I wonder if this godless congregation will get the same massive tax benefits that religious congregations do?
In the US they probably will. http://news.yahoo.com/atheism-religion-government-says-yes-tax-purposes-141610417.html Check out this thread: https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/...ngry-when-told-she-already-qualifies.1992771/
Great then lets agree to donate 10% of our salary to promote secular thinking around the world and so the secular ministers can buy nice things and boom we would be set. Lets all praise Hitchens "Peace be upon him"
Problem is, Atheism is not the type of belief that tends to inspire people to part with their money. I can't think of a possible Atheist alternative to a motivating concept like "God will bless you tenfold" .
Well that is the problem the new atheist churches are going to need to solve. Maybe some over priced wine, maybe a cover charge to come and see this guy.
Maybe they can include marijuana into their Atheist liturgy and tell the feds it's a necessary part of their religion. I mean, if there's no god, you gotta get stoned. I expect it should fill the pews and bring in plenty of money.
Well, marijuana is indeed a very social drug. Please sign me up for your newsletter, argentine soccer fan
I find this entire "atheist church" thing to be completely ridiculous. While I can understand the human need to meet up with likeminded people and share experiences with them, I cannot possibly see why an atheist would organize that in a clerical framework. The problem with this entire notion is of course that non-belief is not a very good basis for building a community. An atheist church makes as much sense as a no-sports sports club. Even a no-sports community would be difficult to maintain, because the fact that none of the members like to do sports doesn't imply that they have any common interests or want to spend time together. Atheists groups can make sense as long as they exist within a context where religion is very important. There they really do have something in common, namely their daily struggle to deal with a religious society, but in the long run, even that's not enough to build a real community upon. It's a good support structure, but nothing more as there really wouldn't be any positive* goals to work to achieve. That's why most atheist groups are more than just that, they're humanists for example which unlike atheism is a positive* philosophy, so then all of a sudden there is a basis for a community. But to force a religious framework like "church" onto such a community would still be ridiculous. *positive means in this context that there are actual claims about reality being made, not simply the rejection of a claim. It's not meant to indicate value judgements.
They made it to our backyard! http://www.mercurynews.com/sal-piza...mg-atheist-church-branches-out-silicon-valley LOL at singing along to the Monkees "I'm a Believer". God bless 'em!
Florida county unanimously bans atheists from delivering invocations at public meetings: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/...om-delivering-invocations-at-public-meetings/
To which of these does anyone object? 1. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason. 2. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions. 3. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone. 4. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own. 5. Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs. 6. People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused. 7. Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word As noted in the article comments, these are the tenets of the Satanic Temple, which is unsettling. So long as there isnt any supernatural boo boo jebe about Satan and darkness and all that pap its hard not to accept their code.
Perhaps it works for people who used to be religious, but lost their faith. I've know a few people like that, and once they've lost the structure of religion in their lives, it's almost like they are looking around for something else to believe in, to give them a new set of values, and a way to behave.
Most Atheist don't lose their faith, they choose not to buy into the lies. Do some need to find something to fill that gap? Perhaps....but it is very very few. The whole atheist church thing is total bullshit for people that can't make up their minds...and that fine as well...but it really isn't an atheist church, it's just another cult club like Catholicisms or Muslims without the God....like Hindus.
There is this little coffee shop called ZombieRunner in Palo Alto (California) that has a church pew in it. I asked the owner why he has the church pew, because it seems like an odd choice of furniture. He said that he came from a very religious family and he lost his faith, but at some level he really missed the church experience, so he bought a pew from a church and put it in his shop, and apparently it makes him feel better.
Not about atheism at all ... But somehow I think it still fits in this thread. BP had "discovered" the Flying Spaghetti Monster, but then scientists figured it out; they ruin everything. slightly more story +video: http://www.sciencespacerobots.com/underwater-flying-spaghetti-monster-is-a-siphonophore-81820151
On the other hand, praying to this creature will heal precisely the same number of amputations as praying to any other alleged God. All Hail, Lord Siphonophore.