Can someone give me advice on how I would go about starting an atheist group in my community?

Question

Has anyone had any luck in organizing such groups? Have you met any resistance or roadblocks? How successful is your group and what kind of events do you hold?

Answer 1

Try going throught American Atheists, Infidels.org, or the Center for Inquiry. They all have info for starting groups. Or check out your local college - the group I started at my campus is open to the community as well. We have lectures and discussions and debates, as well as movie nights. The local atheist/secular groups also have bi-monthly events - dinners, bar trips, etc. Good luck finding / founding one in your area.

I haven't met any real resistance, even though I'm in the heart of the bible belt.

EDIT: What do we talk about? Politics, science, literature, and the religious people, of course! Mainly, they are just groups of like-minded individuals, usually well-educated and outspoken.

Answer 2

I believe you will find that atheists are atheists because for one thing they don't like being grouped! I'm an atheist and I have never belonged to a group of atheists and I actually do not know of any such groups in existance in my locality. I'd think it rather odd if there were - it just starts to sound like a religion then.

Julian has a point - what WOULD you talk about? Not exactly as if atheists have this driving desire to go around converting Christians, is it? So organising such "community service" would not be high on the agenda!

Answer 3

An excellent question in one way.
Depends upon your community. If you are living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I would strongly advise against it. Death awaits.
If you are living in any bible belt in the US, the fundamentals COULD take it upon themselves to attack you in one way or another - as per abortion clinics.
Fact is, I don't think that atheists NEED such an association, as we all know that there is little need for us to reinforce our beliefs by meeting together and reassuring ourselves that we are in the right, as religious folk seem to need. We don't have anything to prove. We don't need to sing the praises of a non-existent entity.
Then again, if you want some intelligent conversation with some like-minded people over a drink or two, the topics of conversation could be widespread and not restricted solely to necessarily 'preaching to the converted'. That would be mighty boring after a while.
It is far more worthwhile talking to those who are sure that there is a god lurking out there IF they are prepared to listen.
Still, don't let my view deter you from such endeavour and I would like to know whether you succeed and what occurs once you have some members ...

Answer 4

First, you may want to consider talking to the Unitarian Universalist Association in town. Atheists often find they are more than welcome there, and the pain of organizing an additional association is much easier to deal with. It's even possible to create a small group within the congregation as a whole to discuss atheistic themes, such as science in the public schools, separation of church and state, incursion of religious rules into secular laws, etc.

You may want to contact the some of the various atheist associations, many of which are linked in the links page of the Yahoo group "Non-believers".

Finally, consider organizing a book club for those who want to read some of the recent atheist literature: Dawkins' "The God Delusion; Harris' "Letter to a Christian Nation", etc.

Good luck!

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Answer 5

right this is how you would be atheist devoid of hurting thoughts of somebody with sturdy religious convictions: you may no longer. If their thoughts are injury you're conversing to a controlling character. Now, although, interior the quietness of your very own coronary heart, you will locate effortless floor as an atheist, with theists. right this is how: despite in case you have faith in faith or no longer, it is not proper. What concerns is what are you doing along with your phantasm? (And this you'll be able to locate is going decrease back to Catholicism which you left - that's nice, by way of ways i'm no longer arguing which you will bypass decrease back i'm merely asserting) each religious place - which incorporates an irreligious place - has some thing to make contributions on your existence. i recognize because of the fact I went via this with various faiths and an atheistic era. I now evaluate myself a positioned up-atheist. you have already pointed out that community is significant to you. that's some thing those religions foster greater effective than atheists do. however the genuine ingredient is what are any of them and what are you doing interior the international that's recuperating it, with the perspectives you carry? that's all that concerns. that's the effortless floor you share with theists. once you keep enterprise with a non secular guy or woman, you may save this motto on your coronary heart, "we are able to talk". And save it with regard to the strikes, the outcomes. i wish this tips liberates you rather. i think of it rather is the main compassionate and value-cultivating place to take.

Answer 6

Atheistic societies have been around for a long time. I found an article last year where a man received over 1,000 letters, some from atheistic societies, who became believers when his prediction on the fall of Islam fulfilled exactly on the day he discovered in the Bible.
It is very interesting and called: The Rise, Decline, and Death of Islam in Bible Prophecy.

Answer 7

I have been in a couple of them. It is like herding cats. We don't all want to do the same things, and unless you are in a big city there aren't that many that are even interested. They usually just end up being a sit around the coffee shop and complain about the religious group. And that really gets boring.

Answer 8

I joined one at my university and it was short-lived. They tend to attract self-righteous and hot headed people if advertised public-ally. This one was started by a bunch of friends and they attracted people by fliers posted around campus and at a locally owned bookstore. Good luck.

On a side note I stopped being a atheist after going to this club because I realized they were just as full of it as the Christians who they fought against.

Answer 9

run an ad in the newspaper, name place and time to meet. I hope no one comes. There is no such group in my area thank God.

Answer 10

try recruiting some people from a philosophy class from either a high school or college.