Atheists in church

[Mister Agenda]

Wow, Catholics escort potential converts out of the building, no wonder their numbers are shrinking.

Decided atheists are not "potential converts", they don't belong at Mass.

Most atheists are agnostic atheists. Anyone can go to Mass, I'd say they shouldn't participate in Communion though, ethically speaking.

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OK, that's irrelevant anyway, just like almost everything Ahriman utters.  My question is what, if any, value is there in atheists continuing to be a part of a church community?  I agree there are probably other, more appropriate, community organizations.  I remember my parents being members of organizations when I was young that raised money for charities and helped people in need.  This was in addition to whatever community service they did with the church (usually much less).  I would feel more comfortable with a non-religious organization but theists have a built in distrust of any organization that declares itself areligious and that, again, is why I ask if it's perhaps better to engage more with them on their turf.  I don't know, maybe I'm just being overly submissive here.  Just looking for insight.

I sometimes attend UU, but since they openly accept atheists, maybe they don't count.

[zwanzig]

I don't know. I'm kind of a raunchy geek compared to those in the church I went to. I wouldn't be able to stop myself, even as low-key "worldly" as I am, from feeling more adult and mature than the leaders of the church, let alone the rest of the congregation. It's not like the biggest thing being able to sprinkle in an occasional expletive but genuinely talking about my interests and likes, I would not have anything in common with people who can't even let their kids watch Disney movies because of the "gay agenda." Plus, I'm trans and last time I went to church in non cis conforming attire, I felt patronized and looked down upon, as if "someday I'll (or people like me) will learn who I really am(God's child and nothing else, apparently) and stop this crossdressing nonsense." Which is frustrating to deal with when I AM being who I really am and I feel like I can handle adult problems and situations better than they can, so, who are they to be acting like they know better? They don't even live in the real world.

Plus, there is that irritating habit of becoming someone else's project. I have not known people in a church environment to be "let live" and respectful of boundaries. If I went to church, I'd have to sit through talk of falsehoods or end up debating people, which is a dickish move, going to THEIR building to challenge THEIR ideas. If you bring up religion at my house or in public or at work, fine, fair game, I'm gonna hurt your feelings and you're gonna feel unsafe to share openly ever again. But they should feel alright in their buildings on their special day to talk about that crap.

And being anti-theist, I don't agree with the monopoly of religion over charities and service work. I think its usually predatory and manipulative and part of a propaganda image campaign. "Look at us religious people. We're so nice and caring. We're not backwards and irrational at all." If it were a charity or cause I cared about, there's no reason I couldn't hold my own event or get together a secular group to organize. And there wouldn't be an ulterior motive. I don't like playing games pretending that religious thought is harmless and altruistic.

Even if the charity stuff was why I was involved in a church community, that's usually separate from the Sunday school crap, yeah? You don't need to go to church to do the charity stuff with them.

[Spongebob]

I think UU counts as a religious community. It is quite open and accepting but still based on religious tenets, at least ostensibly. And no, Catholics do not discourage atheists from attending. When it's time for communion they always state that its for Catholics only, I don't remember the exact words they use. But if you walk down there, no one is going to tackle you and drag you outside. Now, Scientologists? That's another matter entirely.

[Ahriman]

OK, that's irrelevant anyway, just like almost everything Ahriman utters.  My question is what, if any, value is there in atheists continuing to be a part of a church community?  I agree there are probably other, more appropriate, community organizations.  I remember my parents being members of organizations when I was young that raised money for charities and helped people in need.  This was in addition to whatever community service they did with the church (usually much less).  I would feel more comfortable with a non-religious organization but theists have a built in distrust of any organization that declares itself areligious and that, again, is why I ask if it's perhaps better to engage more with them on their turf.  I don't know, maybe I'm just being overly submissive here.  Just looking for insight.

I mean shit......do you want to be an atheist or not?

[Spongebob]

OK, that's irrelevant anyway, just like almost everything Ahriman utters.  My question is what, if any, value is there in atheists continuing to be a part of a church community?  I agree there are probably other, more appropriate, community organizations.  I remember my parents being members of organizations when I was young that raised money for charities and helped people in need.  This was in addition to whatever community service they did with the church (usually much less).  I would feel more comfortable with a non-religious organization but theists have a built in distrust of any organization that declares itself areligious and that, again, is why I ask if it's perhaps better to engage more with them on their turf.  I don't know, maybe I'm just being overly submissive here.  Just looking for insight.

I mean shit......do you want to be an atheist or not?

Just fuck off, please.

[Ranjr]

I had doubts about the existence of god but didn't consider myself atheist as a teenager.  After all, how can one have faith without doubt?  I was pretty sure Christianity was myth, though.  That's one thing Baptists don't consider when emphasizing bible study to youth:  the reader concludes "this is fiction."

I went to church anyway.  It was a chance to play, and my grandmother would drive up from El Dorado now and then to see me.  When I would visit her in summers, between college semesters, I would go to church with her.  Always nice to see the El Dorado girls.

I go to funerals and weddings.  A few times, I escorted the dish and her mom to mass.  Never ate the cracker.  But go to church on my own, for me?  Got better things to do.

[Spongebob]

I had doubts about the existence of god but didn't consider myself atheist as a teenager.  After all, how can one have faith without doubt?  I was pretty sure Christianity was myth, though.  That's one thing Baptists don't consider when emphasizing bible study to youth:  the reader concludes "this is fiction."

I went to church anyway.  It was a chance to play, and my grandmother would drive up from El Dorado now and then to see me.  When I would visit her in summers, between college semesters, I would go to church with her.  Always nice to see the El Dorado girls.

I go to funerals and weddings.  A few times, I escorted the dish and her mom to mass.  Never ate the cracker.  But go to church on my own, for me?  Got better things to do.

I continued to attend and even joined a Methodist church years after I had decided I no longer believed.  Perhaps I thought I might learn something and rekindle the flame.  Eventually I had to stop attending Sunday School (why do adults attend SS anyway?) because of a teacher who was just teaching extremely fundie stuff.  After that I've only occasionally attended for various reasons.  I sat through a particularly painful sermon several years ago at a Baptist church where the message was basically homosexuality is a sin and homos are going to hell.  Will never set foot in there again.  So maybe the answer to my question is it just isn't worth it.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I go to some churches, but I don’t attend church services. Charity dos and community events, stuff like that.

Boru

[emjay]

I'd feel incredibly uncomfortable going to church services as an atheist. Even though I've been told by friends and family who do go to church, that I'd be perfectly welcome if I did go, I have a hard time believing that. Basically because I figure nobody likes an outsider in their midst, especially one who would be judgmental of them, which ultimately I would be whether I wanted to be or not; I'd basically just by gut reaction be mentally rolling my eyes or face-palming through the whole thing, and I'm sure that would come across even if I had a good poker face. Or maybe that's just projection on my part, but either way I'd just feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Basically I love my friends and family who are still in the church, and respect them as individuals on a personal level, but that doesn't change how I feel about religion as a whole or the beliefs that entails. So in other words though I may still want the community of those people on a personal level, doesn't mean I want to be part of the church community itself... they're two separate things.

[arewethereyet]

I attend church for wedding and funerals though it's been a while since I have been to either. I have been to several different flavors of Christian church over the years. Other than that, I have no interest since I figure the plot hasn't changed much since I left The Church.