(February 2, 2016 at 3:46 am)mralstoner Wrote:(February 2, 2016 at 3:07 am)GodCherry Wrote: Maybe its a product of both my husband and I having science/engineering backgrounds but I have to say that I know far more people that don't follow religion than do...and so I certainly don't suffer the loss of any community or social networking because I don't have a church lifestyle.
And the few hardcore church going people that I have met through work, etc...are sometimes very nice but honesty, they creep me out a bit. I can't say that I'd want to spend any significant time with them hanging out.
I have traveled to states that are very bible-beltish though and I'm sure its harder to socialize there....so perhaps its very dependent on where you live.
That's all good. But a lot atheists, who are less independent-minded, seem to want some order out of chaos. They find atheism such an open book (culturally speaking) that they are lost and bewildered and don't know what sort of lifestyle to live. And this anomie is isolating rather than binding. Norms create social cohesion.
My point is that human nature is designed for cohesive communities, with a well defined culture. And atheism doesn't provide that. Atheism is an open book. Atheists who do well are strong minded, and secure in their cultural identity. Atheists who don't do well are those that drift aimlessly, and can't find order in the chaos.
There are many ways to find community and one of the worst of those ways is actually through the church though. The reason is that church encourages an air of separation, superiority and disturbing group-think.
What you describe as cohesive community, I describe as sheep mentality. A bunch of bleating sheep who don't question corrupt authority and will follow the flock into anything...no matter how disturbing. I actually don't believe that is either or required in that fashion at all. In fact, I equate a lot of very bad historical events to the flock mentality.
There are a thousand ways for atheists to come together and organize in humanistic, volunteer activities that won't require them to take up a very narrow mantra of thought.
No one in life is happy until they find purpose and it really isn't that difficult to do.
