There really needs to be something that serves the social function of a church without being an unhealthy bigoted grift that protects pedos. We’re social creatures and need support, and churches exploit that.
That’s just a parody religion, more designed to make atheists pat themselves on the back about how clever they are and to piss off fundies. Both laudable goals, yes, but if people were gonna build a Sunday go-to-meetin’ space and arrange a couple hours of free childcare around that, it would have happened by now.
Very easy to forget how much of the modern religious institution is just a stop-gap for our decayed and broken public sector. Religious schooling, religious daycare, religious pantries and addiction treatment centers, religious medical centers, religious counseling services, religious jobs programs, religious housing…
Secular atheists don’t organize, they don’t form these strong community bonds with their neighbors, and they don’t collaborate to pursue these large community projects in a reliable way. I blame a lot of this on modern western libertarianism, which tends to latch on to the atheist movement like a parasite. Murray Rothbard and Ayn Rand have been a scourge on secularism for over a century. Every time secularists try to create these large, lasting, communal institutions, they get denounced as “Evil Communists” and “Tax-and-Spend Liberals” from within their own organizations.
You’re never going to see the Joel Osteen crowd tear him down for building a bigger Mega-Church. But the Sam Harris types will eviscerate secularists for doing any kind of more-useful equivalent.
Somewhat, but it’s not on the same level. At a church generations and families come together and are in contact for many years, if not whole lives. A hobby group doesn’t run that deep. Churches often host several different hobby groups. So you can be part of a parish throughout your life in good and bad times. For a hobby group you might have to drop out, if you don’t have the money to participate anymore.
There really needs to be something that serves the social function of a church without being an unhealthy bigoted grift that protects pedos. We’re social creatures and need support, and churches exploit that.
Flying Spaghetti Monster FTW
That’s just a parody religion, more designed to make atheists pat themselves on the back about how clever they are and to piss off fundies. Both laudable goals, yes, but if people were gonna build a Sunday go-to-meetin’ space and arrange a couple hours of free childcare around that, it would have happened by now.
Very easy to forget how much of the modern religious institution is just a stop-gap for our decayed and broken public sector. Religious schooling, religious daycare, religious pantries and addiction treatment centers, religious medical centers, religious counseling services, religious jobs programs, religious housing…
Secular atheists don’t organize, they don’t form these strong community bonds with their neighbors, and they don’t collaborate to pursue these large community projects in a reliable way. I blame a lot of this on modern western libertarianism, which tends to latch on to the atheist movement like a parasite. Murray Rothbard and Ayn Rand have been a scourge on secularism for over a century. Every time secularists try to create these large, lasting, communal institutions, they get denounced as “Evil Communists” and “Tax-and-Spend Liberals” from within their own organizations.
You’re never going to see the Joel Osteen crowd tear him down for building a bigger Mega-Church. But the Sam Harris types will eviscerate secularists for doing any kind of more-useful equivalent.
Any in-person hobby or interest group works. I do judo. I also just saw someone trying to start a local mutual aid network on FetLife.
Somewhat, but it’s not on the same level. At a church generations and families come together and are in contact for many years, if not whole lives. A hobby group doesn’t run that deep. Churches often host several different hobby groups. So you can be part of a parish throughout your life in good and bad times. For a hobby group you might have to drop out, if you don’t have the money to participate anymore.