The Atheist Church Is Set to Launch in Several New Cities

This is quite a thing to see in America. While some nations like Mexico are comfortable and accept life in their own skin with a population running over 90% in a common faith (Catholic, there), we have the folks who profess to believe nothing, needing their own "thing" to say that they too HAVE a 'thing'.

The human need, at any cost, to have company and do things together (However ill conceived) is something that never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps next life I'll have a more common tie to feel the same needs with '..must ...be ..with ..others ..no ..matter ..what'. This life tho? I was blessed with a very deep and strong streak of loner and pure self reliance. It makes this almost obsessive need to cluster and group to *ANY* cause..as this example must show in a way that almost defies belief (no pun intended).

I have Faith and very strong, very deep Faith but it's my 'thing' with a private and intensely personal relationship I have with whatever we each call that existence and plane beyond this one. What is the need to be in a group and feel group identity with what we all, to the last person, will face 100% alone and 100% without anything but our own intelligence and Soul to show for, in the end?

It's a rhetorical question I really don't expect any answer to for how many years I've been asking and wondering.

* Correction... Sorry on the above..I was going off the top of my head on Mexico where the last figure I'd seen was 91%. Something I just looked up said the Faith isn't as popular with a current figure closer to 82% Roman Catholic among the Mexican population.

Krazysh0t
reply to post by Stormdancer777

 

Just because a church exists for the belief, doesn't mean that everyone of that belief will join it. Personally, I find an atheist church detestable and the first step towards all the problems that organized religion brings to theists. I understand that most of the people who will join these congregations are looking for a place to socialize about like minded topics as well as develop a community much like a theistic religion's community. But I can go to any other number of places to accomplish this without the need to call that place a church.

but that is where you are headed at, flank speed.

enjoy your tax free status. btw, ya kinda have to earn it.

welcome to our world.

Freeborn
reply to post by tsingtao

 

wouldn't that be some kind of commie-pagan thing?

Just so I can understand you better, please explain to me exactly what a 'commie-pagan' thing is?

who? just dance around in the woods? nekkid and stuff?

Granted, not for everyone, myself included - but it sounds a damn sight more appealing than going to a formal 'church' and being lectured to and having some sort of dogmatic creed, be it of a Theist or Atheist nature, imposed upon.

commies don't believe in God and pagan's believe in all of them.

if you have to dance around the mother tree, 3 times, then it's dogmatic. if you have no choreographed moves it's more stupid. lol.

Looks like one big hipster ego stroke fest to me, and yet more evidence that as a species we're getting dumber by the day...

CB328
This is very interesting, both the growth of atheism and now how there is a religious like segment of the atheist community. I wish they were coming to my area, I would definitely want to check it out.

The Atheist Church Is Set to Launch in Several New Cities

www.patheos.com...

OP, this information is out-dated as far as I can tell.

From your source,

...join me in Chicago in November 2013...

Which I obviously cannot do if I wanted to.

Do you have an up-date on this "church"?

Why are they considered a "FAITH" also according to your source?

www.patheos.com...

Krazysh0t
reply to post by Stormdancer777

 

Just because a church exists for the belief, doesn't mean that everyone of that belief will join it. Personally, I find an atheist church detestable and the first step towards all the problems that organized religion brings to theists. I understand that most of the people who will join these congregations are looking for a place to socialize about like minded topics as well as develop a community much like a theistic religion's community. But I can go to any other number of places to accomplish this without the need to call that place a church.

it's coming! ya'll got yosef a bonifide church! in england, even. just like the pilgrims escaped from.

just a matter of time that american atheists start buying bodega's and opening non worship sanctuaries.

too bad i live in asia.

KBadger
Looks like one big hipster ego stroke fest to me, and yet more evidence that as a species we're getting dumber by the day...

Not really, humans aren't becoming dumber every day. We have more knowledge at our fingertips than ever before, with the highest literacy rate of all time. Or do you think that humans as a whole were MUCH more intelligent back during the industrial revolution when illiteracy (in the United States) was anywhere between 10 - 20%?

Sorry for harking on you, but statements like yours really get to me. There is literally NO evidence that humans are getting dumber. Humans have always been dumb and for the most part uninterested in using their heads. Or are you trying to give credit to the entire species for things invented and thought about in the past by one person or a group of people?

KBadger
Looks like one big hipster ego stroke fest to me, and yet more evidence that as a species we're getting dumber by the day...

i hear ya brother.

tsingtao

Krazysh0t
reply to post by Stormdancer777

 

Just because a church exists for the belief, doesn't mean that everyone of that belief will join it. Personally, I find an atheist church detestable and the first step towards all the problems that organized religion brings to theists. I understand that most of the people who will join these congregations are looking for a place to socialize about like minded topics as well as develop a community much like a theistic religion's community. But I can go to any other number of places to accomplish this without the need to call that place a church.

it's coming! ya'll got yosef a bonifide church! in england, even. just like the pilgrims escaped from.

just a matter of time that american atheists start buying bodega's and opening non worship sanctuaries.

too bad i live in asia.

Stop reveling in one group's misplace idiocy like it is the mindset of the whole. The fact that you are acting all smug about this, suggests that you are a theist. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you are from one of the abrahamic religions, possible Christianity. But even if you aren't my point that will follow this still stands. You are acting AGAINST your religious preachings with your smugness.

And in any case, regardless of what happens to this church, I'M still going to find it detestable and no one can or will force me to join it. So even if it comes to my shores, It won't matter to me.

Krazysh0t

KBadger
Looks like one big hipster ego stroke fest to me, and yet more evidence that as a species we're getting dumber by the day...

Not really, humans aren't becoming dumber every day. We have more knowledge at our fingertips than ever before, with the highest literacy rate of all time. Or do you think that humans as a whole were MUCH more intelligent back during the industrial revolution when illiteracy (in the United States) was anywhere between 10 - 20%?

Sorry for harking on you, but statements like yours really get to me. There is literally NO evidence that humans are getting dumber. Humans have always been dumb and for the most part uninterested in using their heads. Or are you trying to give credit to the entire species for things invented and thought about in the past by one person or a group of people?

well, build a pyramid.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Literacy has little to do with processing power.

I can put a 5tb hard drive on my computer, but if the processor is still only working at 33mhz, its slow.

reply to post by tsingtao


What does that have to do with anything?

bigfatfurrytexan
reply to post by Krazysh0t

 

Literacy has little to do with processing power.

I can put a 5tb hard drive on my computer, but if the processor is still only working at 33mhz, its slow.

Oh? So you are going to argue with me that humans are getting dumber based on processing power? So have you read any scientific articles or journals that suggest that human brain size is shrinking or that thought power has decreased at all? Everything I've read suggests that humans have the same processing power as they did during the caveman days. Though I haven't read any recent journals on the subject, maybe you can illuminate me.

reply to post by Krazysh0t




I am saying that I believe to progress the human race, surely if we didn't believe in a God, who ever he might be to any of us. We should not have that taken away or eroded or we would become nothing. An empty society, where everyone would be the same and miracles ceased to exist. We would be a sterile world, but someone would have to think for us. So who would that be?

Maybe I am in lala land .. we shall see ... hx

reply to post by DeadSeraph

The next time a Christian argues with you about the origins of the universe, just say "#&!$ you! I have a church too!" and your position will be succinctly validated.

Hyperbole. What percent of atheists belong to this "church" .00000000001% ?

Your complete faith in the absence of a deity

It doesn't require faith to lack belief in something that has no supporting evidence. Just good reasoning skills.

is better than those simpletons and their complete faith in the presence of one

I think there is plenty of very intelligent theists. But smart people can have stupid beliefs

Also. This whole atheism is a religion thing get's rehashed on ATS every year with its own dedicated thread and I have yet to see a strong argument it is one. In fact it almost always amounts to the definition for being so loose any and every belief is a 'religion'.

Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position. ~Bill Maher

reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


Indeed.

However, you would be hard pressed to find a valid position that justifies the opening of an atheistic church.

Anything done out of mockery is egototistical. I am unsure which is worse: large ego's, or a belief in God. Believing in God gives you Wahhabi's. Huge ego's gives you Hitler.

What does an atheistic church hope to gain?

happinness
reply to post by Krazysh0t

 

I am saying that I believe to progress the human race, surely if we didn't believe in a God, who ever he might be to any of us. We should not have that taken away or eroded or we would become nothing. An empty society, where everyone would be the same and miracles ceased to exist. We would be a sterile world, but someone would have to think for us. So who would that be?

Maybe I am in lala land .. we shall see ... hx

And I'm asking why you think a belief in god is necessary for our societal wellbeing. The idea of believing in a fairy tail just so society doesn't fall apart is probably the most absurd thing I've ever heard. That is just piling irrational beliefs on top of each other. Especially when you KNOW that the thing you are believing in is fake, but doing it anyway to prevent the collapse.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


I think irrational beliefs is part of the human condition. It is kind of silly to feel any sense of superiority for 1 set of irrational beliefs over another. That is what has driven all of histories racism, culturalism, religious intolerance, and nationalism.

bigfatfurrytexan
reply to post by Krazysh0t

 

I think irrational beliefs is part of the human condition. It is kind of silly to feel any sense of superiority for 1 set of irrational beliefs over another. That is what has driven all of histories racism, culturalism, religious intolerance, and nationalism.

Irrational beliefs are fine and all when the thing that you are believing isn't known if it will be true or not, but believing in something that you know isn't true so that you prevent something else (with dubious rationality behind it) is silly.

And you don't have to give me the cannot prove God doesn't exist argument. The person I was responding to suggested that belief in ANY god or gods is somehow holding the society together. If two societies share completely different religions and knowing that only one of them could be correct, then logically you can assume that at most one of those societies will be correct and the other would be believing in fake god(s). That society would be held together by a fake belief. Sure in this example you have a 33% chance of being correct, but let's extrapolate to the real world with all the different religions out there. Your odds of being correct drop with every new religion introduced, therefore you are statistically likely to be incorrect about your religion and therefore worshiping a fake god or gods.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Societies without God tend to replace him with government.

One way or another, power requires its people to worship at some altar.