(August 17, 2011 at 11:01 am)Godnose Wrote: I am an atheist, however that leads to certain problems. So this thread is intended for discussion of the problems that can arise from being an atheist.
One of my big problems about atheism is the lack of community. Something that religions do well is to provide a community structure and support system. There is no equivalent for the atheist. There is no such thing as an "atheist community". There is no equivalent to the parish priest to whom I can take my troubles.
That's because it's not as necessary, we don't need "church" like groups because most atheists don't need atheism specific support in the real world, their support structures result from other outlets in society.
It's the "No sheep here" effect, we don't gravitate around some highly motivating claims of truth, authority, morality or promises of eternal life so you wouldn't expect as much social unity around any kind of atheism.
Quote:I would have preferred to have been able to take my problem to someone with a similar role, but without the religion, only there is no-one. There is within atheism no structure for such a person. There is no structure of anything within atheism. On a local level, I mean.
So go to a councillor! Atheists wouldn't pretend that they're qualified to give people advice on personal matters, unlike the priests with no legitimate training who just as often manage to make people feel like shit - If you've got an issue you need to talk about someone qualified to give advice is what you need.
Quote:What I think is needed is a kind of atheist church, a place where atheists can meet regularly to celebrate their atheism and in order to develop a sense of community. Only how on earth such a thing could be brought about is completely beyond me. Any ideas?
Are you unaware of how many Atheist organisations there are? And then the Skeptics organisations on top of that... Plus the conferences and community meetup grounds... Go do some looking, you're likely to find something near you.
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