+ouija ouija Posted February 4, 2013 #1 Share Posted February 4, 2013 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21319945 This gathering of 300 atheists was in a deconsecrated church in London. They sang uplifting pop songs and also spent some time in silent reflection. The meeting was led by a stand-up comedian. They hope to hold regular meetings. Not my kind of thing, but I think it fills an increasingly large gap in the market. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted February 4, 2013 #2 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) This is why I don't class myself as an Atheist. Even though I do not follow a religion or believe in god. Atheists like this are just as bad as extreme religious people who shove their religious views down others throats. It's just as annoying and just as offensive. Atheism is ironically becoming a religion. lol overwhelmingly young, white and middle class - appear excited to be part of something new and speak of the void they felt on a Sunday morning Void?! For the young, white and middle class in the UK, Sunday morning doesn't exist, it's for sleeping off a hangover. Edited February 4, 2013 by Coffey 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILRNouda Posted February 4, 2013 #3 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Well... how pointless can you get? Really? Being athiest is of no concern to me at all, but having a CHURCH suggests the worship and spiritual awareness of the group of individuals that chose to come together. WHO or WHAT can an athiest church be in worship of??? Churches are for worship of a higher power. Athiests don't believe in God. It makes absolutely no sense at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ealdwita Posted February 4, 2013 #4 Share Posted February 4, 2013 A church for atheists makes as much sense to me as a maternity ward for virgins! (Oooo - that's a bit more profound than I first thought!) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Merton Posted February 4, 2013 #5 Share Posted February 4, 2013 If they called themselves a society and held their meetings on Wednesday, no one would pay them any attention. I think therefore I know why they call themselves a church and do it on Sunday. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
questionmark Posted February 4, 2013 #6 Share Posted February 4, 2013 so, they are atheists in need of a religious service? Does schizophrenia sound like a known concept to them? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockabyeBillie Posted February 4, 2013 #7 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Wait... what? Why do atheists need a church?????? Just... go hang out at the mall why waste your time??? You don't need a church, if you want to go to church then go to a religious church! FFS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ouija ouija Posted February 4, 2013 Author #8 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Wait... what? Why do atheists need a church?????? Just... go hang out at the mall why waste your time??? You don't need a church, if you want to go to church then go to a religious church! FFS... Well, I can understand that they would like to meet up regularly at the same venue to meet like-minded people ...... and sing happy, life-affirming songs. I guess they want to remind themselves that this life is all there is and they should make the best/most of it. There's 300 of them so they need a big venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goblin-5 Posted February 4, 2013 #9 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Seems kind of hypocritical to me. Why call it a church? In point of fact it is a social gathering to reflect on.... what exactly? I think that this group is just a bunch of sh** disturbers out for publicity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ouija ouija Posted February 4, 2013 Author #10 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Seems kind of hypocritical to me. Why call it a church? In point of fact it is a social gathering to reflect on.... what exactly? I think that this group is just a bunch of sh** disturbers out for publicity I don't think are sh** disturbers(as you so politely call them!), and they're calling it a church because they actually meet in a(deconsecrated), church! They probably chose it because it didn't cost much to hire and was a suitable size for 300 to meet in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted February 5, 2013 #11 Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) http://www.bbc.co.uk...gazine-21319945 This gathering of 300 atheists was in a deconsecrated church in London. They sang uplifting pop songs and also spent some time in silent reflection. The meeting was led by a stand-up comedian. They hope to hold regular meetings. Not my kind of thing, but I think it fills an increasingly large gap in the market. On the face of it, it sounded absurd to me. I would have thought the closest to an "atheist church" would be a university. But what the article described made a lot more sense than what the headline suggested. An occasion to celebrate life, celebrate reason, and to state proudly that you believe in modernity and not some kind of medieval deity is indeed a good thing, especially now that in Europe the established religion is crumbling while at the same time massive immigration has foisted into Europe a medieval, aggressive, supremacist religion is growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to the combination of demographics and political correctness. Edited February 5, 2013 by Zaphod222 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted February 5, 2013 #12 Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) This is why I don't class myself as an Atheist. Even though I do not follow a religion or believe in god. Atheists like this are just as bad as extreme religious people who shove their religious views down others throats. It's just as annoying and just as offensive. That is an extremely simplistic statement. Disappointing. But I suppose you´re just trying score some easy points which cheap shots. Edited February 5, 2013 by Zaphod222 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted February 5, 2013 #13 Share Posted February 5, 2013 A church for atheists makes as much sense to me as a maternity ward for virgins! (Oooo - that's a bit more profound than I first thought!) LOL! So you admit it does make sense. Note they also had comedians, so I wouldn´t be surprised if they had mentioned that already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxdom Posted February 5, 2013 #14 Share Posted February 5, 2013 "Far better to call it something like cultural humanism..." Now that is a better name then atheism. (Better name for what I believe as well and fixes the problem I had with atheism). A problem I have with no religion is that there is no sense of community anymore. I'd consider a church to be a university or a school anyway it is supposed to be about learning, thinking, and improving one's self, not just about following, submission, and unrequited self-sacrifice. "De Botton says he wants to promote overlooked virtues such as resilience and humour." Makes me want to rub myself down with bacon and butter, That is something I could back easily. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Henson Posted February 5, 2013 #15 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Well... how pointless can you get? Really? Being athiest is of no concern to me at all, but having a CHURCH suggests the worship and spiritual awareness of the group of individuals that chose to come together. WHO or WHAT can an athiest church be in worship of??? Churches are for worship of a higher power. Athiests don't believe in God. It makes absolutely no sense at all. What about Star Trek conventions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Paranoid Android Posted February 5, 2013 #16 Share Posted February 5, 2013 For years, the Atheists Foundation of Australia (AFA) has held gatherings (church?) for atheists. They meet once a fortnight. One fortnight they simply have a social outing at the pub for drinks and dinner. The other fortnight they hire a hall, and invite a prominent scientist/historian/freethinker to speak (preach?) about whatever they are experts in. The organisers then hand out a donations cup (offertory plate?) to help pay for the hiring of the hall, after which the people get to hang out and chat (fellowship?). They didn't call themselves an "atheist church", but nonetheless it was more like church than they would like to believe. Just because there's no God doesn't mean it isn't church. I'm not sure whether the AFA still holds these meetings, last I checked their website they don't have anything listed there. But they used to. This article sounds more like a social statement against religion, what with their singing songs (I don't think the AFA ever did that) and for that I suppose they deserve credit. I think hearing a speech from a local university biology professor may just be more rewarding (though possibly less exciting) than a standup comedian. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckys_Mom Posted February 5, 2013 #17 Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) Seems kind of hypocritical to me. Why call it a church? They didn't call it a church... From the article, it reads - "It's not a church, it's a congregation of unreligious people." Even if they were to call it a church, I do not see how that can cause a problem.. Anyone who is accepting of others in whatever path they chose to lead, then they would have no issues with this.. I think that this group is just a bunch of sh** disturbers out for publicity I wouldn't put it like that at all.. Everyone who leads a spiritual path own a right to publicly advertise and hope to get more to join them... Christians can do it as often as they wish, and they are in the right.. So I see no harm in atheists doing the same, even if they are expressing their lack of faith... I would not call them a bunch of sh** disturbers either, I have no good reason to.. Take a look at what a Christian preacher has to say about this....( taken from the article ) But Bishop Harrison, a Christian preacher for 30 years, says he does not see his new neighbours as a threat, confidently predicting that their spiritual journey will eventually lead them to God. "They have got to start from somewhere," he says. I believe he is not the only Christian to feel they are no threat.. Any decent person would just let them be.. If we are all free to express our faith and lack of it, and if religious people are free to make their new church go public, in the hopes to get more to join them, I see no reason why these people cannot do the same .. I know you didn't suggest they don't have a right, but you seem rather cheesed off at them for doing this.. Edited February 5, 2013 by Beckys_Mom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted February 5, 2013 #18 Share Posted February 5, 2013 That is an extremely simplistic statement. Disappointing. But I suppose you´re just trying score some easy points which cheap shots. Or I was stating my opinion which I got from experiencing both sides first hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Posted February 5, 2013 #19 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I don't got no void on a Sunday morning. I'm happy to keep on doing my own thing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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