intend to go the latter as well, of course, being that most rare of creatures, a religious atheist.

Stayed there until just after 3pm then made my way to Willsmere (the old Kew Asylum) where we are looking for a potential apartment to purchase. Made it home, had a bite to eat, and then went out to see The Church play at the corner hotel; a fairly good show, a strong performance and wide-ranging selection of material, although lacking in their very early material which I prefer. The cover of Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm" was particularly amusing. Again made it home in the wee hours, but at least this time thoroughly sober.

Following morning had to journey to the Melbourne Unitarian Church where I gave an address on 2012: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Nonsense. Afterwards chaired the Philosophy Forum discussion on The Virtual World. Following that ran a session of RuneQuest where the PCs successfully escaped an attempt of Trolls to crush a Trollkin rebellion; there is now a trollkin and dark elf community in the middle of Sun Duchy who worship the Black Sun, a very cute tangent to the standard Gloranthan mythology.

Comments

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

A religious atheist? How does that work?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well many varieties of Buddhism would constitute religious atheism, for example.

But more generally it can be used to differentiate between the 'indifferent' atheism of many of irreligious (some of whom may even claim a nominal religion) and those who, despite their atheism, take religious themes seriously.

[lardarsegreg.livejournal.com]

So you believe in something, just not a "higher power"? Interesting.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I am certainly sympathetic to naturalistic pantheism, which I suppose is a non-trivial atheism.