STAYING CONNECTED. ​ STAYING SAFE.  

The Ethical Society Mid Rivers continues to host weekly meetings. In accordance with CDC recommendations our meeting space is closed to the public, and we are presenting our platforms digitally. 

3/7  •  International Darwin Day Celebration

SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021  |  10:30 AM  |  A DARWIN DAY CELEBRATION FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Join us for our our second annual celebration of Charles Darwin (and others!) involving our own members and kids. We are proud to be a part of the mission of International Darwin Day: To inspire people throughout the globe to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, scientific thinking, and hunger for truth as embodied in Charles Darwin.  

​3/14  •  EXPANSION IN A PANDEMIC

Christian Hayden, AEU Leader Intern
SCHEDULE FOR MARCH 14TH
10:30 AM: Platform Presentation
​11:45 AM: Colloquy
SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2021

10:30 AM  |  CHRISTIAN HAYDEN, AEU LEADER INTERN
Leader Intern Christian Hayden will deliver his final Platform to ESMR, before launching into his role as a certified Ethical Culture Leader. The title of the talk is: Expansion in a Pandemic- How Learning Provides a Lifeline in Times of Crisis

Christian admits he was a bad student. If you talked to some of his teachers, he was probably the worst kind of student- one who was capable, but unwilling. But as an adult the learning bug bit him and the last ten years of his life has been a sort of testament to learning within and through community. Listen to Christian retrace his learning journey and hear some first hand accounts of his (unofficial) teachers and co-learners. In addition, he will share some of the work he has been creating with others. 

​11:45 AM  |  COLLOQUY
ESMR’s first monthly Colloquy, facilitated by Mary Ellen Stanton. Colloquy is a participatory exercise around a particular topic, intended to serve as a meditative and bonding opportunity among Ethical Culture members. The following description, written by ESMR’s founding Leader, explains it further. All are welcome to join as we embark on this new monthly event. We will use the Platform link to engage in Colloquy virtually at this time.
An Understanding of Colloquy as Spiritual
Colloquy is “spiritual”.  By this we mean:
It is not someplace else.  It is here, in this space.
It is not for some other time.
It is now, in the moment of our being in the presence of one another, forming a presence.
Here we do not come to make a point.
We come to release.
Here we do not come to argue or persuade, nor to dialogue, nor to amuse.
We come to be present, to form a presence.
Whatever passions possess us, we dispossess for an hour.
Whatever complaints we carry, we put down their weight for an hour.
We use the gift of the chosen topic as a focus for our thought and musings.
We use the gift of each other as the frame around which we form, together, a presence.
​            – Bob Greenwell, Leader of the Mid-Rivers Society, St. Charles, Missouri

3/21  •  LIVING ETHICS DISCUSSION

SUNDAY, APRIL, 2021 |  10:30 AM  |  COMPANY, CONNECTION AND CONVERSATION 
Join us for company, connection, and conversation at our Living Ethics Discussion (LED). We will enjoy an informal conversation about the ongoing quest to live more ethical lives. What stands in your way? What are your triumphs? LED provides a monthly opportunity to explore these and other issues.
​​

3/28  •  CONGRESSIONAL FREETHOUGHT CAUCUS

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2021  |  10:00 AM  |  CONGRESSMAN JAMIE RASKIN

Please note the earlier start time. The American Ethical Union (AEU) will host a national Platform: “Replacing Magical Thinking with Rational Discourse: How the Congressional Freethought Caucus is Fighting to Restore the Intellectual Foundations of American Democracy” delivered live by Congressman Jamie Raskin.  

Jamie Raskin is a Member of the United States House of Representatives (D-MD), a professor of constitutional law and an author. He was the sponsor of the Resolution adopted overwhelmingly by the House (386-3) in the first week of December in 2020 calling for release of all religious prisoners on earth and for repeal of all blasphemy, apostasy and heresy laws.  He was a key actor in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and brought the House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Resolution before the House Rules Committee.  He defends the House action: “The fact that the Republican senators behaved like members of a religious cult does not render our decision a foolish one. We stood up for the Constitution."

Rep. Raskin is the co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus which he co-founded with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA). "My hope for the CFC," explains Rep Huffman, "is to be identified ... as a counterweight to those pushing the country toward theocracy. Thankfully, my co-founder Jamie Raskin sees it the same way and brings remarkable legal expertise, credibility, a good sense of humor and boundless energy to our efforts.”