communityI use the word “congregation” to mean a group of people who are united based on their faith, but share much more than that - typically social, political, and economic support and aid, amongst other things.
Are there any groups which provide similar sorts of support and experiences, but without the requirement for explicit statements of faith? Are any of these groups popular within the Atheist community?
The local Houston Atheist meetup is a great example of a vast social network that is plenty capable of supplanting even the biggest southern congregations. Keeping in mind congregations are usually local, (denominations are regional with many congregations). With over 1,050 members the Houston Atheists have their own
They typically have one or two events every day in some part of the city. With 61 schedule events on the calendar right now: including a TRON 2 showing, and New Years Camping.
I’m not exactly sure what this question is over. And, I’m not exactly convinced that you wanted to target something specifically. Just wanted to throw out a very localized answer.
While Houston is the biggest, there are a ton of these types of meetups.
There are numerous skeptical, humanist, freethinker, atheist and agnostic groups across the United States - some local, some national. Googling
While these groups don’t have a particular faith, it’s much like a congregation in that people come to discuss ideas, form friendships, and create the psychological support networks similar to what religious congregations would establish as a result of their faith.
I find Americans United (against church & state ) to be a good community of people who support a common ground and cultural identity (atheist v theist) is not an issue whatsoever.
Although this is a US group, I recommend it as finding an atheist message or issue can be a good ground for integrating atheist thought into society at large.
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