• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!
  • Welcome to our archives. No new posts are allowed here.

Atheists Embrace Megachurch-Style Services

W

winston53660

DP Veteran
Joined
Sep 29, 2007
Messages
29,262
Reaction score
10,126
Gender
Undisclosed
Political Leaning
Undisclosed
While evangelical Christians are known for celebrating faith in God at mega-churches, now atheists are celebrating their lack of faith in God in a “mega-church” setting.
The Associated Press profiled the Sunday Assembly, a movement started in London in January 2013 that’s spearheaded by two British comedians, Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, who are bringing atheists together in parts of Great Britain, Melbourne, Australia, San Diego, Nashville, and New York. On a recent Sunday in Los Angeles:


Read more: Atheists Embrace Mega-church-Style Services | TIME.com Atheists Embrace Mega-church-Style Services | TIME.com
 
winston53660 said:
While evangelical Christians are known for celebrating faith in God at mega-churches, now atheists are celebrating their lack of faith in God in a “mega-church” setting.
The Associated Press profiled the Sunday Assembly, a movement started in London in January 2013 that’s spearheaded by two British comedians, Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, who are bringing atheists together in parts of Great Britain, Melbourne, Australia, San Diego, Nashville, and New York. On a recent Sunday in Los Angeles:


Read more: Atheists Embrace Mega-church-Style Services | TIME.com Atheists Embrace Mega-church-Style Services | TIME.com
Click to expand...

Why would I want to go to church if i'm atheist? I have better things to do.
This Megachurch is just another form of religion creeping back into the lives of those who have abandoned it. Congrats Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans. :roll:
 
It's headed by two British comedians who want to celebrate their lack of faith, also known as ironic humor.

Don't have an aneurism now.
 
This sort of **** is just stupid.

These gatherings generally try to posit some sort of political mission statement well beyond the confines of the shared position "there is not enough evidence for me to hold a belief in God(s)."

Like the mind-numbingly stupid Atheism Plus.

Atheism Plus (also rendered Atheism+) is a movement proposed in 2012 by blogger Jen McCreight. Its original definition was rather nebulous, but in general it is intended to be a subset of the atheism movement that attempts to unite atheists who wish to use their shared atheist identity as a basis for addressing political and social issues and engaging in related activism. Its scope is intended to go beyond the question of (non-)belief to address additional issues, including but not limited to critical thinking, skepticism, social justice, feminism, anti-racism, and combating homophobia and transphobia. In other words, a place for some of the more liberal (in the American meaning of the word) atheists who are sick of being lumped together with people whose ideals they don't share.
Click to expand...

Atheism Plus - RationalWiki
 
They have a right to practice their religion however they like.
 
In what way could this be identified as like a "mega-church"? Are TIME just making stuff up?
 
Guy Incognito said:
They have a right to practice their religion however they like.
Click to expand...

Atheism is not a religion. Religions believe in deities.

atheism
/ˈeɪθɪɪz(ə)m/
noun
noun: atheism
1.disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods

deity
/ˈdeɪɪti,ˈdiːɪ-/
noun
noun: deity; plural noun: deities
1.a god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion).
 
There are several such groups. The "Brights" are atheistic and talk around "a naturalistic worldview" Their pages are filled with sadly desperate people, overjoyed to discover they are not alone in a world of supernaturalists. (they're mostly Americans, it has to be said.) They claim Richard Dawkins as a member, but I can't see the point of joining such a group. I don't need support to be who I am.

Brights movement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Brights' Net - Home Page
 
Great idea, if they serve beer, I'll go.
 
Spriggs05 said:
Atheism is not a religion. Religions believe in deities.

atheism
/ˈeɪθɪɪz(ə)m/
noun
noun: atheism
1.disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods

deity
/ˈdeɪɪti,ˈdiːɪ-/
noun
noun: deity; plural noun: deities
1.a god or goddess (in a polytheistic religion).
Click to expand...

No, it is a religion. Religious means:

1 : relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity <a religiousperson> <religious attitudes> 2 : of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances <joined areligious order> 3 a : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b :fervent, zealous
 
Last edited:
Guy Incognito said:
No, it is a religion. Religious means:

1 : relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity <a religiousperson> <religious attitudes> 2 : of, relating to, or devoted to religious beliefs or observances <joined areligious order> 3 a : scrupulously and conscientiously faithful b :fervent, zealous
Click to expand...

No, that is to be religious. We are talking about religion. Atheism is not a religion.

re·li·gion
noun \ri-ˈli-jən\
: the belief in a god or in a group of gods
: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods
 
Spriggs05 said:
No, that is to be religious. We are talking about religion. Atheism is not a religion.

re·li·gion
noun \ri-ˈli-jən\
: the belief in a god or in a group of gods
: an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods
Click to expand...

You are dishonestly only citing one of four sense of the word religion. The pertinent meaning of the word "religion" is:
"a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." Hence, atheism is a religion.

QED. I have proven you wrong and await your humble apology.
 
Wrong. Atheism is a denial of religious beliefs, practices, and attitudes.
 
Guy Incognito said:
You are dishonestly only citing one of four sense of the word religion. The pertinent meaning of the word "religion" is:
"a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." Hence, atheism is a religion.

QED. I have proven you wrong and await your humble apology.
Click to expand...

Can you link your source, that states this?
Also, Religion:
Religion | Define Religion at Dictionary.com
re·li·gion
[ri-lij-uhn] Show IPA
noun
1.a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
5.the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

( left out number 4 due to my feeling it was pretty irrelevant: 4.the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.)
 
Guy Incognito said:
You are dishonestly only citing one of four sense of the word religion. The pertinent meaning of the word "religion" is:
"a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." Hence, atheism is a religion.

QED. I have proven you wrong and await your humble apology.
Click to expand...

What set/system of belief do atheists ascribe to?
 
Guy Incognito said:
You are dishonestly only citing one of four sense of the word religion. The pertinent meaning of the word "religion" is:
"a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." Hence, atheism is a religion.

QED. I have proven you wrong and await your humble apology.
Click to expand...
There's no need to fight, you can both be wrong.

Religion doesn't always have to be related to a god or gods but atheism is still not a religion in itself because it's not a set of beliefs and practices.

Atheism/theism is what you believe. Religion is what you do about it. Atheism/theism isn't a religion though atheists (and theists of course) can be religious.
 
yes there are religious atheists like buddhists and raelians

Many [people] seem to believe that atheism is a religion, but no one with an accurate understanding of both concepts would make such a mistake. Atheism lacks every one of the characteristics of religion. At most, atheism doesn’t explicitly exclude most of them, but the same can be said for almost anything. Thus, it’s not possible to call atheism a religion. It can be part of a religion, but it can’t be a religion by itself. They are completely different categories: atheism is the absence of one particular belief while religion is a complex web of traditions and beliefs.
Click to expand...
 
Whatever. To each their own. If they have nothing better to do on a Sunday that's their problem. I have a life and neither the time nor the inclination to go around validating my lack of faith with a bunch of strangers.
 
HonestJoe said:
There's no need to fight, you can both be wrong.

Religion doesn't always have to be related to a god or gods but atheism is still not a religion in itself because it's not a set of beliefs and practices.

Atheism/theism is what you believe. Religion is what you do about it. Atheism/theism isn't a religion though atheists (and theists of course) can be religious.
Click to expand...

No, I'm right. It's a simple matter of definition.
 
Guy Incognito said:
No, I'm right. It's a simple matter of definition.
Click to expand...
If atheism were a religion, theism would be too. They're not because they're merely labels for singular belief positions. Simply holding a single belief doesn't meet any recognised definition of religion. Religion is a set of beliefs and practices.

The atheists referred to in the OP could be considered religious but that doesn't make atheism itself a religion.
 
Guy Incognito said:
No, I'm right. It's a simple matter of definition.
Click to expand...

Guy Incognito said:
You are dishonestly only citing one of four sense of the word religion. The pertinent meaning of the word "religion" is:
"a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices." Hence, atheism is a religion.

QED. I have proven you wrong and await your humble apology.
Click to expand...

spud_meister said:
What set/system of belief do atheists ascribe to?
Click to expand...


You've yet to demonstrate how atheism meets your definition.
 
HonestJoe said:
If atheism were a religion, theism would be too.
Click to expand...

"Theism" is a general category. It's not wrong to refer to "theism" as a religion.

Not sure why this simple definitional matter is so difficult for people to understand.
 
Guy Incognito said:
"Theism" is a general category. It's not wrong to refer to "theism" as a religion.
Click to expand...
Theism is not a category. It is a label for the singular belief in the existence of a god or gods. Not all theists are religious and not all religions are theistic.

Even if theism were a "general category" of religions that wouldn't make theism itself a religion and even if it did, that wouldn't make atheism a religion since it is the opposite of theism.

Guy Incognito said:
Not sure why this simple definitional matter is so difficult for people to understand.
Click to expand...
I understand perfectly well. Nobody understands your position because it directly contradicts the common definitions of the words in question and you've fundamentally failed to explain it in any kind of detail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom