Where do I find a circle of friends now??....

[dave4shmups]

I already introduced myself and told my de-conversion story, but how do I go about forming friendships with people who are not in the church?? Understand that became a Christian my freshman year of college (14 years ago) and really had no deep friendships until I entered the church. I certainly don't need friends who want to talk me out of Atheism, or who believe that I am being "led astray" by a non-existent creature called the devil. But I still want friendships with people I care about, who care about me.

[Paul the Human]

Surely you come into contact with people that are not from your church. Coworkers, neighbors, people at the local tavern, etc. Cultivate those relationships, perhaps?

[Darwinian]

How about hunting down local science based groups, for example a local astronomical group. Chances are most of them would be non-religious.

[thesummerqueen]

Have you also checked the usermap to see if any of us live near you?

Hobby groups are a great way to make new friends - I made friends from taking watercolor classes and the like. This doesn't guarantee that the people aren't religious, but if they're in a non-religiously based group, they're going to be less likely to talk about it. Pick something that interests you and go for it!

The easiest way to make friends is to have something in common - being Christian or Jewish or Muslim is a pretty big thing to have in common with a large group of people and a quick way to break the ice, but obviously you're looking to get out of it. Now you're going to have to find people who have the same interests or hobbies or even political ideologies as you. My ex's step-father was finally excused from going to church on the grounds of his non-belief and will use the mornings to help out with democrat stuff. A few of my friends complained about how hard it was to meet new people now that they were out of college and ended up joining sports teams to help themselves get out and about. If both of us didn't work so much, my roommate and I were going to join a couple book clubs to meet like-minded people (and maybe guys who actually liked reading...). The possibilities are endless.

[leo-rcc]

I'm not the best person to give advice about those things I'm afraid. Religion is one of the least talked about subjects among my friends, including new ones. We normally don't discuss religion in our country, unless it is apparent some event happened with some religious influence involved and it is the talk of the day (like 9/11 etc). We do however see more fundamentalism rear its head, even in our moderately liberal country (as we saw with a creationist pamphlet being spread just last year).

[Welsh cake]

I certainly don't need friends who want to talk me out of Atheism, or who believe that I am being "led astray" by a non-existent creature called the devil.

No one who ever tells what to think is ever your friend.

Also a real sincere friend wouldn't care about your position on the belief or disbelief of god or gods. ^^

[dave4shmups]

Have you also checked the usermap to see if any of us live near you?

Hobby groups are a great way to make new friends - I made friends from taking watercolor classes and the like. This doesn't guarantee that the people aren't religious, but if they're in a non-religiously based group, they're going to be less likely to talk about it. Pick something that interests you and go for it!

The easiest way to make friends is to have something in common - being Christian or Jewish or Muslim is a pretty big thing to have in common with a large group of people and a quick way to break the ice, but obviously you're looking to get out of it. Now you're going to have to find people who have the same interests or hobbies or even political ideologies as you. My ex's step-father was finally excused from going to church on the grounds of his non-belief and will use the mornings to help out with democrat stuff. A few of my friends complained about how hard it was to meet new people now that they were out of college and ended up joining sports teams to help themselves get out and about. If both of us didn't work so much, my roommate and I were going to join a couple book clubs to meet like-minded people (and maybe guys who actually liked reading...). The possibilities are endless.

That's a great suggestion! I love video gaming.

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I certainly don't need friends who want to talk me out of Atheism, or who believe that I am being "led astray" by a non-existent creature called the devil.

No one who ever tells what to think is ever your friend.

Also a real sincere friend wouldn't care about your position on the belief or disbelief of god or gods. ^^

Very true, and I LOVE your avatar!!

[Dotard]

Friends?

....*sigh*.....


Maybe one day I might have one of those.....

[LastPoet]

Friends?

....*sigh*.....


Maybe one day I might have one of those.....

Does that word.. friends, have any meaning?

[Rhizomorph13]

There is a site called http://www.meetup.com that has atheist meetups. They might have a few near you. I have never been to one, but that is because my social group centers around swing dancing and I meet my friends at the dances I go to. You could even try that if a scene exists near you and you can dig it.