Atheist Sunday Assembly goes worldwide, the future is bright for non-believers

Originally posted by jimmiec
So it is basically a YMCA? I think maybe the entire premise of Atheism is lost once they start holding weekly meetings in a church to celebrate not believing. I just can't grasp the point in it. Hey, but whatever floats your boat.

No, it's just a place for like minded people to meet and hold discussions.. I'm in a similar group here in Ohio .. they simply refer to themselves as "Freethought" which has been around since 2007

Freethought a dynamic local community group. Our members generally include freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and others associated with the freethought community. We get together routinely for socializing, but we also come together to promote reason, critical thinking, and secular culture. Our meetups provide a forum in which open-minded individuals may meet, socialize, and discuss pretty much any topic they wish, free from intolerance.

Because a group of like minded individuals wish to get together to socialize and discuss topics of shared interest does not make it a church.. there's no worshiping of anything.. so the comparison to a church makes no sense.. a church is just that, a house of worship.

Originally posted by firegoggles
God=Creator of the universe including all dimensions we know of and don't know of.

We don't agree on the definition. Now what?

reply to post by spy66


is it not just an adjustment of the very unchristian julian calendar to avoid having to add extra days here and there. it's not a question, i know the answer

and just because a calendar is set by a certain group, so what?

how about your days of the week? should we really go there?

I would also like to add to those that keep calling the place they meet at every Sunday a church, it's not .. London has a lot of buildings that resemble churches that aren't churches.

The Nave is a licenced, education, arts and performance space which sits on the border of Hackney and Islington boroughs in London.

With great location, superb acoustics and a number of different sized spaces available for hire for;

concerts and theatrical performances

weddings and other special occasions

night classes

markets

use by local community groups for meetings and events

In other words it's a space you can rent out for your events... not a church.

Source: www.thenave.org...

If advocates of Atheism (capitalized like all religions) argue about concepts such as God, study and talk about the Bible, congregate on Sundays, claim persecution, put up billboards, put a Darwin version of the Jesus fish on their cars, and take their knowledge from their authorities as a matter of faith, we see that it is nothing but another sect of Christianity.

*facedesk*

Leave it to ATS. A person posts a thread to share her happiness and excitement about finding a group of like-minded people to spend time with for community and social interaction. And of course half the people on the first page immediately insinuate she's going to hell.

*cheesy grin and giant thumbs up*

I kinda wish hell was a real place at times, so the people who deserve it would end up there.

When you die, your conscious will live on. It's like going to sleep being in a dreamworld. If you truly believe when you die it will be hell or heaven, most likely that's what will happen because that's your conscious. Let's say you believe when you die you'll end up in la la land with guns, beers and women...that's where your conscious will take you.

So have fun with hellfire and brimstone and being in a paradise where you can't do what you want because they say God will set rules of things that you cannot do, to all you "believers". Like the bible tells all these amazing things happened back in the day but absolutely nothing amazing like bible stories happens today. Sounds like fairy tales to me.

Oh yeah I almost forgot I thought atheism wasn't a religion...if not then why do they have a church?

Originally posted by something wicked

Originally posted by grainofsand
reply to post by FraternitasSaturni

 

What? People hooking up together to celebrate life without unsubstantiated scriptures ruling the agenda?
Call it what you like, it matters not. I'm looking forward to meeting loads more people who genuinely do not believe in gods in my area. They are coming out of the woodwork now organised meeting places are popping up under the Sunday Assembly brand

You really don't see why people find this ironic do you? Strange. I'm not particularly keen on darts (the sport) - do you think that if I started a community event based on nothing other than the fact everybody there doesn't like darts - no other reason and it's you that is making this analogy easy - you wouldn't find that just a little.... strange?

That's a poor argument.
When did you last see darts teams knocking on doors trying to convert non-dart players and spouting fire & brimstone to those who do not wish to play?

Most people view atheism is an individual choice, not as a membership to a club, but you are showing a side to yourself by snide remarks about various faiths that atheism is in your eyes a cult for people who aren't fooled by religion - that's paraphrasing you but fairly much sums up your comments.

I'm unaware of snide remarks from myself here, just honest and reasoned debate. If the idea of non-believers hooking up to socialise in an environment free from religious hatred and safe from cries of "you'll burn" etc concerns you, then that is unfortunate.

Originally posted by Malynn
*facedesk*

Leave it to ATS. A person posts a thread to share her happiness and excitement about finding a group of like-minded people to spend time with for community and social interaction. And of course half the people on the first page immediately insinuate she's going to hell.

*cheesy grin and giant thumbs up*

I kinda wish hell was a real place at times, so the people who deserve it would end up there.

That made me chuckle, interesting and amusing perspective on this and other threads like it

Originally posted by LesMisanthrope
If advocates of Atheism (capitalized like all religions) argue about concepts such as God, study and talk about the Bible, congregate on Sundays, claim persecution, put up billboards, put a Darwin version of the Jesus fish on their cars, and take their knowledge from their authorities as a matter of faith, we see that it is nothing but another sect of Christianity.

Most of what you said sounds like rubbish.. I don't claim persecution, put up billboards, I don't own any Darwin merchandise .. Nor to I take my knowledge from my authorities as a matter of faith, I don't know many true Athiests who do .. I also don't congregate on Sundays.. but I guess you could technically say bowling night with friends and a few beers is congregating with my buddies.. Sure there are some organized groups of like minded individuals.. but you're missing the key point and that is one is about worshiping a deity and faith through brotherhood ( religion ) and the other is about socializing and discussion about like minded topics.. zero worship involved.. Yes discussion of religion is going to happen because religion does fall into categories of scientific interest in it's own right .. the proving of or disproving of an idea based on facts.

Originally posted by Evanzsayz
When you die, your conscious will live on. It's like going to sleep being in a dreamworld. If you truly believe when you die it will be hell or heaven, most likely that's what will happen because that's your conscious. Let's say you believe when you die you'll end up in la la land with guns, beers and women...that's where your conscious will take you.

So have fun with hellfire and brimstone and being in a paradise where you can't do what you want because they say God will set rules of things that you cannot do, to all you "believers". Like the bible tells all these amazing things happened back in the day but absolutely nothing amazing like bible stories happens today. Sounds like fairy tales to me.

Oh yeah I almost forgot I thought atheism wasn't a religion...if not then why do they have a church?

Thanks for sharing your unprovable faith based contribution to the thread.
Oh, and for who knows how many times now, the gathering is not a church...did you not read the OP and many other replies since then?

Originally posted by Evanzsayz
Oh yeah I almost forgot I thought atheism wasn't a religion...if not then why do they have a church?

edit on 12-3-2013 by Evanzsayz because: (no reason given)

It's not a church, please read the previous posts.. London has many buildings like this.. the building in question is called "The Nave" and it can be rented for community events and other various things. It's not a church. It's just a very old building with, if you ask me, a rather beautiful architectural design.

www.thenave.org...

Just re-posting this for your benefit.

The Nave is a licenced, education, arts and performance space which sits on the border of Hackney and Islington boroughs in London.

With great location, superb acoustics and a number of different sized spaces available for hire

reply to post by grainofsand


I just hope you all will not be as noisy as the Christians to anyone who does not believe the same as you! Pushing your belief or lack there of if you prefer on anyone and everyone. Gets pretty old and boring.


But somehow with this thread I kinda doubt it...

Originally posted by humphreysjim

Originally posted by Fromabove

It's like a group of tea makers gathering together in a room to discuss the intricacies of rocket science based upon the theories of Einstein and Hawkins as it relates to quantum mechanics. No, I'm not lying, they really have no reason to gather together except to admit that there's nothing going on and no real purpose for it. I find it amusing really.

Again, you have it backwards.

Religion says: God did it. There is nothing more to discuss.
Scientists spend their life pondering answers to the Universe's origins.

The things to discuss outside of religion are endless, you conceited man.

God doesn't cancel out science. Science still works. The difference is that we know God made it, and we want to understand how it's made and what it's made of. It's the wonder of discovery. Atheism says, it's here, so what, and when you die that's it. Nothing matters at all. For me, as a Christian, everything matters.

Before you repeat the old, "earth is only 6,000 years old thing and evolution is right," let me add that the Bible doesn't say the Earth is 6,000 years old, and that it says "Let the earth bring forth the living creature.."

That being said, where were we now ?

reply to post by miniatus

In the spirit of fairness, The Nave is a former Anglican Church, The Church of St Paul, Islington, London.
It closed as many Christian churches have due to falling attendances, so is no longer a church, just a decent sized building which anyone can rent out.

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
In truth I am convinced that the purpose of Christ is our absolute liberation in love whereby faith in God isn't a belief in an external deity but the very condition of one who is liberated and who therefore loves as he is loved (by virtue of his own inclusion) and who is love itself. It's an intimate, participatory, co-creative relationship, and an opportunity of breathtaking magnitude and proportion as a gateway of a domain of unlimited and unconstrained possibility for the human being to be and become full and freely and authentically self expressed as he is.

Of course such thinking would not be permitted at an atheist party..

But because God has shared everything and granted us freedom, and is still God no matter what people believe or do not believe, as a Christian I honor the freedom and the right of like-minded atheists to gather in defiance and denial of God.. (that's right isn't it?).

I just hope they have a healthy sense of humor about it all when all is said and done.

reply to post by daskakik


Your just being difficult..read all my posts in this thread to see where I'm coming from I guess. I tend to think that most peoples definition of God or lets even say an "alleged" God for the atheist sake. I would think we can all agree that a being that is responsible for all of the creation of the universe and all things humans know past present and future are the result of this intelligence would no doubt land in the "God" category if such a being exists. So you disagree with that huh?

Wow that makes like 1 of you in the universe that is just weird. But OK then what is it you would like to label a being with the attributes outlined in short above? Boss man? The Great OZ? Because you see from where I'm sitting it really doesn't matter what we call this being but I just go with the flow and call that being God just to make it easy for those around me to understand.

Originally posted by Fromabove

God doesn't cancel out science. Science still works. The difference is that we know God made it, and we want to understand how it's made and what it's made of. It's the wonder of discovery. Atheism says, it's here, so what, and when you die that's it. Nothing matters at all. For me, as a Christian, everything matters.

Before you repeat the old, "earth is only 6,000 years old thing and evolution is right," let me add that the Bible doesn't say the Earth is 6,000 years old, and that it says "Let the earth bring forth the living creature.."

That being said, where were we now ?

Many Christians would argue that the earth is in fact 6,000 years old but fortunately that belief is dying out. It's still fairly common that you'll encounter groups that take the bible as literal history and argue that the earth is that young.

"We know God made it" .. you don't, you just believe it strongly without evidence.. if you knew it, you could prove it of course. There's a huge difference between believing something and knowing something and that's where science tries to do it's part.

But I won't go down this rabbit hole any further, I know it is pointless. On that, I'll exit this discussion before it swirls down the toilet =)

Originally posted by abeverage
reply to post by grainofsand

 

I just hope you all will not be as noisy as the Christians to anyone who does not believe the same as you! Pushing your belief or lack there of if you prefer on anyone and everyone. Gets pretty old and boring.


But somehow with this thread I kinda doubt it...

There is a difference between raising awareness of options available in the community and evangelising.
If you go through all my posts, you and others will easily see my intention is to raise awareness, unlike some of the posters suggesting hell and whatever for my actions

Originally posted by grainofsand
reply to post by miniatus

 

In the spirit of fairness, The Nave is a former Anglican Church, The Church of St Paul, Islington, London.
It closed as many Christian churches have due to falling attendances, so is no longer a church, just a decent sized building which anyone can rent out.

I never said it wasn't a church at some point in it's history because I wasn't sure. I just said that it's not a church, and it isn't, at least not in it's present form ..I wouldn't be surprised if it were in it's past.. I tried to find some mention of that on their web site but couldn't find any reference to it being a church .. if I had I would have mentioned it ( truthfully ).

But the point of fact is that it's not a church now, it's a licensed, commercial space that's rented out for events and concerts.. etc