New speaker and concept art

Katie Hartman did last year's poster, and it was phenomenal. She's on the job this year and she's just come out with her first concept piece:

We also picked up an additional speaker today on top of Victor Stenger. We also got a commitment from Robert M. Price. Those who have seen The God Who Wasn't There will recognize him as the theological scholar explaining the similarities of Christianity to other localized myths. He is also the author of several books surrounding the inaccuracy of the bible/Christianity including Blasphemies and Revelations and Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable is the Gospel Tradition. I've been told by some very reliable people in the atheist biz that few people rival price at deconstructing Christianity specifically. He will be a welcome addition.

Stenger Commits to Skepticon II

Skepticon II has just acquired physicist Dr. Victor J. Stenger, author of the NY Times bestseller God: The Failed Hypothesis, as well as Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos, and the Search for Cosmic Consciousness, and The Comprehensible Comos, amongst many, many others.

Stenger will be giving a presentation on how the scientific evidence points most strongly to atheism.

This makes our current line up PZ Myers, Richard Carrier, Rebecca Watson (you can read my exchange with her here), Dan Barker, DJ Grothe, Joe Nickell, Victor J. Stenger, Mark Richter, and myself. I'm currently going after three other speakers: one big name and two smalls.

I'm also in the process of arranging a debate focusing on the question, "Does god exist?" I have some bites there, but nothing solidified.

Things you should do:

1. Confirm your attendence on the Skepticon II event page. (And invite all your friends!)
   
2. Add Skepticon as a friend on facebook.
3. Join the Skepticon II cause on facebook.
4. Join the MSU Chapter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster on facebook.

Also, help get the word out. Blog about it, tell your friends, etc. The fundraising machine also goes into full swing in mid-August, and you can bet I'll be blogging it.

Skepticon II has a new speaker!

We just picked up another speaker for Skepticon II. Joe Nickell, famous paranormal investigator. Get the hell down here to Springfield in November!

This means that the current speaker line up includes PZ Myers, Richard Carrier, Rebecca Watson (you can read my exchange with her here), Dan Barker, DJ Grothe, Joe Nickell, Mark Richter, and JT Eberhard.

Things you need to do aside from showing up (We have lots of couches for people to crash on):

1. Confirm your attendence on the Skepticon II event page.
2. Add Skepticon as a friend on facebook.
3. Join the Skepticon II cause on facebook.
4. Join the MSU Chapter of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster on facebook.

w00t!

It's on, suckahs!

Skepticon II is a go!

Here's the speaker list so far:

PZ Myers:

Dr. Myers is biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the science blog Pharyngula. Myers is known for his criticism of creationism and religion. Dr. Myers was a speaker at the original Skepticon last Fall, and we are elated to have him, and his cracker-disrespecting ways, back at Missouri State.

Richard Carrier:

Richard Carrier is the renowned author of Sense and Goodness without God, as well as numerous articles online and in print. He received his Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University in 2008, and now specializes in the modern philosophy of naturalism, the origins of Christianity, and the intellectual history of Greece and Rome.

Rebecca Watson:

Rebecca is a blogger and independent podcast host. She is the founder of the Skepchick blog and is a co-host on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast. Rebecca has spoken all over the country, including at the Amaz!ng Meeting.

Dan Barker:

Dan Barker served as a Christian preacher and musician for 19 years, before discarding his faith and becoming one of the nation’s most prominent atheists. He is the author of Losing Faith in Faith and president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

D.J. Grothe:

D.J. Grothe is a program director at the Center for Inquiry and editor for Free Inquiry magazine. He is also a professional magician who has lectured all over the United States and hosts the nationally popular radio show and podcast Point of Inquiry.