Workshops & Panels

Want a more hands-on event to learn some practical skills? Where the conversation can get more real?  Then pick your favorites from 18 engaging and helpful Workshops and Panels!  
(click the links below for each day's details)

Workshops & Panels  -  FRIDAY session 1  (4:30 - 5:20 pm)

Sydney Davis Jr Jr

Covertly & Comedically Conversational: Getting Through to Theists by Hearing them Out

This is a workshop on effective communication tools and debate tactics that secular people can use when speaking with theists. These tools encourage effective outcomes, and allow for conversations to occur that promote the exchange of ideas and debate, while also presenting alternative perspectives that theists are more likely to engage with, having been made to feel heard themselves. Also - comedy. 

Dr Darrel Ray

Swipe Left, Swipe Right: The Future of Mating and Marriage, a Humanist perspective.  

What is going on with humans? Around the world massive changes are happening. From decreasing fertility rates, plummeting marriage rates, political divides; a wide range of social changes are impacting relationships, marriage, dating, reproduction and much more. Our children, grand children, nieces and nephews are already facing these issues. The “one size fits all” monogamous model of marriage is failing dramatically around the world. How can we view this as humanists? What are healthy responses that can increase human thriving and healthy relationships? What models might be available for the future?  Society is not talking about these issues but as humanists we are in a position to lead in creating new ways to be in relation to others. 

Bernard Acosta

Voice of Reason: Taking a Stand for your Unbelief 

White Christian Nationalist elitists have recently proclaimed on a national platform that Christianity is being persecuted.  I beg to differ!  Atheists, agnostics, and non-religious affiliated are actually the ones being persecuted via personal, government, and work. This workshop will empower you to take a stand against situations such as unconstitutional violations, hostile work environments, difficult conversations with loved ones, coping during difficult times, and being a voice of reason in your local community. 

Nathaniel Wildstone

Navigating the Divide: Understanding Culture Camps 2.0

The only thing that Americans seem to agree on right now is that we are more divided than ever, that “those people” are idiots, and it's all doom and gloom on the horizon. Is there something we’re missing?  In this insightful and interactive workshop, discover: 

Workshops & Panels  -  FRIDAY session 2  (5:30 - 6:20 pm)

Glenda Jordan

Deconstructing Monogamy Post-Religion: An Introduction to Polyamory 

Topic description.

Content Creators Panel 

A knock-down-drag-out, rollicking conversation among four secular content creators:  Secular Rarity,  TheSkepTick, and Godless Engineer (GE), and a mystery guest.

Elliott Martin,
Secular Rarity, host

Jon Lovell,
TheSkepTick

Panelist 3

John Gleason,
Godless Engineer

Dr Kalai Mugilan

Introduction to Humanism 101 

A short history of humanism and its tenets, and how to be a human, more importantly a Humanist in a fast changing world that challenges race, gender, sexuality, politics and who is human.  We will talk about what it means to be human, to err, to forgive, to mourn the old human, to regain our intentional consciousness! 

Paul Schilling

Morality Matters: Let’s Make it a Science!

Morality is an important topic. One that has largely been dictated by religion and philosophy. But why? Why do we accept this as the paradigm? Let's take a bold, new approach and subject our moral questions to the scientific method. Let's make a science of morality! 

Workshops & Panels  -  SATURDAY session 3  (11:00 - 11:50 pm)

Leaving A High Control Religion (Ex-Fundamentalists Panel)

Sydney is the creator of the Growing Up Fundie podcast, where she interviews guests who were raised in strictly religious households (of any religion, sect, or cult).  On this panel, Sydney will host a conversation with fellow 

Sydney Davis Jr Jr

Panelist 2

Panelist 3

Panelist 4

Christian Nationalism Panel

Topic description. 

Katherine Stewart

April Ajoy

Seth Andrews

Panelist 4

Bob Faw

What’s your story?  How did you make it out of religion?

Are you newly “religion-free”? Are you still working your way out of it?  Are you now happily "faith-free" or was it a pretty difficult journey?  In this workshop, we’ll hear the stories of some of our fellow participants, some perhaps quite different, some perhaps surprisingly similar to your own. We’ll experience what a relief it can be as we realize we’re not alone on the journey, when we’re finally in a judgment-free space.  Whether NaNoCon is your first experience finding your people, or whether you’ve been around freethinkers your whole life, we’ll appreciate how comforting it can be to share the lived experience with our fellow travelers. You’ve lived to tell the tale… and now it's a part of your story: "This was how I survived and moved on."

Bob Swanson

Working with Interfaith Partners 

In a time when Christian nationalists feel emboldened and the separation of church and state faces increasing challenges, collaboration with like-minded groups has never been more critical. This could mean finding common-cause with religious groups.  This workshop will provide training empowering non-religious people on how to build effective coalitions with organizations that share our values of inclusivity, justice, and freedom of belief. Participants will learn strategies for fostering mutual respect, navigating differences, and leveraging collective strength to address issues like religious attacks on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and the erosion of democratic principles. Together, we can amplify our impact and create a more just and equitable community. 

Dr Hector Garcia

On the Origin of Absurd Beliefs

The current political theatre begs a critical question--why do we hold absurd beliefs? Our signaling behaviors infuse nearly every aspect of our social lives, from the most mundane to the most consequential. They underlie dangerously held conspiracy theories. They underlie our worst online behaviors. They underlie war. Moreover, our signaling instincts are intentionally manipulated by foreign state actors, monied political interests, and religious leaders, all for personal gain.  The evolutionary sciences uniquely offer the means to pull these instincts into the light of rational examination. Dr Garcia's talk  draws on costly signaling theory (Zahavi, 1975), the strategic absurdity hypothesis (Williams, 2021), and the execution hypothesis (Wragham,2019) to illuminate the roots of our absurd beliefs. Attendees will learn how to recognize signaling as it applies to distorting reality, in themselves, and others. Understanding these dynamics provides a means to engage in freer, more rational social behaviors. 

Workshops & Panels  -  SATURDAY session 4  (12:00 - 12:50 pm)

Three Ex-Pastors Go See a Shrink

Sit in on a free-wheeling group therapy session as the confessions pour out and a humanity-affirming cure is sought for what ails us all.  Dave Warnock is a former evangelical pastor who is now atheist. In 2019 he was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal illness. He has spent the time he has left speaking about living fully and approaching death as an atheist.  Darante Lamar is a former charismatic pastor with an academic background in the social sciences, who provides perspectives on religion, community, and culture;  he and his wife Darnaya Darice organize Bridge City Global. 

Dave Warnock
(Ex-Pastor) 

Darante Lamar
(Ex-Pastor) 

(Ex-Pastor) 

Dr Jeanine Bernache
(Shrink) 

Women's rights / LGBTQ Panel - Civil Rights in the MAGA Era

Topic description. 

Panelist 1

Panelist 2

Panelist 3

Panelist 4

Jen Scott

Beginner's Guide to the Secular Galaxy

New to the nonreligious community? Trying to figure out how all this works and where you fit? We'll embark on a quick journey through history, terminology, the current map of organizations, community groups and other ways to connect. We will wrap up with a Q&A and a guide to resources. 

Dr Darrel Ray

Steps in Religious Recovery and where to get help

Dr. Ray will lead a panel discussion with RfR volunteers discussing what we see in clients who contact us and the services we provide to help them. We will discuss the primary issues facing most people deconstructing from religions of all kinds and how we train our agents to meet their needs. If you deconstructed from a religion you will find this discussion informative, even validating. From fear of Hell, to loss of family and community to changes in sexuality identity and political views, these issues can be devastating to many people. We offer Hope, Healing and Support so you don’t have to go it alone. The discussion will begin with a brief survey of participants allowing them to describe the main issues they faced when/if they deconstructed.  

Aaron Tyrrell 

Anti-Humanism: The Rise of the Secular Gurus 

Jordan Peterson. The Manosphere. The Intellectual Dark Web. Techno-Feudalism. Eugenics. Religion doesn’t have a monopoly on bad philosophy, or using their followers to gain money and power. After New Atheism made young people aware that life on Earth is all we have, many look at an incomprehensible world with a future defined by climate change and economic anxiety and lose hope, causing a Crisis of Meaning. They turn to Secular Gurus on YouTube selling easy answers that don’t initially appeal to faith. However, due to the financial incentives of Audience Capture, they increasingly end up leading their followers to alt-right Orthodox Christianity. Let’s analyze this phenomenon. Never heard of this stuff? Then you need this workshop!