Have you accepted Nothing as your lord and savior?

[Hugh Akston]

Interesting article on the challenges of establishing and maintaining secular communities that approximate the religious congregation

Sosis’s point is that while costly sacrifice might not be present in these communities—and they may be suffering for that reason—they have other tools in their toolkit. They already have collective singing and live music, for example, which sets meetings apart from everyday experiences. And he believes they can and will adapt over time, evolving into something closer to conventional religion, even if no deities are involved. Secular congregations can become as meaningful as religious ones, he said, “but there has to be a sense of transcendence … Transcendence is what gives the community a higher level of meaning than going to Johnny’s Little League game.” It might mean developing more rituals, or sharing more stories. It might mean that ideals they already espouse—such as helping others, or finding wonder in nature—get elevated to a sacred level. The irony is that to get away from religion, they may need to re-create it.

[Warren]

Interesting article on the challenges of establishing and maintaining secular communities that approximate the religious congregation

Sosis’s point is that while costly sacrifice might not be present in these communities—and they may be suffering for that reason—they have other tools in their toolkit. They already have collective singing and live music, for example, which sets meetings apart from everyday experiences. And he believes they can and will adapt over time, evolving into something closer to conventional religion, even if no deities are involved. Secular congregations can become as meaningful as religious ones, he said, “but there has to be a sense of transcendence … Transcendence is what gives the community a higher level of meaning than going to Johnny’s Little League game.” It might mean developing more rituals, or sharing more stories. It might mean that ideals they already espouse—such as helping others, or finding wonder in nature—get elevated to a sacred level. The irony is that to get away from religion, they may need to re-create it.

That's got a lot of appeal to me. I think of myself as a spiritual person, but I have little tolerance for One Book belief systems.

[lunchstealer]

I don't think of myself as spiritual at all, but I like pretty buildings and taking stuff seriously sometimes and pretty music and the social aspect of belonging to a congregation.

Not enough to really go to church, mind, because that would involve getting up on a Sunday morning, which I'm already upset about having to do to take mrs lunch's damned dog out.

[Aresen]

Interesting article on the challenges of establishing and maintaining secular communities that approximate the religious congregation

Sosis’s point is that while costly sacrifice might not be present in these communities—and they may be suffering for that reason—they have other tools in their toolkit. They already have collective singing and live music, for example, which sets meetings apart from everyday experiences. And he believes they can and will adapt over time, evolving into something closer to conventional religion, even if no deities are involved. Secular congregations can become as meaningful as religious ones, he said, “but there has to be a sense of transcendence … Transcendence is what gives the community a higher level of meaning than going to Johnny’s Little League game.” It might mean developing more rituals, or sharing more stories. It might mean that ideals they already espouse—such as helping others, or finding wonder in nature—get elevated to a sacred level. The irony is that to get away from religion, they may need to re-create it.

This is basically what Unitarians have been doing for decades.

[Dangerman]

And Rotarians as well.

[lunchstealer]

Are Rotarians down with atheists*? Every once in a while I've thought that sort of organization might be good for giving me some better grounding in the local community, but every one I've looked into has a 'higher power' thing, and while I can obfuscate and say I'm a lapsed Presbyterian in certain social situations, I'm not doing it for membership in a voluntary organization.

*Or at least apatheists who mostly would rather switch the channel before talking earnestly about gods and ghosts.

[Dangerman]

I think the Rotary Club is business secular.

[Aresen]

I think the Rotary Club is business secular.

Every service club I've ever been involved with invokes god at some point, usually in their constitution.

[dhex]

Rotary in all my limited dealings is 100% secular in their outreach operations. No idea about membership tho.

[D.A. Ridgely]

I think there was an underlying assumption in most of those organizations that everyone was on-board with an occasional, vague nod to the Almighty whom, it was also assumed, everyone was at least vaguely a believer in. Unlike, say, the Masons or the Knights of Columbus, however, it's cultural theism at most. My longstanding prejudice was that they're all fraternal organizations for people who never went to college and joined a frat or else who did and actually enjoyed it. In retrospect, though, I suspect they're little more than networking opportunities, which is probably how most people now view their actual religious affiliations, too.

[dead_elvis]

I thought "surely not the International Order of Odd Fellows! I mean, not much sets you more apart as odd than atheism". Which unfortunately led me to this site. Because *of course*. Lutherans are so completely paranoid. When I was growing up literally everything was a false god or a cult.

[Aresen]

I thought "surely not the International Order of Odd Fellows! I mean, not much sets you more apart as odd than atheism". Which unfortunately led me to this site. Because *of course*. Lutherans are so completely paranoid. When I was growing up literally everything was a false god or a cult.

Every church/religion regards all the others as worshippers of false gods or members of a cult. Atheists do the same, only make it universal and pretend they are exempt.

[lunchstealer]

I thought "surely not the International Order of Odd Fellows! I mean, not much sets you more apart as odd than atheism". Which unfortunately led me to this site. Because *of course*. Lutherans are so completely paranoid. When I was growing up literally everything was a false god or a cult.

Every church/religion regards all the others as worshippers of false gods or members of a cult. Atheists do the same, only make it universal and pretend they are exempt.

Hell I think atheists who think atheism is important are cult-adjacent.

[Taktix®]

https://deadstate.org/mormon-church-pub ... bvOcPXxVgA

Mormon church publishes Sunday program with Obi-Wan Kenobi on the cover

[Warren]

Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

[Jake]

Gordon B. Hinckley. Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time.

[dead_elvis]

Kentucky atheist can get ‘IM GOD’ license plate, US court rules

Ben-Hart-FFRF-Photo.jpg (87.7 KiB) Viewed 986 times

[Warren]

Kentucky atheist can get ‘IM GOD’ license plate, US court rules

[IM GOD plate pic]

Oh yeah? Well I've got a few complaints I'd like to discuss. I've prepared a PPT stack. You should take notes.

[dead_elvis]

What amuses me is that according to the plate we are all under that one guy. It kinda shows the folly of pretending that religiously neutral references by the gov’t to a generic god are actually religiously neutral.

[Eric the .5b]

What amuses me is that according to the plate we are all under that one guy. It kinda shows the folly of pretending that religiously neutral references by the gov’t to a generic god are actually religiously neutral.

1) We are all equal, some of us more than others.

2) Apparently God is one of us.

[Aresen]

From Preaching to the Choir Ministries:

[Kolohe]

Kentucky atheist can get ‘IM GOD’ license plate, US court rules

[IM GOD plate pic]

Oh yeah? Well I've got a few complaints I'd like to discuss. I've prepared a PPT stack. You should take notes.

The lack of an apostrophe makes me read this as a command to Instant Message God.