Atheist Clubs in High Schools

Now, there are news stories popping up all over the place about Atheist clubs in high schools.

Here's a NY Times article about the phenomenon:

Link

My thing is that I guess I just don't get it. I mean, in Christian meetings, you pray, read the Bible, discuss various social issues from a Biblical point of view, blahblahblah. Same with the Neo-Pagan group I went to in college: they discussed things from various different Pagan viewpoints.

What do you do in an Atheist club? There's no book to read from, no set of ethics to debate and discuss things from. There's not really any common ground other than a disbelief in a higher power. I guess that it sounds like the only thing you'd have to do is discuss why you don't believe in God. To me, it seems like every meeting would just wind up being a mass religion bashing session. Maybe the precepts of Secular Humanism come into play a lot?

I'm genuinely curious as to what exactly one discusses in these clubs and what goes on in them. Please enlighten me.

To be frank, I'm highly skeptical of these clubs. With so many outspoken Atheist leaders being not just Atheists but rabidly anti-religious, it seems to me that these clubs could easily be breeding grounds for bigots. I'm skeptical as to whether they should be allowed at all because it seems to me very likely that a large part of the core concept would inevitably lead to them being hate groups.

reply to post by gnosticquasar


That makes no sense at all. Atheist clubs? I thought atheists believed that atheism is not a religion, how can you have atheist meetings? I doubt there are such things, media has nothing else to say so they are reporting "news" as usual.

reply to post by gnosticquasar


I wish they had that when I was in school. All they had was bible studies. Id have joined. I think they do that because the Christians have their clubs, so why not?

Although they cannot discuss God, they could, I suppose, theorise as to why God cold not exist. Additionally, they could dicuss moral issues in a universe free of a creative force.

There are many topics that can be raised.

I would love to sit in on one and listen to what they have to say and see how it fits in with my own belief in God.

Reply to post by gnosticquasar

its obvious what they do, bash, ridicule and organize to descredit religion.

i mean other religions, since atheism is now a religion too.

since that its clear that atheists are now organized and undertaking a holy cruzade against religions.

the funny bit is thats what religions have always done to eachother.

atheism as a religion is just followin the regular routine.
demonize discredit and convert.

instead of presenting a better view or moral values they just say their fish is better than the others.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

I also wish there was an Atheist club when I was in HS. It's good to meet other people who are like you. I would never like to spend too much time around people who are highly religious and Atheist clubs would be an easy way to socialize with others who have similar outlooks and discuss popular topics among Atheists, be it science, entertainment, etc.

So much hate for Atheist in this thread..seriously some of these clubs are formed by kids who claim atheism without actual knowledge of what the word means, think of it as a way to "rebel" for some of them.

“In Chicago, we now have atheist clubs in high schools. We didn’t have those five years ago. Kids I would have confirmed in the eighth grade, by the time they’re sophomores in high school say they’re atheists. They don’t just stop going to church, they make a statement. I think that’s new. That’s perhaps a bit more like Europe.”

It's not like it's a gun club teaching our kids guns are good. In my opinion this is a good thing, it get's kids to think out of the box (if they actually have debates in the clubs) and lets them form their own beliefs

i mean other religions, since atheism is now a religion too.

reply to post by AnotherYOU


Please explain this to me. I consider myself an atheist and dont understand how its like a religion. There is no text to follow, no places of worship, no priests, no clergy, no hymns, nothing at all that would make it look like a religion, but it obviously makes you feel better by calling it a religion, so you carry on with that one if it makes you happy.

Maybe the atheist club will talk about how hard it must be being an atheist in such a Christian reactionary country like America.

reply to post by AnotherYOU


That makes no sense, Atheism isn't a religion, it's people that have no belief in a higher entity, so they aren't pushing a belief or trying to convert people, if anything it's quiet the opposite

lol, I actually went to a Christian school at one point in my life, for about a year or so. Man that was a total fairy tale land, I'll tell you what. Even the teachers seemed to be on crack half the time. It was the most expensive private school I've ever been to (the only private school actually), yet it was also the most ill equipped school I had ever been to, I had to seriously wonder where all the money was being siphoned off to, but none of the other students seemed to care, or even ask that question.

But more on topic, this is a good idea but also a bad idea at the same time. It gives atheists a way to meet like minded people, instead of feeling like they have no place anywhere (which religious people would like to believe). But also creates further division and separation between humans based on these stupid arguments. At most of the public schools I went to the students didn't seems to give a crap about religion one way or another, there were more important things to think about.

There are Christian clubs, what is wrong with an atheist club?

Most clubs don't discuss what the club is about. It is just to gather people with like ideas and interests.


This is really no different than an art club, anime club, music club, health club, etc. If you are trying to ban one club then you have to ban them all.

reply to post by woodwardjnr

Please explain this to me.

It's because both religion and atheism are based on unprovable hypotheses.

Religion: Just look around you at the complexity and order in the world. Accept this grand design could have only resulted from a creator.

Atheism: Just look around you, science can explain absolutely everything around you. Accept that all of this can and does exist without a creator.

Agnosticism: Just look around you, and you'll quickly see no one has the answer to these obscure questions yet. Just accept we do not yet know the truth.

Originally posted by Nobama
reply to post by AnotherYOU

 

That makes no sense, Atheism isn't a religion, it's people that have no belief in a higher entity, so they aren't pushing a belief or trying to convert people, if anything it's quiet the opposite

edit on 22-6-2011 by Nobama because: (no reason given)

Agreed that it isn't a religion. Conversely, theism isn't a religion either. Although, a lot of self-described atheists are just as -- if not more -- fanatical about their non-belief as religious people are toward their religions. The fact that there are "atheist clubs" is evidence of this. I don't believe in a lot of things, but I'm not going to join a club dedicated to my belief in it's non-existence. =| Also, atheists do attempt to convert people whether you believe it or not.

Originally posted by gnosticquasar
Now, there are news stories popping up all over the place about Atheist clubs in high schools.

Here's a NY Times article about the phenomenon:

Link

My thing is that I guess I just don't get it. I mean, in Christian meetings, you pray, read the Bible, discuss various social issues from a Biblical point of view, blahblahblah. Same with the Neo-Pagan group I went to in college: they discussed things from various different Pagan viewpoints.

What do you do in an Atheist club? There's no book to read from, no set of ethics to debate and discuss things from. There's not really any common ground other than a disbelief in a higher power. I guess that it sounds like the only thing you'd have to do is discuss why you don't believe in God. To me, it seems like every meeting would just wind up being a mass religion bashing session. Maybe the precepts of Secular Humanism come into play a lot?

I'm genuinely curious as to what exactly one discusses in these clubs and what goes on in them. Please enlighten me.

Why do you assume there are no ethics to debate among atheists?
I'm an atheist.
I applaud these initiatives as they offer a context for atheists to gather without having to deal with all the aggression we usually get from believers.

Originally posted by iamaperson
reply to post by gnosticquasar

 

That makes no sense at all. Atheist clubs? I thought atheists believed that atheism is not a religion, how can you have atheist meetings? I doubt there are such things, media has nothing else to say so they are reporting "news" as usual.

your statement seems to lack some logic as it logically says: only religious people can have meetings.

Originally posted by AnotherYOU
Reply to post by gnosticquasar

 

its obvious what they do, bash, ridicule and organize to descredit religion.
i mean other religions, since atheism is now a religion too.
since that its clear that atheists are now organized and undertaking a holy cruzade against religions.
the funny bit is thats what religions have always done to eachother.
atheism as a religion is just followin the regular routine.
demonize discredit and convert.
instead of presenting a better view or moral values they just say their fish is better than the others.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

Where did you get that "info"? Were you there? Contact with "insiders"?
What's "obvious" to me is your message is born in negative emotions towards atheism.
Emotions don't make a good starting point for a rational debate.

This is the beginning of satanic infiltration into the schools in earnest, we can really see the walls crumbling now. Not that it wasn't happening before of course. But the first step was to erase God from the classroom. This was accomplished in the 80s for the most part, with mop-up operations in the 90s. Now we see the actual Satanic groups sanctioned by the establishment and enshrined in the same seat that used to belong to God. Sure they will start with the "athiesm" song and dance but just you wait the true Satanic colors will be shown in a short while, perhaps as soon as only a few years the way things are going.

reply to post by NeverSleepingEyes


I assume that there is no set of ethics to debate because there's not. Religions have books or precepts that unite them; they have some unifying set of rules or overarching concept whose interpretation and application can be debated. Atheists don't have this.

Originally posted by NeverSleepingEyes

your statement seems to lack some logic as it logically says: only religious people can have meetings.

Only religious people can have religious meetings. What part of atheism are you going to discuss in an atheist meeting, I thought that atheism was the belief that there is no God, so then you could discuss about the ways in which God doesn't exist?

Originally posted by Partygirl
This is the beginning of satanic infiltration into the schools in earnest, we can really see the walls crumbling now. Not that it wasn't happening before of course. But the first step was to erase God from the classroom. This was accomplished in the 80s for the most part, with mop-up operations in the 90s. Now we see the actual Satanic groups sanctioned by the establishment and enshrined in the same seat that used to belong to God. Sure they will start with the "athiesm" song and dance but just you wait the true Satanic colors will be shown in a short while, perhaps as soon as only a few years the way things are going.

Sarcasm?

""athiesm" song and dance"