Atheist
'mega-churches' take root across US, world
© AP Photo: Jae C. Hong
Hundreds of
atheists have been drawn to Sunday Assembly gatherings as a way to meet
likeminded people in a landscape dominated by faith.
1 day ago | By Gillian Flaccus of Associated Press (11/11/13)
LOS ANGELES — It looked
like a typical Sunday morning at any mega-church. Hundreds packed in for more
than an hour of rousing music, an inspirational sermon, a reading and some
quiet reflection. The only thing missing was God.
Dozens of gatherings dubbed "atheist
mega-churches" by supporters and detractors are springing up around the
U.S. after finding success in Great Britain earlier this year. The movement
fueled by social media and spearheaded by two prominent British comedians is no
joke.
On Sunday, the inaugural Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles
attracted more than 400 attendees, all bound by their belief in non-belief.
Similar gatherings in San Diego, Nashville, New York and other U.S. cities have
drawn hundreds of atheists seeking the camaraderie of a congregation without
religion or ritual.
The founders, British duo Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans,
are currently on a tongue-in-cheek "40 Dates, 40 Nights" tour around
the U.S. and Australia to drum up donations and help launch dozens of Sunday
Assemblies. They hope to raise more than $800,000 that will help atheists
launch their pop-up congregations around the world.
They don't bash believers but want to find a new way to
meet likeminded people, engage in the community and make their presence more
visible in a landscape dominated by faith.
Jones got the first inkling for the idea while leaving a
Christmas carol concert six years ago.
"There was so much about it that I loved, but it's a
shame because at the heart of it, it's something I don't believe in,"
Jones said. "If you think about church, there's very little that's bad.
It's singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving
yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with
wonderful relationships. What part of that is not to like?"
The movement dovetails with new studies showing an
increasing number of Americans are drifting from any religious affiliation.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released a
study last year that found 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious
affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years. Pew
researchers stressed, however, that the category also encompassed majorities of
people who said they believed in God but had no ties with organized religion
and people who consider themselves "spiritual" but not
"religious."
Sunday Assembly — whose motto is Live Better, Help Often,
Wonder More — taps into that universe of people who left their faith but now
miss the community church provided, said Phil Zuckerman, a professor of secular
studies at Pitzer College in Claremont.
It also plays into a feeling among some atheists that they
should make themselves more visible. For example, last December, an atheist in
Santa Monica created an uproar — and triggered a lawsuit — when he set up a
godless display amid Christian nativity scenes that were part of a beloved,
decades-old tradition.
"In the U.S., there's a little bit of a feeling that
if you're not religious, you're not patriotic. I think a lot of secular people
say, 'Hey, wait a minute. We are charitable, we are good people, we're good
parents and we are just as good citizens as you and we're going to start a
church to prove it," said Zuckerman. "It's still a minority, but
there's enough of them now."
AP Photo: Jae C. Hong
British
comedians and co-founders of the Sunday Assembly, Sanderson Jones, right, and
Pippa Evans sing a song Sunday, Nov. 10, in Los Angeles.
That impulse, however, has raised the ire of those who
have spent years pushing back against the idea that atheism itself is a
religion.
"The idea that you're building an entire organization
based on what you don't believe, to me, sounds like an offense against
sensibility," said Michael Luciano, a self-described atheist who was
raised Roman Catholic but left when he became disillusioned.
"There's something not OK with appropriating all of
this religious language, imagery and ritual for atheism."
That sentiment didn't seem to detract from the excitement
Sunday at the inaugural meeting in Los Angeles.
Hundreds of atheists and atheist-curious packed into a
Hollywood auditorium for a boisterous service filled with live music, moments
of reflection and an "inspirational talk, " and some stand-up comedy
by Jones, the movement's co-founder.
During the service, attendees stomped their feet, clapped
their hands and cheered as Jones and Evans led the group through rousing
renditions of "Lean on Me," ''Here Comes the Sun" and other hits
that took the place of gospel songs. Congregants dissolved into laughter at a
get-to-know-you game that involved clapping and slapping the hands of the
person next to them and applauded as members of the audience spoke about community
service projects they had started in LA.
At the end, volunteers passed cardboard boxes for
donations as attendees mingled over coffee and pastries and children played on
the floor.
For atheist Elijah Senn, the morning was perfect.
"I think the
image that we have put forward in a lot of ways has been a scary, mean, we want
to tear down the walls, we want to do destructive things kind of image is what
a lot of people have of us," he said. "I'm really excited to be able
to come together and show that it's not about destruction. It's about making
things and making things better."
