AWAY WITH ALL GODS! – Audio/Video

A Communist, a Buddhist, and a Priest sat down to discuss…Morality to Change the World With or Without God(s)?

The panel discussion held at Columbia College, Chicago was an exchange of ideas about God and the role of religion in contemporary life. Is religion a creation of humanity whose time has long passed? Or does it serve some deeper need of human beings or point to a deeper reality? Are beliefs in God(s) obstacles or are these beliefs pathways to understanding and changing the world and to the emancipation of humanity? The event was co-sponsored by the Department of Humanities, History and Social Sciences of Columbia College, 8th Day Center for Justice, and Insight Press

The panelists were:

  • Steve Asma is professor of philosophy and humanities at Columbia College, science writer, Buddhist, and author of The Gods Drink Whiskey; Stumbling toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha.
  • Bob Bossie, SCJ, is a member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, an international congregation, and a staff member of the 8th Day Center for Justice in Chicago, where he works on issues of peace, human rights, economic justice and non-violence. A founding member of Voices in the Wilderness, Bob has spoken widely and traveled to Iraq and Latin America.
  • Sunsara Taylor, writer for Revolution newspaper, is on a national campus tour that draws from and promotes Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World, the recent book by Bob Avakian, published by Insight Press.

Morality Without Gods! An Exchange – Part 1

Across the planet with unjust wars, uncertainty & convulsions in people’s lives, belief in gods and religion is rising. Broad controversy and debate rages over god, atheism, faith, and science. In November 2008, an overflow crowd came out to NYU for “Morality Without Gods: Part 1”. The event was sponsored by Equal Time for Freethought on WBAI and Atheists, Agnostics & Freethinkers at NYU.

The panelists were:

  • Massimo Pigliucci – Professor of Biology and Philosophy at SUNY – Stony Brook, author, with Jonathan Kaplan, of Making Sense of Evolution: The Conceptual Foundations of Evolutionary Biology, and Denying Evolution: Creation, Scientism & the Nature of Science. Massimo is a regular columnist for Skeptical Inquirer and Philosophy Now.
  • Sunsara Taylor – writer for Revolution newspaper and a host on Equal Time for Freethought on WBAI-NY. Sunsara is currently on a national campus speaking tour on AWAY WITH ALL GODS! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World, the recent book by Bob Avakian.
  • Paul Eckstein – Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Bergen Community College, Paramus NJ, Adjunct Lecturer in Philosophy at Montclair State University, and a host on Equal Time for Freethought Radio on WBAI-NY.

Moderated by:

  • Matthew LaClair – student at Eugene Lang College, student President of The Center for Inquiry on Campus and on the Board of Directors of Secular Student Alliance. Matthew came to national attention when as a high school student in Kearny, NJ, he challenged his history teacher who was preaching his religious beliefs in class.

Atheism, God, and Morality in a Time of Imperialism and Rising Fundamentalism

Atheism, God, and Morality in a Time of Imperialism and Rising Fundamentalism: An Exchange took place on April 23, 2008 in New York City. The dialogue featured Chris Hedges (author of I Don’t Believe In Athiests) and Sunsara Taylor (representing Bob Avakian’s Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World).


Religion, Atheism, and Black People: A Panel Discussion

Religion, Atheism, and Black People: A Panel Discussion was held in Los Angeles on April 26, 2008. The panel featured Dr. Obery Hendricks of the New York Theological Seminary and author of The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus’ Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted; Erin Aubry Kaplan, LA Times op-ed columnist; and Clyde Young of the Revolutionary Communist Party, speaking on Away With All Gods!; Harry J. Lennix, moderator.