Sunday Assembly: a church for unbelievers

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Now, here is something really bizarre:

http://www.sundayassembly.com

Sunday Assembly is a Church for atheists & agnostics and ''those looking for a church,'' according to the interview I heard with the two founders. The movement started in the UK and has since infected spread to the USA.

Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God.

FL

[Thadeyus]

*Shrug* So...it's a Sunday club....

Personally, not quite sure to make of the whole thing. Though I am finding various people's reactions odd....

Also, thank'e muchly for the linky.

Much cheers to all.

[RickD]

Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God.

What about those of us who love God, but hate church?

[1over137]

Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God.

What about those of us who love God, but hate church?

Find or found another.

[Silvertusk]

Now, here is something really bizarre:

http://www.sundayassembly.com

Sunday Assembly is a Church for atheists & agnostics and ''those looking for a church,'' according to the interview I heard with the two founders. The movement started in the UK and has since infected spread to the USA.

Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God.

FL

The video is quite funny - but it will fail dismally without God.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God.

What about those of us who love God, but hate church?

Find or found another.

Yeah...good advice: find or found another. You may want to try going from one congregation to another, just to visit, without ever putting down roots. Or, if the sticky-sweet welcome! of Protestant churches annoys you, try a Messianic synagogue or a Roman Catholic church: they are more anonymous and much less Glad you could come!; and, you won't have to eat some lady's chocolate-banana cake at after-church meetings...because THERE ARE NO AFTER CHURCH MEETINGS!

FL

[SkepticalSkeeter]

Now, here is something really bizarre:

http://www.sundayassembly.com

Sunday Assembly is a Church for atheists & agnostics and ''those looking for a church,'' according to the interview I heard with the two founders. The movement started in the UK and has since infected spread to the USA.

Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God.

FL

First off, if you hate god then you're not an atheist. Only theists hate god. Hating church is an option for everybody, though.

Now regarding the "church," I can think of a number of reasons that it might be appealing to a lot of people. First, I've known a lot of Christians for whom church was mostly about socializing and networking. I imagine that nonbelievers would appreciate having a similar opportunity without having to sit through a sermon.

Second, just because we don't believe in gods doesn't mean that we don't value opportunities to get together and discuss things like ethics and morality and to share stories about our lives and experiences.

Third, nonbelievers have to contend with as many challenges as believers do, and it's nice to have a network of caring, supportive people in your corner.

Fourth, for people struggling with substance abuse AA has long been the only game in town. That means that if you're a nonbeliever trying to get clean you're going to have to do it in a religiously charged environment. An event like Sunday Assembly would provide an opportunity for nonbelievers to get together and try to create a self-help program of their own.

And finally, there's the issue of good works. There are plenty of nonbelievers that want to do something to help their fellow man, but would rather not work with a religious charity. They would welcome a chance to do good works with like-minded people.

Alas, there's nothing like that around here, and I'm not interested in trying to found it myself.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

First off, if you hate god then you're not an atheist.

Well, I was trying to be funny with my Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God. It was a tongue-in-cheek slogan for Sunday Assembly, get it?

As for the rest of your post...I got it. Still, I find it amusing that a bunch of atheists would want to get together and mimic a church service. When I was an atheist, I was part of a group that got together every Wednesday evening and listened to taped lectures, followed by a discussion period. That, to me, still seems more intelligent than an ersatz Mass.

FL

[SkepticalSkeeter]

First off, if you hate god then you're not an atheist.

Well, I was trying to be funny with my Sunday Assembly ...if you like Church but hate God. It was a tongue-in-cheek slogan for Sunday Assembly, get it?

As for the rest of your post...I got it. Still, I find it amusing that a bunch of atheists would want to get together and mimic a church service.

FL

Yeah, that part actually puzzles me as well. I'm also puzzled that they'd choose Sunday morning. Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

Edit: Now that I think about it, I recall reading that some people felt that there was some value in ceremony, and that lack of atheistic ceremonies was a problem. We obviously don't have specific rituals for things like marriage, death, and the like, mostly because we aren't really a "we." We're just a bunch of individuals that don't buy the whole god thing, but vary enormously otherwise. Anyway, attempts to create ceremonies have been silly. Personally, I don't feel the need for them and I'd rather not sit in a room for of tone-deaf people singing...whatever atheists would sing during fake church.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

You can have Sundays free as a Christian as well! Anyway, Sunday Assembly is just wierd because you could get the same benefits from a walking club, a bird-watching club, a cycling club or any such group activity. What is bizarre about Sunday Assembly is that the celebrant wears priest-like garments. Can you believe it?!

What a bunch of Losers!

FL

[SkepticalSkeeter]

Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

Anyway, Sunday Assembly is just wierd because you could get the same benefits from a walking club, a bird-watching club, a cycling club or any such group activity. What is bizarre about Sunday Assembly is that the celebrant wears priest-like garments. Can you believe it?!

I don't think that's the case. Walking, biking, and birding clubs are for other purposes. The point here seems to be combining Humanism with assembly and ceremony. I think it's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure it's for me.

[RickD]

SS wrote:
Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

You said it! I can't think of any benefits of atheism either.

[SkepticalSkeeter]

SS wrote:
Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

You said it! I can't think of any benefits of atheism either.

I said tangible benefits, but that's beside the point. I didn't reject the theistic proposition because I expected to get something out of it, I rejected it because it's nonsensical, childish, and silly.

[RickD]

SS wrote:
Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

You said it! I can't think of any benefits of atheism either.

I said tangible benefits, but that's beside the point. I didn't reject the theistic proposition because I expected to get something out of it, I rejected it because it's nonsensical, childish, and silly.

I can understand why you feel that way SS. As a matter of fact, scripture backs you up too:
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

[SkepticalSkeeter]

SS wrote:
Having Sundays free is just about the only tangible benefit of atheism.

You said it! I can't think of any benefits of atheism either.

I said tangible benefits, but that's beside the point. I didn't reject the theistic proposition because I expected to get something out of it, I rejected it because it's nonsensical, childish, and silly.

I can understand why you feel that way SS. As a matter of fact, scripture backs you up too:
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Of course it does. The Bible wasn't written in a vacuum and there were many other religions (and plenty of skeptics) in the world long before there were Christians. It's natural that the Bible would contain rationalizations designed to discredit its detractors. Most of the religious texts that I've seen have similar ideas in them. It's a competition, after all.

Also, I know that as a Christian you see this as a debate between Christianity and atheism. It's not. I'm an atheist. That means that I reject theism on the grounds that it's an extraordinary claim with no supporting evidence. Your god is just one of the many gods that I don't believe in, and since your scripture relies on the existence of your god for its validity I reserve the right to examine it critically and accept or reject any of the ideas contained therein as I see fit.