Auckland Skeptics in the Pub

Re: [Auckland-Skeptics-in-the-Pub] It's almost here...

From:	John Mackie
Sent on:	Monday, September 7, 2009 6:10 PM

Stephen et al,

My understanding of the problem of people being injured or killed during curse lifting ceremonies is not that the practitioners are Maori but that they are profoundly stupid.

I really don't know how or why we need to explain to apparently functional adults that flooding the mouth and nose of a supine and restrained subject with water is unlikely to be beneficial to their mental or physical health.

Perhaps being as dumb as a bag of hammers is some sort of legal defence regardless of one's breeding.

John Mackie

----- Original Message -----

From: Stephen

To: [address removed]

Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:52 PM

Subject: Re: [Auckland-Skeptics-in-the-Pub] It's almost here...

Hi team

There are a few burning topics that I would like to hear discussed. They are:

1. The 2010 Atheist Global Convention that will be held in Melbourne, on 12-14 March 2010. The theme is "The Rise of Atheism". Speakers include Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers, as well as our guest, Kylie Sturgess. Anyone interested in attending? How do people feel about seeing what is required to organise this event, with the aim of organising an Atheist Global Convention in Auckland in a few year's time?

2. How do people feel about an Auckland Atheist Bus campaign?

3. Janet Moses died in October 2007 during a Makutu curse lifting ritual (which was pretty similar to waterboarding, a generally recognised form of torture). Ms Moses drowned and a 14-year-old girl's eyes were injured as people picked at the demons they saw in them. The five accused all avoided jail with community detention and community work sentences - but I did not hear anyone say anything against the actual superstition involved, which I think was seen as a mitigating factor at sentencing. Should we speak up in these situations, or are cultural sensitivities just too great?

Looking forward to a very interesting meeting. And, of course, a beer.

Cheers,
Stephen Minhinnick

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