Aron Ra Explained

Aron Ra
Birth Date:15 October 1962
Birth Place:Kingman, Arizona
Citizenship:USA
Occupation:Public speaker, video producer, vlogger, podcaster
Organization:American Atheists, Atheist Alliance of America, Democratic Party of Texas, The Satanic Temple
Known For:Anti-theist activism, evolution education
Spouse:Lilandra Ra

Aron Ra (formerly L. Aron Nelson, born October 15, 1962) is an atheist activist. Ra is the host of the Ra-Men Podcast[1] [2] [3] and a member of the American Atheists board of directors.[4] He had previously served as president of the Atheist Alliance of America[5] [6] and ran as a Democratic candidate for Texas' District 2 Senate seat.[7]

Early life and education

Aron Ra was born in Kingman, Arizona, and baptized as a Mormon. Despite his religious upbringing, he states that he has been a skeptic from a young age.[8]

He studied paleontology at the University of Texas in Dallas. He holds an Associate's degree from Dallas College and, in 2022, earned a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.[9]

Career

A vocal critic of theism and creationism and an advocate of the inclusion of evolution in science curricula,[10] [11] [12] [13] Ra produces YouTube videos on the topics of skepticism, free thought, and atheism.

He has engaged in live debates with young Earth creationists, including Ray Comfort,[14] and presented at skepticism conferences in Europe.[15] [16] As a member of the Unholy Trinity, he toured the United States and Australia with two fellow atheist activists—Seth Andrews of The Thinking Atheist, and Matt Dillahunty formerly of The Atheist Experience.[17] [18] [19]

He appeared in the documentary films My Week in Atheism, directed by John Christy, and Batman & Jesus, directed by Jozef K. Richards. He published his first book, Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism, in 2016.[20] [21]

Political candidacy and views

In March 2017, Ra resigned from his position as president of the Atheist Alliance of America to run for the Texas State Senate against Republican incumbent Bob Hall.[6] [22] [23] The first Democratic candidate to run for the District 2 seat since 2002,[7] he dropped out of the race after failing to secure the Democratic Party endorsement.[24]

Books

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Ra-Men Podcast . August 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161111031610/http://www.thera-men.com/ . November 11, 2016 . dead.
  2. Web site: A Night of Reason: Society presents guest speaker. Richter. Kathryn. April 19, 2012. Daily Eastern News. October 22, 2015.
  3. Web site: THE RISE OF THE TEXAS ATHEIST. December 6, 2012. Anna Merlan. Texas Observer.
  4. Web site: Board of Directors . 2023-02-16 . American Atheists . en-US.
  5. Brown, C.W. (March 14, 2017). "Aron Ra Resigns as President of Atheist Alliance of America, Focuses on State Senate Run". Philosophical Atheism.
  6. Ra, Aron (March 11, 2017). "I am Resigned to Run for State Senate". Patheos.
  7. News: Aron Ra Resigns as President of Atheist Alliance of America News. March 14, 2017. Atheist Alliance of America. 2018-05-28. en-US.
  8. van Elst . René . June 2015 . Aron Ra, een Amerikaanse atheïst in Utrecht . . 46 . 6 . 10–12 . nl.
  9. Web site: After much investment, I have finally been awarded a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University's Institute of Human Origins. . Aron Ra . . June 4, 2022 . July 28, 2022.
  10. News: Evolution debate experiences resurgence in Texas. Chron . April 13, 2005.
  11. Web site: Who's Who Among the State Board of Education Hearing. Aron Ra is a prominent opponent of the teaching of creationism. The 27 videos in his YouTube series, "Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism," have combined for more than four million views on the site. He also serves as the Texas director of the American Atheists. Texas Monthly. September 18, 2015.
  12. Web site: Live-Blogging the Texas Science Textbook Hearing (2013). September 17, 2013. Texas Freedom Network. Now the board hears from science defender (and YouTube sensation) Aron Ra, who attempts a 2-minute science lesson. No questions from the class..
  13. Web site: There They Go Again (Of Necessity). Eugenie Scott. Eugenie Scott. September 18, 2013. National Center for Science Education.
  14. Web site: AronRa VS Ray Comfort RPRR 9-17-2012. September 17, 2012. August 23, 2019. YouTube.
  15. Web site: Panel: Every Cloud-based Video Service has a Silver Lining . . November 5, 2015.
  16. Web site: AronRa på puben – OBS! Nytt sted! . Heyevent . Skepsis Norge . May 8, 2015 . November 4, 2015.
  17. News: The Unholy Trinity Tour – United CoR. United CoR. 2018-11-06. en-US. November 7, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181107010147/https://unitedcor.org/the-unholy-trinity-tour/. dead.
  18. News: The Unholy Trinity Tour visits WTAMU . The Prairie . . March 25, 2014 .
  19. Web site: Unholy Trinity Tour Australia. Unholy Trinity Down Under website. October 2, 2014.
  20. Web site: Aron Ra's New Book Tackles the Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism . Hemant Mehta . Hemant Mehta . Patheos. en-US. dead. November 29, 2016. April 25, 2017. December 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161202165603/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/11/29/aron-ras-new-book-tackles-foundational-falsehoods-creationism/.
  21. News: Texas education board nears compromise on evolution standards. Sanya Mansoor. Herald Democrat. en-US. live. April 18, 2017 . April 25, 2017. April 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170425203732/http://www.heralddemocrat.com/news/20170418/texas-education-board-nears-compromise-on-evolution-standards.
  22. Web site: I am Resigned to Run for State Senate. RA. www.patheos.com. March 11, 2017. 2017-08-26.
  23. Web site: About. Aron Ra. 2017-08-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20180910014735/http://aronra.org/node/6. September 10, 2018. dead.
  24. News: Ending My State Senate Run. RA. November 18, 2017. RA. 2018-03-15. en-US.
  25. Book: Ra, Aron. Foundational falsehoods of creationism. Pitchstone Publishing. 2016. 978-1-63431-080-2. Durham, North Carolina. 957739244.
  26. Book: Ra, Aron. We Are All Apes. Thule Ediciones. 2021. 978-84-18702-12-9. Barcelona, Spain. 1285273644.

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