Ok, now that I have your attention, yes I know that atheism isn't a religion but I do fondly remember many of the activities that were associated with church and imagine how much better they would be without all the preachy talking, praying, and hymn singing that usually accompanied the good stuff.
I'm talking about Pot lucks, vollyball, white water rafting trips, snow retreats, randomly hanging out with friends after church was over, and any things that haven't crossed my mind right now. I'm not sure what services would be like, but I imagine they could be used as a news outlet or for magic shows or comedians or something? Why not, in church there were lots of performances by bands or even magic shows, so that could be cool.
It could be a way of focusing money toward causes without a religious agenda while providing a place to fellowship with people who feel kinda lost once they leave religion. Church is such a large part of people's lives and once you remove faith in god it can be hard to feel connected because there are no atheist community centers. Get enough of an organization together and we could create organizations similar to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, create a public presence to generate good will, and provide an outlet for seekers that doesn't involve a bunch of woo, but gives the kind of fellowship that people seek naturally.
They wouldn't have to be called churches and I am aware that there are atheist gatherings on meet-up.com but it would be cool to have a brick and mortar place to refer to and say that I am part of that organization. I just hope that otters won't get the same idea once they acheive sentience and start a war with us.
What do you all think?
I'm talking about Pot lucks, vollyball, white water rafting trips, snow retreats, randomly hanging out with friends after church was over, and any things that haven't crossed my mind right now. I'm not sure what services would be like, but I imagine they could be used as a news outlet or for magic shows or comedians or something? Why not, in church there were lots of performances by bands or even magic shows, so that could be cool.
It could be a way of focusing money toward causes without a religious agenda while providing a place to fellowship with people who feel kinda lost once they leave religion. Church is such a large part of people's lives and once you remove faith in god it can be hard to feel connected because there are no atheist community centers. Get enough of an organization together and we could create organizations similar to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, create a public presence to generate good will, and provide an outlet for seekers that doesn't involve a bunch of woo, but gives the kind of fellowship that people seek naturally.
They wouldn't have to be called churches and I am aware that there are atheist gatherings on meet-up.com but it would be cool to have a brick and mortar place to refer to and say that I am part of that organization. I just hope that otters won't get the same idea once they acheive sentience and start a war with us.
What do you all think?