Darwin Day 2015: From Faith to Reason

For the first time, secular groups from the Central Valley will be co-hosting an event that focuses on the life of Charles Darwin and the transition from faith to reason.

This free event, held at the gazebo near the Manteca Public Library, is family friendly and will offer the public an opportunity to recognize the scientific contributions made by Darwin that have changed our understanding of life on this planet.

Two guest speakers, Jerry DeWitt from Louisiana and Ryan Bell from Los Angeles, will provide their genuine and personal story of faith to reason, and share their uplifting message of secular hope and love.

The Cake is Not a Lie

Coinciding with the 206th birthday of Charles Darwin, cake and other festivities will be enjoyed this afternoon.

Family Friendly

Activities will be available for children of all ages, but please mention that you’ll be bringing children (and their ages) in the comments below.

Guest Speaker: Jerry DeWitt
(Community Mission Chapel)

Jerry is a former Pentecostal pastor from DeRidder, Louisiana, now an author and prominent member of the American atheism movement.

After losing his faith in 2011, Jerry was the first member of the Clergy Project to drop anonymity and speak freely about his involvement in the project.

Jerry is the former executive director of Recovering From Religion, a group which helps people find their way after a loss of faith, and is the author of Hope After Faith. [Web]

Guest Speaker: Ryan Bell
(Year Without God)

Having recently resigned his senior pastor position at the Hollywood Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ryan is a researcher, writer, and speaker on the topic of religion and irreligion in America.

In January 2014, Ryan began a yearlong journey exploring the limits of theism and the atheist landscape in the United States and blogs about that experience here at Year Without God.

Ryan holds a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan and a Doctor of Ministry in Missional Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. [Blog]

Guest Speaker: Glenn Branch
(National Center for Science Education)

Glenn Branch is Deputy Director of NCSE. Formerly a graduate student in philosophy at UCLA, where he won prizes both for scholarship and teaching, he is conversant with the philosophical debates surrounding creationism and “intelligent design.”

Branch is co-editor, with Eugenie C. Scott, of Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design Is Wrong for Our Schools, and the author of numerous articles on creationism and evolution.

This free event is co-hosted by the Stockton Area Atheists and Freethinker and the Stanislaus Humanists.