Atheist church

Penn

iMyself wrote: »

yes I agree with you, it doesn't. The point is there are people and organisations out there which are using atheism as a label for their own organisations to the extent where atheism has become more than simply a lack of belief in deities, to something which has a belief structure, predefined morals and now it seems weekly congregations.

But that's your own perception of it, not fact. Atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. That's all. Any type of gathering of people who come together to listen to people talk about atheism doesn't make doing so a part of atheism, it's simply something they chose to do. And they're not being told what to believe as part of their atheism so they're not being preached to. They're just listening to people talk about atheism.

Atheism does not have a belief structure, predefined morals or weekly congregations. Atheists generally (but definitely not always) believe a lot of the same things (but to varying degrees and are not told to believe one thing over another), generally (but definitely not always) have similar morals (by their own standards and not one rigid set of morals we are told to have) and more than 100 atheists in a room doesn't constitute a congregation, it constitutes a party (definitely and always)!

Doctor Strange

PopePalpatine wrote: »

Can I have some of what you're smoking? :pac:

Asked him before. Apparently he doesn't smoke anything since his "awakening".

Michael Nugent

Zombrex wrote: »

I really don't get the current trend, which seems mostly to be coming out of England, of needing to use religious terms to describe atheist events which are completely non-religious. So we had that 10 Commandements for Atheists thing, and then the atheist religion book, and now this atheist church.

It's quite a dangerous trend, because it is (at times explicitly) based on the idea that religions may not be true but they do good things and, as Alain de Botton puts it, atheists should steal those good ideas and implement them ourselves.

The difficulty with this view is that it suggests that the good things are inherently religious attributes rather than universal human attributes. When atheists meditate, or enjoy art, or behave ethically, or gather together to pursue shared aims, we are doing so as humans behaving naturally and not as people copying religion.

It also implies that atheists do not already do these things.

Zombrex wrote: »

I can only assume it is atheists who haven't fully worked out that atheism is a religion in the way not collecting stamps is a hobby. When my softball team meet and play a game we don't refer to it as "stamp collecting without the stamps".

There are a number of other possible explanations. It could be insecurity, comfort, pragmatism or marketing.

magicbastarder

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

Atheists need to seize the oriental mystery cults buildings after the awakening
and turn them into community centers of environmental scientific atheist

Earth-labs where earth citizens can gather and build their communities in a sustainable fashion.

atheists really need to build an afterlife into their worldview.

Bannasidhe

magicbastarder wrote: »

atheists really need to build an afterlife into their worldview.

Why?

Personally I'm hoping for Valhalla but reckon it's a forlorn hope...

(note use of word 'hope' not 'belief'.)

magicbastarder

people dig afterlives. be it being reincarnated as a shrew, or some sort of eternal strangely chaste orgy, it seems to be the done thing.

Bannasidhe

magicbastarder wrote: »

people dig afterlives. be it being reincarnated as a shrew, or some sort of eternal strangely chaste orgy, it seems to be the done thing.

'atheists really need to build an afterlife into their worldview...[because]...people dig afterlives.'

What?

magicbastarder

never mind me, i'm just rambling.

Dades

Michael Nugent wrote: »

It's quite a dangerous trend, because it is (at times explicitly) based on the idea that religions may not be true but they do good things and, as Alain de Botton puts it, atheists should steal those good ideas and implement them ourselves.

I heard you on Newstalk the other night talking with Hookie about him. Missed the very start and was convinced it wasn't you for most of it as I was agreeing with everything you were saying.
Good interview, I thought.

Also I thought George gave you more honest debate than other interviewers with more fixed views. George, from what I've gathered listening to his show seems somewhat of an agnostic/deist though perhaps culturally catholic.

Zombrex

magicbastarder wrote: »

atheists really need to build an afterlife into their worldview.

And a god. I never really like the absence of a god in atheist thinking

Cork boy 55

magicbastarder wrote: »

atheists really need to build an afterlife into their worldview.

the League of Awakened Scientific Environmental atheists already have a "afterlife" system
It is called Promession and involves treating a body turning into dry powder in a biodegradable casket and turning into compost
This compost will be placed under a designated sampling in a designated Forest grave park. Thus your nutrients will leave on in the Forest live cycle.
And your Kin will be able visit the tree as it grows.

This will all be explained in the earth-labs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIwEf8J2b34

Cork boy 55

Zombrex wrote: »

That doesn't make any sense. After the awakening everyone will be an atheist, so why would we need to seize anything.

Because if we (the community) don't occupy the buildings the bourgeoisie will acquire them and sell/loot them for profit.

Bannasidhe

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

the League of Awakened Scientific Environmental atheists already have a "afterlife" system
It is called Promession and involves treating a body turning into dry powder in a biodegradable casket and turning into compost
This compost will be placed under a designated sampling in a designated Forest grave park. Thus your nutrients will leave on in the Forest live cycle.
And your Kin will be able visit the tree as it grows.

This will all be explained in the earth-labs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIwEf8J2b34

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IKVj4l5GU4

Sarky

This Awakening stuff sounds a little bit, uh, dogmatic, tbh. I think I'll be fine just going about my life without a belief in gods, thanks.

Doctor Strange

Cork boy 55 wrote: »

Because if we (the community) don't occupy the buildings the bourgeoisie will acquire them and sell/loot them for profit.

Just Like Heaven

This actually seems to have taken off a bit http://news.discovery.com/human/life/atheist-church-set-to-go-global-130308.htm

LadyMayBelle

Resurrecting :rolleyes:this thread as I went to The Sunday Assembly in June and have gone to one of their 'small groups' too. It's down the road from me so I thought why not have a looksee and report back.

Over 600 people showed up for the service in June, which has some singing, some comedy, a guy from Action for Happiness giving a talk, someone from a local charity saying what they do, a reflection, biscuits and tea if you wanted it. Next month the topic is 'Stargazing'.

The small group (smoup!) is a pilot idea where a bunch of people meet up and test run how small groups might work; there is usually a topic (what makes you happy/inspiration/etc) and some discussion, plus you set yourself goals or tasks and the rest of the group support you. It was actually pretty fun and nice way to make friends. Once again food was involved.

It's all very, very new and they're testing the waters, but I see that the organsier guy is travelling in the States and Oz encouraging the setting up of other Sunday Assemblies.

kylith

I still just can't get my head around this idea. If I'd wanted to feel obligated to go to a meeting every week and talk about what X means to me I'd have stayed in the RCC. I just don't get the point of it. Why would I want to set myself tasks that I have to report back on? Wouldn't I be better off joining a group for said tasks instead? What kind of tasks are they, even?

I really don't feel the need to have to belong to a group in order to be an atheist, and I am concerned that if this kind of thing continues then it's going to get to the place where atheism does become some sort of quasi church where it becomes expected to go to these meetings. Not to mention that the fact that it's known as a 'church' and has regular meetings will just give fuel to the 'See, Atheism is a religion' claimants.

I guess that, for me, it just goes over the line of 'people getting together, who just happen to be atheists' and into 'atheists getting together for the sole purpose of being atheist' which seems kind of redundant.

Pherekydes

Sunday 'church' meetings? No thanks.

Sundays are for lazing in bed, drinking and watching your favourite sport, either live or on telly. I've already wasted too much of my life going to church on Sundays.

Edmond_Dantes

Sundays are always tough , tuesday evenings??