“Joined” this thread? Have you become a dreaded Threadite, filling the thread-shaped hole in your existence with forum dialogues?
The article only mentions adults. Are their children at these meetings?
Is there some sort of atheist sunday school?
They’re usually called “fundamentalists”, or “zealots”. And they’re out there. Most people when they speak of “militant” atheists are thinking of New Atheism, which can be pretty obnoxious, at least from my observation. shrugs (I’m not talking about keeping schools and government secular and religious-neutral)
Only the really interesting ones - and this one certainly qualifies. 
Seriously - from the standpoint of giving me things to think about and ponder further, this has been one of the better ones to pop up here in a while.
It is called “school” and it meets Monday through Friday.
ETA: actually, I took my kids to museums, science expos, the park, etc on Sundays.
I belong to the same SA as Brynda, and yes, we are developing a program for kids and teens. I’ve been involved with that side a little. The program for the kids works in some science (we have an elementary school science teacher who has a lot of input with that), art, some music, etc so, yes, kind of like Sunday school without the god stuff. 
As I mentioned, I think he does more funerals than weddings, and I’m pretty sure you don’t need a religious-like service to die. It’s just something that people want. Humanist Celebrants have experience doing that sort of service, and can relied on not to wander off into discussions of God while doing it.
I think he does baby namings, too.
I don’t know that atheists have a “church shaped hole” in them, but i think humans like to mark major events, and many places churches have a near monopoly that. Humanist Celebrants offer an alternative.
Speaking as a Catholic who DID read the article…
First, as I’ve noted before, I’d have thought the one and only clear benefit of atheism is that you DON’T have to wake up early on Sundays and attend rituals! Sometimes, I think it would be GREAT to sleep late, or go fishing, or put on a pot of coffee and read the Sunday papers, or go out to brunch, or go do something fun with my son. Why would anyone abandon God but keep going to Sunday meetings? Sounds like throwing away the baby but clinging to the bathwater!
Second, it’s interesting to see the different approaches being taken by the atheist author and the atheists she’s writing so condescendingly about. It’s also interesting that SHE chooses to compare atheists to gays.
If atheists are widely unpopular, what should they do? Try to convince everyone that they’re really nice and not really so different from their religious neighbors? Or get down and dirty and make war on societal norms?
Hell, if that’s all you want, that’s easy to find in the South. Just join an Episcopalian or ELCA (Lutheran) congregation ;). I have to convince people that my ELCA congregation is actually fine with Republicans (though may have to hear a prayer or two in the middle of the church service for the Supreme Court to rule for gay marriage this Summer).
God and an average age of 82. Sounds like a match.:rolleyes:
In my part of the ELCA we call those “Q-tip Congregations”. You look out and all you see are these white-topped sticks in the pews. 
Yes. But the clear downside is that you don’t have the same sort of community relationships that churchgoers do. Sundays make sense because most people are off work (thanks to you god-squadders ;)) and the assemblies make sense because you get to hang out with like-minded people. I’ve been thinking about doing something like this myself, not really for the fellowship but for the professional development opportunities.
Not to be overly snarky, but you seem to enjoy making judgments about what other people do on Sunday morning, which is a quality I usually associate with the religious. And based on your participation in this thread, you seem to enjoy discussing atheist issues, atheism in the news, and strategies for promoting atheism in society. So maybe you’d be a better candidate for “atheist church” than you think! 
Not to be overly dismissive, but the “if you hate it so much why do you spend so much time arguing about it” ploy is pretty high-school debate club.
However, you’re misreading my arguments anyway. I don’t care what people do on Sunday morning (or pretty much any other time) as long as it doesn’t bother me directly. My OP was about the nonsense-filled and high profile piece in the NYT, which led to supporting arguments about “atheists” who have to make a big production of going to not-church. It’s the act, not the actions.
A disappointing and cringe-inducing piece.
[QUOTE=Molly Worthen]
Some activists call it a movement — and if it is, then it’s a movement grounded in ideas, despite what Ms. Reed says.
[/QUOTE]
Um, if it is a movement, then it’s a movement grounded in ideas. What a clumsy sentence! :rolleyes:
BS. I’m generalising here, but atheists are incredibly self-aware. They know not only their own intellectual tradition, but also the religious traditions better than the believers.
And nonbelievers are allergic to dogma, so they know less about their intellectual traditions? What logic is this? :dubious:
Did she say “tangle with traditional Christians”? (reads again) Yes, she did. Ha ha, tangle. Really? Darnit, I can’t stop laughing now.
In the second half of the article, the author grossly misrepresents the nonbelievers as straying from the hallowed intellectual tradition, just so that she can close with a pseudo-prescient bs about the importance of the intellectual tradition.
Finally, when the author says “when the nonbelievers will want the intellectual heritage the most”, when exactly is that?
Best way to get a Jewish wedding. But you don’t need atheist quasi-clergy for a non-religious wedding.
I kind of like this idea. Especially during playoffs. And we have a Big 10 team as the Packers up the road, so Saturdays are just as dead as Sundays. There should be plenty of places abnormally empty facilities that could be used by enthusiasts guring game time. Like bowling alleys! Except I don’t like bowling either.
But there’s no reason to assume an atheist has any of the qualities you want in a friend. Why go to a meeting of atheists? Why not go to a meeting of people who are interested in one of your favorite activities? Could be a cooking club, a golfers’ club, a chess club, a Game of Thrones fan club, a theater group, whatever. A shared interest is a great basis for friendship and community. A shared NON-interest? Not so much.
It’s somewhat more on point when what you’re discussing IS the high school debate club. If you’re in high school and spend a lot of time debating the merits of the debate club (or anything else), then…well, you might like the debate club. I’m a member of an atheist group, and we spend about equal time socializing (which you’ve said you like) and having discussions like this one, including ones on the very topic of whether we should do something like SA. Admittedly in SA itself that precise topic is rather decided, but I imagine they have similar debates about their direction.
I think you’re confusing the article with the thing its reporting on. I don’t think the SA members are “making a big production” out of going to a quasi-church except to the extent that they’re not holding their services in secret. The reporter is turning it into an act, as you say, because that’s what reporters do.
In reality, my experience is that the atheists who are most interested in something like SA are those who are least “militant,” including myself. I used to like goign to church when I was a believer, and I miss it. But you seem either bothered by or incredulous of the idea that some atheists might want to attend something like SA just for its own sake. If you don’t want to go, don’t go, but don’t expect me to forego it just because it conflicts with YOUR political message.
You don’t need one, but if you want someone experienced in organizing and officiating at wedding ceremonies who you know won’t start mentioning God during the ceremony, it might be the best way to get a non-religious wedding. A JP might be more used to officiating for people who don’t want a ceremony, and might be used to people who do request a ceremony also wanting God mentioned (even if civil ceremonies are supposed to be secular).
That sounds right in theory, but I can tell you that in practice I have a lot in common with other people who are interested in joining an atheist community group. Is that entirely a coincidence? Maybe, but it’s still true.