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Atheists Embrace Megachurch-Style Services

Ben K. said:
You still can't answer a simple question. What do they have in common? You can't name a single thing that unites atheists. If some atheists happen to be environmentalist for instance, why on earth would they exclude the theists, deists and agnostics that agree with them? It's self defeating nonsense.

And still stuck on the idea their right to assembly is under attack (hint: right to assembly doesn't mean a right to not being criticised). And why on earth is it not my business anymore than any news story we routinely comment upon? Stop hiding behind the cowardly "they have free speech, stop hurting their feelings" card.
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I already answered your question, don't play daft. Jesus it's like you'd be surprised that folk and who love Futurama would also like Firefly. "What could Futurama fans have in common other than Futurama"
 
Ikari said:
I already answered your question, don't play daft. Jesus it's like you'd be surprised that folk and who love Futurama would also like Firefly. "What could Futurama fans have in common other than Futurama"
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You didn't answer the question. You said atheists come from similar backgrounds and so may share similar beliefs but are unable to name any in particular. What is a belief that unites atheists aside from not believing in God?

Just admit you're wrong or crawl away.
 
LowDown said:
Bah! You can run you can hide, but your religious nature cannot be denied.

I'm pretty sure that attendees at these atheist "churches" do a lot more than just socialize. Do they have a regular service? A litergy? I bet they do. Readings from Dawkins, no doubt, is one feature.
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As is pointed out on the website, they don't have a set of books that are the gospel. And again, having rituals doesn't make it a relgion, and doesn't make it church. I'm sure there are book clubs that open a bottle of wine before every meeting, doesn't make it a church.
 
It seems as if calling these gatherings "mega churches" is on par with labeling the water coming out of my faucet as a "waterfall"
 
Ben K. said:
You still can't answer a simple question. What do they have in common? You can't name a single thing that unites atheists. If some atheists happen to be environmentalist for instance, why on earth would they exclude the theists, deists and agnostics that agree with them? It's self defeating nonsense.
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If you click on there website, no where does it say that they will exclude deists or agnostics or even theists.


The single thing that unites atheists is they don't have an active belief in a deity, and therefor maybe some of them would like to meet with like minded people to discuss the philosophy and details of this stance. And it seems also to give a group a chance to do good works of charity without going through a church or a religious organization in which you might not agree with their views.
 
Logicman said:
Time for atheists to rethink the existence of an afterlife.

Quantum Physics proves there is an afterlife.

Quantum physics proves that there IS an afterlife, claims scientist | Mail Online
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HonestJoe said:
This is off topic on this thread. I do hope you start a new thread for it so I can point out all the things that are wrong with it. :)
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There is a thread for it: http://www.debatepolitics.com/philosophical-discussions/178210-quantum-physics-proves-there-afterlife-claims-scientist.html
 
Ben K. said:
Because I say so? No, because atheism clearly means not having a belief in god and only that.

Religions are socially prescriptive, they tend to have whole books laying out how people live their lives, not just that a god exists.

What do you think atheists have in common besides the god question?
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Which God?
 
LowDown said:
Bah! You can run you can hide, but your religious nature cannot be denied.

I'm pretty sure that attendees at these atheist "churches" do a lot more than just socialize. Do they have a regular service? A litergy? I bet they do. Readings from Dawkins, no doubt, is one feature.
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You mean have a church service, act reverent, do all the church things but simply not mention God? Why would they do that?
 
Ben K. said:
You didn't answer the question. You said atheists come from similar backgrounds and so may share similar beliefs but are unable to name any in particular. What is a belief that unites atheists aside from not believing in God?

Just admit you're wrong or crawl away.
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Define God.
 
Risky Thicket said:
You mean have a church service, act reverent, do all the church things but simply not mention God? Why would they do that?
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It is irrelevant whether they do or not.
Not all atheists are non-religious. Some do attend churches, have reading etc.

What does any of that have to do with a belief in a god?
 
Spriggs05 said:
Yes, but most of those religions that you have mentioned are based around a way to live your life.
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So are most religions. It just differs in terms of where they get their authority.

Religion should just be a guide on how to live your life, not large church services or a calling to prayer 6 times every day. I use guide, since it doesn't have to be in your life, religion is voluntary. Those examples mentioned above are perfect examples of what I consider the better religions.
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Almost all religions have a discipline. Because otherwise what's the point? The rubber has to meet the road.

It seems that the New Atheists are beginning to develop a discipline of their own.

I believe it was Camille Paglia who wrote that human beings can't tolerate freedom, they are hierarchical animals, and if one hierarchy is torn down they will spontaneously erect another, perhaps less congenial than the first. In other words, they need structure.
 
Risky Thicket said:
Which God?

Define God?
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Any God. A-theism. Without belief in god

The definition depends on the person you ask, which is why it can't be disproven. Usually something along the lines of a supernatural being(s) responsible for creation of all that is natural.

roughdraft274 said:
If you click on there website, no where does it say that they will exclude deists or agnostics or even theists.
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The same is true of a lot of religious churches.

The single thing that unites atheists is they don't have an active belief in a deity, and therefor maybe some of them would like to meet with like minded people to discuss the philosophy and details of this stance.
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That's fine. Can't really see it being subtantial enough to warrant congregating. And we all know once they get bored of discussing the non-existence of god, they'll talk about other things and try to push other beliefs under the atheism banner. This is what happened with atheism + and fractured the community.

And it seems also to give a group a chance to do good works of charity without going through a church or a religious organization in which you might not agree with their views.
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There are plenty of charities that are secular.
 
Ben K. said:
Examples?
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What do you call a christian who disbelieves Vishnu?
What do you call a muslim who disbelieves Zeus?
What do you call a hindu who disbelieves Quetzalcoatl?

They are all theists with respect to the gods of their beliefs systems BUT ALSO atheists with respect to all the gods not part of their belief system.

Everyone is an atheist with respect to one or more gods.
Some, and a growing number (thanks internet), are becoming atheist with respect to ALL gods.

Why do we get so much hate and distrust for going the extra mile of disbelief?
 
RogueWarrior said:
Not all atheists disbelieve all gods. Most atheists are selective in their disbelief.
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That's nonsense. Yes, all atheists completely dissociate themselves with beliefs in supernatural entities of any type, kind, shape, or form. No, they don't attend churches, which engage in dogma/teachings that refer to the existence of a supernatural entity. If there are those who do such behaviors, they are not atheists.

Perhaps you are confused between people who are atheists...and perhaps agnostics...or some far out pseudo-philosophical metaphysical mysticism subscriber.

As an atheists...if I met such a person who you've described who "claimed" to be an atheist...I'd suggest that they get some clarification on the definition of "atheist".
 
Removable Mind said:
That's nonsense. Yes, all atheists completely dissociate themselves with beliefs in supernatural entities of any type, kind, shape, or form. No, they don't attend churches, which engage in dogma/teachings that refer to the existence of a supernatural entity. If there are those who do such behaviors, they are not atheists.

Perhaps you are confused between people who are atheists...and perhaps agnostics...or some far out pseudo-philosophical metaphysical mysticism subscriber.

As an atheists...if I met such a person who you've described who "claimed" to be an atheist...I'd suggest that they get some clarification on the definition of "atheist".
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There are over 1 billion christians in the world that don't believe in any god other than Yahweh. They disbelieve all other gods.
There are over 1 billion muslims in the world that don't believe in any god other than Allah. They disbelieve all other gods.
There are over 1 billion hindus in the world that don't believe in gods outside their pantheon of gods.

By the definition of atheist i.e someone is disbelieves in the existence of a (notice NOT ALL GODS) god, all these people are atheist with respect to gods outside of their belief system.

Maybe you could make a point that some definitions for atheism might say that atheism refers to ALL GODS but then you would need to coin a word for those billions of people that disbelieve MOST GODS.

PS Some atheist DO attend churches eg buddhists and raelians. Atheism has no information with respect to the supernatural.
 
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RogueWarrior said:
There are over 1 billion christians in the world that don't believe in any god other than Yahweh. They disbelieve all other gods.
There are over 1 billion muslims in the world that don't believe in any god other than Allah. They disbelieve all other gods.
There are over 1 billion hindus in the world that don't believe in gods outside their pantheon of gods.

By the definition of atheist i.e someone is disbelieves in the existence of a (notice NOT ALL GODS) god, all these people are atheist with respect to gods outside of their belief system.

Maybe you could make a point that some definitions for atheism might say that atheism refers to ALL GODS but then you would need to coin a word for those billions of people that disbelieve MOST GODS.
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No matter how many times you make the claim... and regardless of these examples you use...an atheists...all atheists...don't have a passing thought about the existences of a supernatural entity of any type. They don't seek spiritual guidance or fellowship with those who do subscribe to beliefs in supernatural entities.

Your claim is still complete nonsense.
 
RogueWarrior said:
What do you call a christian who disbelieves Vishnu?
What do you call a muslim who disbelieves Zeus?
What do you call a hindu who disbelieves Quetzalcoatl?

They are all theists with respect to the gods of their beliefs systems BUT ALSO atheists with respect to all the gods not part of their belief system.

Everyone is an atheist with respect to one or more gods.
Some, and a growing number (thanks internet), are becoming atheist with respect to ALL gods.

Why do we get so much hate and distrust for going the extra mile of disbelief?
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Atheist means without belief in a god. If you don't believe is any god you are an atheist.

Your definition means everyone on earth is an atheist, rendering the term useless.
 
Ben K. said:
You didn't answer the question. You said atheists come from similar backgrounds and so may share similar beliefs but are unable to name any in particular. What is a belief that unites atheists aside from not believing in God?

Just admit you're wrong or crawl away.
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That sets just about everything. Since I don't go to these groups I don't know what they talk about. But given the demographics of the atheist population, it's not surprising at all that they'd have similar interests and views and maybe they want to get together to discuss those.

As I said, assembly and speech are not limited to theists. It's ignorant and stupid to argue that atheists would not have cross interests aside from atheism.
 
Ben K. said:
Atheist means without belief in a god. If you don't believe is any god you are an atheist.

Your definition means everyone on earth is an atheist, rendering the term useless.
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Blame the imprecision of language and the fact that theists created the first dictionaries/encyclopedias. We are going to spend a long time correcting the mistakes of their biases.

I disagree and am confused by your first line.

You start by using 'a' and end by using 'any'. The 2 sentences do not mean the same thing.
You have to change an 'a' for an 'any' or vice versa.

Atheism doesn't exist without theism. Theism is the belief in the existence of at least one god. Consequently, atheism would be disbelief in at least one god.
Is there something wrong with that logic? Why 'belief in one god' replaced with 'disbelief in all gods'.

And far from rendering it useless, I think that by showing people they are already have almost the same amount of disbelief that I have, it would prepare them for that final liberation.
 
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