Category: Event

Our annual picnic at the South Shelter of Shaw Park in Clayton on Sunday, September 15, was a big, hot success! Our distinguished speaker was Ken Warren, Professor of Political Science at St. Louis University, who spoke about the 2020 election: “Religion and Politics, 2020: Russians Aren’t the Only Threat!”. President of The Warren Poll, he has polled for the media, government, private clients and politicians throughout America and has served as a political analyst for local, national, and international media for more than 30 years.He has appeared in The New York Times, The London Times, The Wall Street Journal and the New Republic, and on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN,FOX, MSNBC, PBS, CBC, BBC, NPR, and on numerous foreign print and electronic media outlets in Europe, the Middle East, Far East, and Australia.

Only a large handful of us went to see the documentary “Hail Satan?” at the Tivoli Theater on Saturday, May 18. Afterward, some of us went over to Blueberry Hill to share our reactions to this unusual film.  None of us wee previously knowledgeable about the Satanic Temple, whose activities raise serious questions about the separation of church and state, and especially the support for religion by installation of monuments to the Ten Commandments on public land.  Try comparing the theological tenets of the Ten Commandments to the Tenets of the Satanic Temple.  Which would you prefer to endorse by the government? This is a provocative movie, and we may try to arrange to show it at a Movie Night when it is no longer being shown commercially.

We had a booth at this year’s Earth Days celebration, Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28 at the Forest Park lower MUNY entrance.  Many people came by to say hello, encourage us, and sign up for our mailing list.

A sizable crowd enjoyed a lecture by UMSL Dean and History Professor Andrew Kersten at the Ethical Society on the evening of February 7. He is author of the recent book, “Clarence Darrow: American Iconoclast”.

We had a small group on Wednesday, May 23, to see the new documentary about Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “RBG” at the Frontenac Cinema. We know that many of our members have already seen the show, or are planning to soon.  It is an inspirational film, well worth the price.  After the showing we had very nice dinner at Canyon Cafe, a nice “southwestern” restaurant downstairs.

Our annual meeting was held at the Center of Clayton on Thursday, April 26. Vice President Rudy Pulido presided as we accepted the Treasurer’s Report (we are in excellent shape financially), and re-elected three Board members whose terms expire this year – Treasurer Helene Sherman, Vice President Hal Harris, and Board member Ann Pollack.  Board member Chris Guinther introduced our keynote speaker, political activist and former Missouri legislator Jeanette Mott Oxford, who is now Executive Director of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare. She presented an inspiring talk that was both personal history and political insight.  About twenty members attended.

AU St. Louis was represented at both weekend days of “Earth Day – 2018” in St. Louis, in Forest Park. We had a selection of pamphlets, decals, and

bumper stickers to give away.  As usual at these events, we had friendly conversations with people wanted to know more about church/state issues, and many came by to express their support for what we do.  We collected e-mails from those who would like to be informed about our activities and become more involved in AU.  Saturday had reasonably nice weather, but Sunday was pretty chilly.

We viewed together the HBO video, “The Education of Mohammed Hussein” on March 8 at The Ethical Society. About 30 members and friends attended.  After the video, our Board member Bahar Bastani, described his experiences as a Muslim and parent in St. Louis.