This is a discussion on Atheist get-togethers in RL within the Atheism forums, part of the Atheism category; For a change in pace from the "theist trolling for atheists" threads, I've got a question: how many of you ...
Atheist get-togethers in RL For a change in pace from the "theist trolling for atheists" threads, I've got a question: how many of you participate in real-life atheist organizations, meetup groups, etc.? How have you found them?
For those of you that don't do this sort of thing: why not?
I've never really gotten involved with any real-life atheist groups, but I'm thinking more and more about the idea.
Re: Atheist get-togethers in RL I am currently in WV/KY. I am open about being atheist but not so much I don't understand the price of wearing it on your sleeve in the bible belt. I am about to move so that may change soon.
Re: Atheist get-togethers in RL Just to call attention to this thread again, maybe I should go into more detail about why I've been thinking about this:
On the one hand, I got to thinking about the various studies on the health benefits of religion. All of the discussions attributed the difference in life expectancy between religious people and the non-religious with community: a church is a support group. It provides community interaction and a circle of friends. It also provides a network of people who look out for your well-beling. While there's nothing supernatural there, I recognize that I don't really have any sort of community like that. Maybe there's some benefit to be had through "communities" for people who are, for reasons of faith, largely shut out of these other communities.
On the other hand, though, I don't feel any particular "pull" to be part of an atheist community. I don't really see the appeal of getting together every week, month, or what-have-you to talk about the non-existence of God.
... but because I don't see the appeal, I haven't really ever participated in any atheist groups. This makes me wonder if I'm missing something. Has anyone gone out to their local atheist/freethought/skeptic/etc. group? What did you think of it? What did you get out of it?
Re: Atheist get-togethers in RL Penguin, your thoughts are nearly a mirror of my own. There is definitely value to belonging to a like-minded group or community. I have relatives who admit quite freely that they belong to a church purely for the network of friends and acquaintances they get out of it. They have no need for religion. Fortunately, they live in Toronto and have a wide variety of churches to choose from. They have found a pretty laid-back group that they are comfortable with. I couldn't do it. No matter how nice the rest of the congregation were I have sat through all the sermons and gospel readings I ever want to sit through.
Like you I would like to attend a couple of atheist meetups just to see what goes on. There seems to be lots of CFI activities that I think I would enjoy but I'm a long way from Toronto. I live in a smallish community in northern Ontario and I'm not aware of any groups to check out in my area. My substitute is a local astronomy club. I am very interested in astronomy and I find a lot of like-minded people are similarly attracted to the hobby. Of course it also attracts a certain proportion of people who are fascinated by matters astronomical but not very discerning when it comes to applying critical-thinking. Hence I often have to either bite my tongue or defend my stance on things like certain alt-med practices or beliefs such as the full-moon effect. Occasionally, at outreach events, we sometimes meet proponents of even weirder beliefs like chem-trails, ufos, astrology or various conspiracies. It's not unusual to find ourselves challenged to support the big bang theory or abiogenesis or discuss the possibilities of ET's.
I certainly find camaraderie and friendship in the astronomy club but I still wouldn't mind finding out what goes on when atheists get together.
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool." -- Richard Feynman
Re: Atheist get-togethers in RL I don't know that there are very many atheists in my area. The ones I've met in the past tend to a high school mentality about it, proclaiming they are an atheist for shock value and to go against the system. That's not really being an atheist at all. I am a business owner and probably not want to be associated with any local atheist groups for the stigma it would put on me and my business. While I don't actively hide my atheism, neither do I want to advertise it.
Re: Atheist get-togethers in RL It is sad that, at least here in the United States-I'm not sure about elsewhere, being an atheist can hurt business. Christian businesses are trusted while secular businesses aren't (and especially not an atheist business). And a politician would be committing political suicide if he or she advertised his or her atheism.Originally Posted by widdershins
I like the idea of belonging to a community of atheists. Unfortunately, community like that leads to polarization that I do not think is healthy. It is one of the reasons that I detest organized religion. They surround themselves with people of similar irrational beliefs and there is no hope to speak and explain rationality to them afterward. I do not want that to happen to me. I would prefer to remain balanced. I do, however, think that some elements of community for atheists are important: like organizations which promote equality for all beliefs (fighting discrimination against atheists).
Last edited by Grace Roberts; 12-20-2010 at 04:32 PM. Reason: grammar fix
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