5) Atheistic churches, camps and chaplains
a) Atheist churches
Not only are two of the court
cases cited earlier, Washington Ethical Society and the Fellowship of Humanity,
examples of atheistic/secular groups identifying with religious churches, there
are scores of others seeking to equate themselves as churches (in the religious
sense).
Several years ago, a couple of
Brits, Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, brought their successful mega-church
style of atheistic churches to America.
The “inaugural Sunday Assembly in
Los Angeles attracted more than 400 attendees, all bound by their belief in
non-belief.” The hundreds who
attended were treated to “more than an
hour of rousing music, an inspirational sermon, a reading and some quiet
reflection.” It was like an
old-fashioned Baptist revival as the “attendees
stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered as Jones” entertained
the congregants.[i]
These mega-churches, according to
Gillian Flaccus, writing for the Associated Press, are "people bound by their belief in non-belief.” A Christian Post articles described it this
way: “The services consist of singing
secular songs, inspirational talks, and times of reflection. Basically, it's religion without God.”[ii]
Coupled with this rise in
atheists turning to “church services” for education, edification and
evangelism, is the rise in Sunday school for atheists’ children. “[A]dult
nonbelievers are leaning on such secular Sunday schools to help teach their
kids values and how to respond to the Christian majority in the United States.”[iii] According the atheist site, Atheist
Revolution, this is a desire by atheist parents to impart to atheist children
their values; “The children learn about
secular values and how to deal with the god-delusional majority, receive
support for their disbelief, have their secular values reinforced, and gain a
sense of community from spending time with like-minded people.”[iv] Time magazine, writing about this phenomena,
subtitled its article, “Sunday School for
Atheists - An oxymoron? Nope — nonbelievers need places to teach their kids
values too.”[v]
b) Camps
“Camp Quest is a national organization that’s helped organize secular
camps around the country since 1996.”[vi] It is hosting various camps throughout the
regions of the country. Children have
the normal fun things at camp, but serious matters are also taught. Philosophical discussions are a staple, as
the children are taught from an atheistic perspective on such topics as: death,
purpose/meaning to life, atheistic creation stories, etc.[vii] [viii]
c) Chaplains
For years atheists have been trying
to get atheist/humanist chaplains into the military. Several years ago, The New York Times, wrote
an article about this push stating; “groups
representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of
one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a
large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.”[ix] According to Jason Torpy, a former Army
captain, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, “Humanism fills the same role for atheists
that Christianity does for Christians and Judaism does for Jews … It answers
questions of ultimate concern; it directs our values.”[x] Two years ago Jason Heap applied to the U.S.
Navy as a humanist chaplain because he “says
he wants only to serve his country — and those sailors who don't believe in God
and hold what he calls "nontheist" beliefs.”[xi] He already has an endorsing agency, the
Humanist Society, who describes “describes
humanism as ‘a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other
supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical
lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.’"[xii]
So there is an acknowledgement on
the part of some atheist/humanist that atheism/humanism fulfills the same role
as traditional religions do – i.e. answering questions of ultimate concerns. It also acts as a philosophy of life that
informs its adherents of the values of its beliefs.
Conclusion
It would be redundant to
continue, but it is possible to continue in the similar vein. They, secular humanists, have identified
their movement as religious, even employing religious terms. Our court system officially recognized that
"Secular Humanism" and "others" are religious beliefs. They
are adopting the religiosity of the traditional religions going so far as to
organize churches, start Sunday schools for their children, hosting camps, and
seeking to add atheist/humanist chaplains to the rank of the military.
By the vast amount of opposition
to being labeled as having a "religious" worldview shows how much the
term is denigrated today in our society. Look at the back-peddling being done
by the secular humanists today about being labeled "religious." With the renewed thrust to remove all things
religious from the public square it is not surprising to see the atheist/humanist
begin to retreat on their push for inclusion into having their worldview
labeled as religious. It is easy to
understand. After all if all things
religious are excluded from the public square the only alternative worldview
would be atheism/humanism. Regardless,
of what one would like to identify himself/herself as, one still does have a
worldview that determines how one lives and how one would like his/her culture
to be.
The standard line is that
Christians are always trying to force their "religion" or morality on
the masses. If Christians were not so forceful in demanding their particular
"worldview" to be the dominate one in America all would be okay.
The main point of this post is
that we all, without exception, have worldviews that guide our lives. Simply
because one does not cling to a theistic religious belief, or worldview, does
not mean that they do not hold to a particular religious belief or worldview.
We all without exception seek to have our cultures reflect our view of the world.
That would include Christians and non-Christians; theists and non-theists;
traditional religionists and non-traditional religionists.
[i] USA
Today, Atheist 'mega-churches' look for
nonbelievers, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/10/atheist-mega-churches/3489967
[ii] The
Christian Post, Church for Atheists?,
http://www.christianpost.com/news/church-for-atheists-109242/
[iii] The
Christian Post, Atheists Flock to Secular
Sunday School, http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheists-flock-to-secular-sunday-school-30231/
[iv] Atheist
Revolution, Atheist Sunday School, http://www.atheistrev.com/2007/11/atheist-sunday-school.html
[v] Time, Sunday School for Atheists - An oxymoron?
Nope — nonbelievers need places to teach their kids values too, http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686828,00.html
[vi] KCUR
89.3, Atheist And Agnostic Summer Camp
Launches In Kansas City, http://kcur.org/post/atheist-and-agnostic-summer-camp-launches-kansas-city
[vii] ABC
News, Atheist Summer Camp Is Heaven on
Earth for Nonbelievers, http://abcnews.go.com/US/atheist-summer-camp-heaven-earth-nonbelievers/story?id=17067039
[viii] ABC
News, Non-Religious Kids Find Refuge in
'Godless' Camp, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Business/story?id=971881&page=1
[ix] New
York Times, Atheists Seek Chaplain Role
in the Military, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/us/27atheists.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc
[x] Ibid
[xi] Los
Angeles Times, He wants to be the Navy's
first humanist chaplain, http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-humanist-chaplain-20130818,0,4527762.story
[xii] Ibid
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