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Saturday, January 8 Bethesda, Maryland

LECTURE: Death by Fire 1553. The story of Michel Villeneuve, medical
research pioneer and physician who was also Michael Servetus, heretic
reformation writer. By Neil Inglis, translator and chief book reviewer
for the Tyndale Society Journal. 2 P.M. Saturday, January 8. Free and
open to the public. Bethesda Public Library, 7400 Arlington Rd,
Bethesda, MD (near Bethesda Metro station) Hosted by the National
Capital Area Skeptics. 301 587-3827 ncas@ncas.org http://www.ncas.org


About the talk:
Michel de Villeneuve (executed at the stake in 1553) is an unjustly
overlooked figure from the history of the Reformation, of interest to
skeptics for his pioneering work as a medical researcher and physician.
Yet to de Villeneuve, medicine was a "day job." In common with other
intellectuals of his day, he was enticed away from science by the siren
song of theological disputation. Writing under the name Michael
Servetus, he was branded a heretic and drawn into a blood feud which
resulted in his violent and untimely death.

That a respected scientist would cast aside a productive career for
sectarian fanaticism is a paradox for skeptics. But reason and unreason
can coexist in the same mind; and so, come to this free NCAS public
lecture on January 8 for a look at this sympathetic yet infuriating
man's life and career. This bloodstained tale will take us from Spain,
to Switzerland, to Paris, then Lyon, back to Switzerland for the
horrific climax (with an unexpected detour via Chicago).


About the speaker:
Neil Inglis is an NCAS Director, and an NCAS member since 1988. His day
job is as a translator/reviser for an international organization. After
hours, he too is lured by religious controversy, and is the chief book
reviewer for the Tyndale Society Journal, a Geneva-based publication
celebrating the life and work of William Tyndale, the first published
translator of the Bible into English (who also met his death in the
flames). For all that, he remains a skeptic.


About NCAS:
The National Capital Area Skeptics is an independent nonprofit
educational and scientific organization that promotes critical thinking
and scientific understanding, with a focus on paranormal and
fringe-science claims. NCAS is based in the Washington, Maryland, and
Virginia community, where it serves as an advocate for science and
reason, actively promoting the scientific method, rational inquiry, and
education. NCAS is at the front lines in the battle against gullibility
and fraud.  301 587-3827 ncas@ncas.org http://www.ncas.org