8 years ago
5
A Less Lonely Way to Lose Your Faith
Where do nonreligious people go to find community? Some might join a sports league or a film society or attend a local atheist meet-up. Some might hang out online. But in certain parts of the country, some might join Oasis, a community of humanists, agnostics, atheists, self-identified freethinkers, and even questioning theists. Oasis members see their fellowship as guided by values that emphasize people’s common humanity, the first being that “people are more important than beliefs.”
Continue Reading
http://www.theatlantic.com
Join the Discussion
I have no problem with people coming together to form a community, but I have a problem with borrowing from religious rituals when we do it. I understand people find comfort in ritual, but falling back into old habits invites the same problems that prompted us to leave in the first place. We need to replace bad habits with good ones, not redirect them. I don't think it'll take long for less scrupulous people to take advantage of the ritualistic nature of "atheist churches" to start convincing people to fund their scams.
You want to gather together and be part of a community? Go do that. You want ritual? Start a hobby like sculpture. Don't look to authority figures to fill the gaps in your life.
Exactly. An atheist church is like a Puritan brothel. I understand atheists are often marginalized and persecuted but how often do you see a successful organization built around the lack of something?
Arguably it's the same lack of something whether the church is atheistic or not, right?
Anheuser-Busch. They produce millions of gallons of beer that lacks taste.
Same here,which is why i gave up on the UU.