March 31st, 2012 is the date when Fort Bragg will host "Rock Beyond Belief," featuring key-note speaker Dr. Richard Dawkins and a mystery-celebrity who has vowed to throw an unforgettable warm-up party a few days prior!
The event features a key-note by Dr. Richard Dawkins, and weather permitting, Fort Bragg’s prestigious Golden Knights parachute team have been requested for an epic jump. This event is organized for the benefit of all unbelievers, who are promised a great day of music, speeches and vendor arts, crafts and other relevant merchandise.
Sgt. Justin Griffith, the founder of Rock Beyond Belief, states on the RBB website that,
"Colonel Sicinski, Fort Bragg’s Garrison Commander has now approved the event in full, and we’re extremely grateful to him for this opportunity. Many will remember the tumultuous nature of the lengthy approval process, as evidenced by visible scars on this website. But this is one opportunity to sheath the sword rather than fall on it. Over the next few days, I will be drastically changing much of the contents of static pages like the “about” page, as well as the side-bar widgets to reflect the new situation at Fort Bragg."
Change is not totally without cost.
The sheer determination that it took to not only organize an event like this, but just to step out and suggest it in the first place is epic. Spread the word and get as many people to attend as possible. There’s plenty of room on the Fort Bragg Main Post Parade Field, as it is also home to the annual 4th of July celebration that draws tens of thousands of attendees.
Rock Beyond Belief cannot raise funds at the event, itself, but they're are going to be setting up a canned-food drive for the homeless. Many of the homeless are of Veterans of the Vietnam War and have been struggling for decades with disabilities, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), so please remember to include a couple things for those who have served us at great personal cost.The opportunity here is phenomenal, and the success of the event will be part and parcel to the organization of future events down the road. This event promises to be great day of fun, but another excellent by-product is an awesome show of our strength, resilience and resolve.
Current Lineup:
Dan Barker - Former evangelical preacher turned atheist, and Co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Author of Godless and The Good Atheist.
Ed Brayton- Co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda’s Thumband maintains Dispatches From the Culture Wars.
Richard Dawkins - Author of The God Delusion, and The Greatest Show on Earth. He is the architect of the brilliant Out Campaign and is widely revered as one of the most influential atheists of our time.
Margaret Downey – Former president (and current board member) of the Atheist Alliance International, founder of Freethought Society, and many other influential organizations.
Jen McCreight – blogger at BlagHag and the originator of the Boobquake internet meme.
Dale McGowan - edited and co-authored Parenting Beyond Belief and Raising Freethinkers, and serves as executive director of Foundation Beyond Belief, an influential secular nonprofit that champions a rotating roster of deserving charities.
Hemant Mehta – of the immensely popular FriendlyAtheist.com blog, and author of I Sold My Soul On Ebay
Al Stefanelli - Georgia State Director for American Atheists, Inc., Founder of the United Atheist Front, writer for the National Atheism Examiner and Associated Content and the author of ‘A Voice Of Reason In An Unreasonable World – The Rise Of Atheism On Planet Earth’
Todd Stiefel - Todd Stiefel has been a cornerstone in the Rock Beyond Belief movement from the very beginning. Over 5 months ago Todd’s organization, the Stiefel Freethought Foundation, pledged $10,000 to make our event a reality. Todd has shared the stage with Richard Dawkins, and has spoken across the globe on behalf of the growing secular movement. We are proud to have him speak at our event.
Mikey Weinstein – President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Michael Werner – Former president of the American Humanist Association, the nation’s largest Humanist organization.
Music:
Baba Brinkman – A scholar whose thesis drew parallels between the worlds of hip-hop music and literary poetry. After graduating in 2003, Baba began his career as a rap troubadour. His music is now used in science classrooms around the world
Roy Zimmerman - One of the most hilarious singer/songwriters and also one of the most popular atheist musicians around. We’re proud to finalize the musical lineup with Roy joining us at Rock Beyond Belief, on Fort Bragg.
Words Such As Burn - This band is headed up by Todd Stiefel, who comes from a musical family, and his band, Words Such As Burn have agreed to help energize the crowd at Rock Beyond Belief.
Jeffrey Lewis – Singer/songwriter, and Anti-folk legend and indie comic book artist.
Spoonboy – David Combs’ solo side project balances the deep philosophical questions of the day with the optimism of youth consistently delivered through super catchy melodies.
Child care is being worked out, and a ‘kiddie land’ will be available with bounce houses and face paingint. Vendors are going to be hawking godless books, stickers, t-shirts and of course food and drinks. A large presence from just about every large secular organization is expected, as well.
If you are anywhere near Fayetteville, North Carolina on March 31st, 2012, you should make it a point to show up and show your support.
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Al Stefanelli is the Georgia State Director for American Atheists, Inc., and the author of "A Voice Of Reason In An Unreasonable World - The Rise Of Atheism On Planet Earth." He lives in suburban Atlanta.
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