A series of films about faith and belief will be screened at UP’s Cine Adarna on February 27… but these films will leave you with more questions than answers.

The Filipino Freethinkers Film Festival is the first film fest in the Philippines intended to challenge your thinking about belief, faith, and reason.

The films include a bittersweet one-woman show by a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member, a documentary exploring the link between religion and terrorism, and a couple of short films originally screened at the American Atheist Film Festival.

“Most of us don’t question our faith or religion at all,” says Ryan Tani, president of the Filipino Freethinkers. “But when religion increasingly conflicts with reason in society, we need a public discussion of the merits of faith. Especially we Filipinos, who live under laws shaped by the Catholic Church whether we’re Catholic or not.

“Showing films that question that assumption, that faith is always a good thing… I think that’s a really important first step to get the debate going,” says Tani.

The films screened during the Filipino Freethinkers Film Festival are intended to reach out to both the religious and the irreligious, questioning long-cherished assumptions on both sides of the debate.

Letting Go of God, a one-woman show by Saturday Night Live alumna Julia Sweeney, is a funny yet touching tale of Sweeney’s conflict with the Catholic faith of her childhood. The story (with its surprising conclusion) is told in an upbeat monologue style that the New York Times called “searing and bracingly funny”.

Root of All Evil? is biologist Richard Dawkins’ look at how religious faith serves as a primary motivator for evil in today’s modern world. Throughout the two-part film, we see Dawkins taking on religious fanatics of all stripes, including disgraced pastor Ted Haggard, and building the case for humanity being better off without faith.

Fun For Heretics showcases bits of classic comedy, shocking songs and searing rants from all around the world, with clips from George Carlin, Monty Python, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Woody Allen, Roy Zimmerman, Marcus Brigstocke, Edward Current, and many more.

Imagine No Religion blends the funny and the serious to tackle the conflict between faith and reason. With excerpts from the late Theo Van Gogh & Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s “Submission” and Lisa Seidenberg’s moving memorial to 9/11, “In the Name of God.”

The Filipino Freethinkers Film Festival is on for one day only, on February 27, at Cine Adarna from 1pm to 8pm. Admission is free. For more information on the Film Fest and Filipino Freethinkers, and to RSVP, visit the FF Film Fest Facebook event page.

The 2nd Davao Meetup was a success. I wish to thank both new and old members for making it. We had a really great time sharing our journeys and bonding with fellow freethinkers.

We had too much fun (and beer) actually, that we were not able to do an initial planning for the First FF Davao Forum. (For this we will have to do it online and discuss it on the next meetup.)

Now I’ll just give the highlights of our little Saturday night and let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

• Special thanks to Narsdoktor for the generous donation which easily took care of all the burgers and beers a dozen freethinkers consumed from 6pm till midnight. You truly were with us in spirit.

• Special thanks to Bdul for lending us his books.

• Special thanks to Harley Blvd. Motor Cafe for the great food and accommodation.

• To Ryan Tani and the rest of the FF community for your encouragement and support.

• And of course, to Skyline Bugoy for the great pictures, the rest of which can be found here:

http://s816.photobucket.com/albums/zz83/SkylineBugoy/FFT/

Thanks everyone. Can’t wait for a third.

Sunday, January 24, 2010
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Starbucks (near cinemas) at Shangrila Mall

Agenda:

* FF Podcast 2010 Episode 1

* Brainstorming for new FF contest

* Coordination meeting

** FF Film Fest on Feb 27
** FF Anniversary Party on Feb 28
** FF UP chapter and other university/college orgs

Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010 – 6pm

Venue: 2nd Flr. Harley Blvd. Motor Cafe
Juan Luna St., Davao City (opposite Better Components)
Tel. (082) 302-8986
Google Map coordinates: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=101543816664430507801.00046dc19acc8ec594a7e&ll=7.072348,125.615691&s

AGENDA:
- introductions/welcoming of new members
- initial planning for the First FF Davao Forum

CONTRIBUTION: None; pay for your own food and drinks (Harley offers the best burgers and they also serve rice and Filipino food)

Sunday, January 10, 2010
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Starbucks (near cinemas) at Shangrila Mall

Agenda:

* Awarding of 2009 Blogger prize (The Greatest Show on Earth book)
* Objectivism and Objectivists
* New Year’s resolutions?
* FF Regional meetup stories
* FF Anniversary (Feb 28)
* FF Film Festival

Facebook RSVP

Twelve freethinkers plus the one holding the camera. Not bad for a first meet-up.

This is Harley’s P90 burger. That patty is almost 2 inches thick, made of pure lean beef, flame-broiled of course. They have a great homemade hot sauce and a nice mustard.

More beer please…

Introductions and journeys…

More food…this is Lydon’s baked scallops:

That is Sam at the center, the owner of Harley Blvd. Motor Cafe.

And Sam was kind enough to let our banner stay on his wall…

What can I say? It was awesome guys. Can’t wait for the next one.

RSVP

Time:

• December 19
• 1pm to sawa (sawa is probably 2am)

Location: Makati City

• Unit 16A Tower 1,
• Salcedo Park Condominium,
• 121 HV De La Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City
• Google Map Coordinates: 14.561729, 121.024359 (Map below)
  

Food: Pot Luck (details in the forum)

Expected Turnout: 30ish

Crash Option: available (but limited to mats, and couches)

Host: Justin Aquino (Inquiries; post on the forum)

Activities:

• Meet Up
• Have Fun
• Celebrate Life

Activities:

• Wii Games
• IQ and Trivia Games
• Improvisational Games

View Larger Map

The FF will be having its First Regional Meet-up in Davao City.

Meet-up agenda:

• Introductions
• Inspirational talk by Mikong, Ambassador for Davao
• Miscellaneous discussions related to freethought and the vision/mission of the FF and FF Davao
• Others (suggestions please)

Harley Blvd. Motor Cafe serves burgers: P60 for the ‘regular’ cheeseburgers with half-inch thick patties and P90 for their big burgers with 1-inch thick patties. They also serve rice and Filipino dishes. Most important of all, they serve beer and hard liquor.

Generally we’ll go dutch, but it would be nice if those financially-able freethinkers would add a little more to their share of the bill to lighten the load of our less-wealthy freethinking brothers and sisters.

After about two hours at Harley Blvd. we could transfer to Lyndon’s (along Roxas Ave.) and continue our bonding (and drinking) there while feasing on seafood and other pulutan (baked scallops, barbeque ribs, crayfish, grilled tuna belly, sashimi, etc.). Again, although we’ll generally go dutch, I would like to request the wealthier members to take care of some of the pulutan, which are very cheap at Lyndon’s by the way. I’ll personally sponsor 2 kilos of scallops.

We’ve been discussing this at the FF forum. If you have other suggestions, you may post it there.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=190217328167&ref=ts

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009
Time: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Starbucks (near cinemas) at Shangrila Mall

Meetup Agenda:

Secularism – Past, Present, and Future
The Filipino Secular Movement – what we can do to help
Maguindanao Massacre
The Gusi Peace Prize

Optional:

After the meetup, we’re going to Luneta to meet the Luneta University Quizzers. There’ll probably be debates and trivia games.

With Mikong’s winter solstice visit to Davao kicking off our first ever regional meetup, I figured I could do the same when I go home to Cebu later this December. And if you’re going home to your province this season as well, why not do the same too?

This is a challenge to FF members going home for the holidays — meet at least one other Filipino freethinker in your area. Whether reaching existing members who haven’t been to our Manila meet-ups or spreading the good news that is FF to Filipino freethinkers who had no idea we exist, the goal is to get in touch with at least one other disbeliever.

And this isn’t just a challenge for members visiting the provinces either. If you’re not from Manila and have been looking for a local meet-up, get one organized yourself!

I’m sure there will be tons to talk about. The state of freethought in the country or in your province, personal stories about living in a Catholic nation where separation of Church and State is almost nonexistent, surviving Christmas among religions friends and family, plans and projects of FF and ideas of what more can be done.

And, of course, the possibility of setting up an actual regional chapter of FF.

We can provide an FF tabletop logo for members who are up to the challenge, which you can set up on your coffee table or on the bar, wherever you choose to organize, but filling up the seats will be up to you. Post a query on our forums, mailing list or in the comments below. Look up old classmates who once questioned their religion. Google your town for existing freethought circles, or send meet-up invites to mailing lists of friends and family. It doesn’t take much to organize a regional meet-up, and this challenge hopes to demonstrate that. Just you and one other person, and FF will have taken that first step in your province.

Oh, and take pictures. We do love pictures.