ldsuttonjr Loc: ShangriLa

There’s an old joke that says: How do you describe an atheist at his funeral? “All dressed up with no place to go.”
Now, all jokes aside, there is a place atheists can go on Sundays. There’s a new type of “atheist church” that has been founded by a couple from England, and apparently it’s taking off.
Writing for the AP (11/11/13), Gillian Flaccus penned an article called, “Atheist ‘mega-churches’ are now a thing in the U.S as popularity spreads from U.K.”
These groups, write Flaccus, are “people bound by their belief in non-belief.” They have had large gatherings in Los Angeles, “San Diego, Nashville, New York and other U.S. cities.”
The founders are “British duo Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans,” who are on a “tour around the U.S. and Australia to drum up donations and help launch new Sunday Assemblies.”
The services consist of singing secular songs, inspirational talks, and times of reflection.
Basically, it’s religion without God.
It’s a free country, because of our Judeo-Christian base (and that of England), so the atheists are free to assemble or not, just as anyone else is. Only in nations tied to a Christian base does that freedom exist. (It certainly didn’t exist in the Soviet Union, which was based on atheism.)
But why accept a cheap imitation when you can get the real thing?
These atheist churches meet on Sunday mornings, the traditional day of corporate  worship. It’s a fact that the Jewish sect known as Christianity worshiped Jesus because all the earliest Christians (who were Jewish — Peter, Paul, and Mary, and the Apostles) believed Jesus had risen from the dead on “the first day of the week,” i.e., Sunday.

The idea of atheists going to church brings home to me the notion that we are all hard-wired by the Creator to worship.
We all worship something. According to the Bible, we’ll ultimately worship Jesus, or we’ll worship something less; we’ll worship the creature rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25).
The 17th century French mathematician and Christian apologist, Blaise Pascal, said there’s a God-shaped vacuum in every heart, just waiting to be filled.
The Bible says God created us, and we will give an account before Him one day. In the fourth century, St. Augustine wrote in his classic book, Confessions, “You have made us for Yourself, Oh God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”
The shorter catechism from the Westminster Confession of Faith from the 1640s asks: “What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
I remember years ago when an atheist acquaintance told me he loved to watch a certain preacher on TV every week. He loved his sermons because they were filled with motivation, goal-setting, uplifting stories. If the preacher mentioned God, the atheist would just edit that out in his mind.
Unfortunately, many Christian churches have unwittingly done the same, removing essential tenets of the Christian faith.  It’s sad to think that in some of our Sunday assemblies of professing Christians, there is no longer an emphasis on Christ’s atoning death for sinners and His resurrection from the dead. But that is the heart of the Christian message — from Day One to the present. Note the ancient creed, still repeated in many churches to this day: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”
In one sense, a “cross-less Christianity” makes just as much sense as an “atheist church.”
The Apostle Paul said to the Galatians, Do you think I’d still be facing all this persecution if it weren’t for my preaching the cross? He also said to the Corinthians, My goal was to preach Christ and Him crucified.
Meanwhile, the whole idea of organized atheism (especially the militant, full-time kind) seems contradictory: Because they spend all their energies fighting against God, whom they claim does not exist. If they really believed it, they wouldn’t care.
With Thanksgiving coming, and “atheist churches” apparently on the rise, I’m reminded of what G. K. Chesterton once said: “The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.” He also said, “If there were no God, there would be no atheists.”

by Jerry Newcombe 11/21/13

jetson

All religion, is from Satan, to deceive man. The worship of God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is not a religion. It is a relationship between God, the Creator and man. It does not matter, what religion you are in. It is of Satan. Has a different Jesus and only leads to hell. The writers of the Bible called these names of false religions out by name. If you are in the Mormon, Jeh. Witness, Islam, Catholic etc. Get out. Get a KJV and study it. Don't bother, with these new bibles. They have to be changed so much , before they can be copyrighted. That would disqualify them as the word of God. If it has other books added, to it beside the 66 in the KJV, it is not a word of God's book. It has become a counterfeit book. So, let the atheist call themselves a religion. That is just another, false religion added to the hundreds, that are already out there.

AfricanAtheist

As a staunch atheist I'm not exactly sure what to say. So, I guess I will start with a quote from Bill Maher inwhich he said "Atheism is a religion like abstienence is a sex position." I agree there is no need for atheists to assemble at a church or any other man made building to disbelieve in god. All one would have to do is have a normal conversation about the earth for its beginnings until the present day. That alone should be enough to convince one or at least make them doubt that mankind has yet to come up with an irrefuetable answer to our existence. The god of the holy books either doesn't exist or it is the most inept deity in history. It's a vain, egotistical, angry, jealous, judgmental, manical k**ler. Why anyone would want to worship a being with less morality than themselves is beyond me. I would venture to say that most true christians would never k**l anyone just for not believing or stone an adulterer to death or even k**l someone for working on the sabbath. However, as for who to thank, you thank people because people are what makes things happen in the world both good & bad. Here's another quote from someone whose name I can't think of right now but he said: "With or without religion you would have good people doing good things. With or without religion you would have bad people doing bad things but for good people to do bad things that takes religion.

ldsuttonjr Loc: ShangriLa

African Atheist: Just having the nerve to quote Bill Maher has just marginalize your thought process - you are a special king of stupid person! When the day comes (your funeral) someone will say "why did he dress up so nice? He has no where to go!' Cheers!

JimMe

I'm an Atheist. I believe an Atheist Organized Religion is Ignorance-Run-Amuck... And Mr Chesterton & His Followers: Thanksgiving for me is my being Thankful for My Lovely Family & Friends Whom I Thank Whole-Heartedly...

ldsuttonjr Loc: ShangriLa

Great reply JimMe: You just think you are an Atheist!

AfricanAtheist

First of all, you don't have to insult me or anyone else just for expressing their opinion. That just shows how fragile your beliefs are and thus your need to become immediately defensive. I you don't like Bill Maher that means one of two things: 1) You've never actually listened to him or
2) You've listened to him & what he says makes a mockery out of religion & exposes it for the juvenile superstition it is. If you disagree, tell us something to refute it.

AfricanAtheist

I meant IF you don't like Bill Maher.

PhilosophyMan Loc: Washington state.

read this and ask yourself, how stupid do you look right now? trying to prove the un-provable, you believe there is no god. great, now shut up and listen, your belief is that religion is evil. you are saying that which gives billions hope for a prosperous future is evil, how ignorant can you be? have you studied the concept of religion and human nature like I have? No, you think you know everything, you know almost nothing of life, you don't even know of the concept of reality, do you know why religion exists? why is the mind fascinated with the idea of a higher being? why would nature, with all it's glory, create something that destroys it and tries to bend it? you do not have the ability to try to understand all sides of the argument. study the all the holy books in the world, all the philosophers writings about life and god, then you can tell me there is no god. tell me what is real and what isn't, we are ALL inside our own heads, we only know what we observe from inside our head. what is reality? what is life? what is love? hope?
I ask you to do this, study yourself more than anything on this earth, I have, this is why I ask "what do you think?" because I want to get your mind going, study yourself, and study, and study, because that is the only thing you have to work with, reality leaves a lot to the imagination.
I leave with this, something I wrote not too long ago that involves some of what is being argued, study yourself, and tell me. what do you think?

In this moment, if I cry, nostalgia is where I may lie, for one might ask ‘do you remember then?’ and again and again I will remember in pain the joy of then, no one can truly understand what one feels of nostalgia, that is their own story, a story one tells one’s self when lonely, when sad, when feelings hurt, connections are made of memories, memories the mind hides from itself, to protect it from one’s self, we look at nostalgia in all her glory fondly, for we miss the days, and miss them, and miss them with torment, the minds feeble attempt to forget past suffering, to allow itself to look back without feeling the pain of then, connections made of rarity, rarity of happiness, happiness not in this moment, or the next, but of then, then when joy was common, when no hardship can be recalled, or much hardship, or both, hardship and joy that got one from where they were, to where they are now, the only thing that may stop them is the very thing that can be their greatest advantage, memory and remembrance of the day recalled to be filled with the joy that is absent now, in childhood, in brotherhood, in remembrance, nostalgia, whose taste is so sweet, one might forget that it is only a treat for those who need to remember how they define themselves in the moment for memory of you has been made, is being made, and will not cease to be made until you die your second death, the death of memory, the first death is but an earthly death, a death of alleged peace and bliss for weary travelers of life who lay to rest their heads, their journey at an end, not the earthly death, the second death, the death of dreams, memories, and the very existence of yourself, will lie in the memory of others one day, the death of memory of you, it has happened to everyone, including the ancestors whose name we know, do we know? Did we know? No? You know the name but not the person? Ahh, a famous man whose name has evaded me once said “you die twice, once when you really die, and another when one says your name for the last time.” That speaks volumes of t***h, but…what about the death of the memories of those who really remembered you, for you, your personality, and your attitude? If you die and make it into history, sustainable history that is stored and remembered in the books they may write of you, then there is a third death, a death beyond both, and truly emotional death that should be cause for more grief than the original death, but no one is there to recognize the true sadness, the death of the memories people had, of simply meeting you, saying Hi for the first time, the time you almost set fire to the neighborhood, the joy you had, the h**e you had, the impressions people had of you In THEIR minds and THEIR memories of you, when people knew you and SAW you, when you were in life, or the very actions causing your death if you were a martyr, the lives you had effected due to your actions. The third death is a death of nostalgia, when someone fondly remembers you for the last time, whenever, wherever it may be, in that moment is when you truly die, history books or not that is ones true death, nostalgia is the most powerful feeling one can feel, just remember when…? There are times in my life where I may cry in passion and sorrow for the memories had and the times remembered by only a few, it is those very things that may d**g one to death of pain, pain of memories, memories of joy, loss, sadness and happiness. No matter whom you are, no matter what you believe, no matter what you do, if you are mortal you will die three deaths, one of earth, one of nostalgia, and one of history/recorded existence, all will die these deaths, but you only have to worry about the first. As a man once said “death is going to be a greater adventure than life.” That is true, death could be anything, a door to judgment by a higher power, another life, eternal damnation or simply nothing…. Or simply everything, that is the journey not the destination, as for life, life ties with reality, reality leaves a lot to the imagination, the meaning of life Is directly connected to you own individual perception of reality. Have you ever looked into the reflection of you in a puddle and thought, “what if I am the reflection?” I have had many moments such as these, many that the human mind cannot conceive how to communicate the feelings of, and may they be fond, curious, saddening, happiness, dread, or terror. These are only vague words to describe infinite feelings and possibilities of the joy of life, the sadness of life, or fear in life felt when considering that question.

why would you spend your life trying to prove something that will never be proven or dis-proven? enjoy life, make memories, simply live, if you wish to understand being, dwell on life, study it, and study, and study. you will never understand, nor will I, that is the joy, not knowing, once you understand that, you will feel as I feel

Artemis

wow why all that anger?

Artemis

And there you have it :cry:

PhilosophyMan Loc: Washington state.

those that are angry at those they feel have inferior minds, for believing what they believe, themselves ignorant for doing so. h**e? No. frustration? Yes. if you are atheist, be atheist, wh**ever, but understand you are not smarter than anyone else, we all are searching for purpose, I ask that people do so without trying to stamp out what others believe to make you feel your belief is more correct than others.

Raylan Wolfe Loc: earth

"We discover in the Gospel's a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication." Thomas Jefferson

AfricanAtheist

You quoted the bible. In your context they went hand in hand. Everyone knows there's been thousands of gods and just like all of the ones before this god to shall be relegated to mythological status as humans learn more about our planet. God & religion are nothing but fear dressed up as virtue. It has absolutely nothing with what's true. I dare say most deists haven't even ventured to explore whether what they believe is true or not they just accept it. You on the other hand are pissed simply because someone has a different viewpoint from you and has to resort to name calling. I for one am a gentleman but I dare say if we were having this conversation in public I highly doubt you would talk to me with such disrespect. If you claim to be a christian try acting like jesus said you should.

PhilosophyMan Loc: Washington state.

are you "trolling"? because you seem to assume everyone who disagrees with you is a Christian. did you even fully read my post? are you even responding to me or someone else? when did I quote the bible?