Britain’s First Atheist ‘Church’ Opens Its Doors

Meanwhile,

On Sunday, Britain’s first atheist church held its very first meeting at The Nave, a former church-turned-performance space, in Islington, North London.

According to the Islington Gazette, stand-up comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans founded the so-called godless church because they wanted a space where non-religious folks could commune and edify one another.

The Huffington Post UK explains that the church, dubbed “Sunday Assembly,” has been “championed as [a] chance for disillusioned former believers, nostalgic atheists and anybody searching for a sense of community, to meet and ‘turn good intentions into action.’”

According to the Independent, about 200 worshippers showed up to the service, held on Jan. 6. The congregation focused on the theme of “Beginnings,” deliberating over ways that success can be achieved by letting go of past failures and avoiding “mental booby traps.” Instead of a sermon, the church invited Andy Stanton, a popular children’s book author, to talk about overcoming the odds and achieving success; and instead of praying together, those gathered were encouraged at one point to close their eyes and meditate on their fears of inadequacy and failure.  With Jones taking the stage as MC, the congregation was also treated to some stand-up comedy. A rendition of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back In Anger” was even sung during the gathering.

Going forward, the “Sunday Assembly” is scheduled to meet on the first Sunday of every month.

Not everyone is open to prospect of an atheist church, however. Some have accused Jones and Evans of pulling an elaborate publicity stunt; others argue that the conflation of atheism and religious practices is troubling.

“How can you be an atheist and worship in a church? Surely it’s a contradiction of terms. Who will they be singing to?” London Catholic parish priest Rev. Saviour Grech said to the Islington Gazette. “It is important to debate and engage with atheists[,] but for them to establish a church like any other religious denomination is going too far. I’m cautious about it.”

And it’s not just religious individuals who have expressed concern. As The Huffington Post UK notes, atheists too have voiced unease: “Critics have suggested by holding the meeting in an old church, (albeit deconsecrated) and by following a format of songs interspersed by reading and addresses, the comedians are at risk of turning atheism into its own sort of religion.”

Rest here.

A ‘church’ without God? How progressive…

 

Scouts Welcome Atheists a Century after Baden-Powell Demonised Them

To the founder, Lord Baden-Powell, it was as much a peril for a young man to avoid as gambling, drunkenness, swearing or the wiles of the opposite sex.

The Telegraph reports:

But more than a century after the Scouting movement was founded, it is finally preparing to recognise atheism on a par with Christianity and other religions.

The association is consulting its members on plans to draft an alternative oath without references to God, allowing atheists to become full members and Scout group leaders for the first time.

It follows accusation of discrimination and intolerance after an 11-year-old boy was barred from full membership because he said he did not believe in God.

George Pratt was told he could not join 1st Midsomer Norton Scout Group in Somerset, after saying he felt unable to make the traditional promise to do his best to do his “duty to God and to the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Scout Law”…

But although atheists who decline to swear the oath are allowed to become “associate” members and even help run Scout groups as helpers, they are barred from becoming full members or leaders.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph today, the chief executive of the Scout Association, Derek Twine, argues that the current rules simply force people to become “hypocritical or dishonest” by taking the promise against their own beliefs.

Describing the move as an “historic change”, he adds: “All bodies have to stay fresh and current, while remaining true to their founding principles.”

He goes on: “Let me be quite clear and reassure readers of all backgrounds: the original Scout Promise will remain untouched, but for those who have no faith, there would be a new alternative.”

The shift in policy comes in marked contrast to the stance adopted by Baden-Powell. In his book of advice for boys, “Rovering for Success”, Baden-Powell ranked atheism alongside gambling, excessive drinking, smoking and even syphilis as a danger to be avoided.

Likening organisations for atheists as “sects”, he spoke of adherents as “enemies of the worst sort” and warned against “very offensive” attacks on religious belief.

“If you are really to make your way to success – ie happiness – you must not only avoid being sucked in by irreligious humbugs, but you must have a religious basis to your life,” he wrote.

Yesterday Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: “This is a move in the right direction.

“By adjusting their promise to include people without a religious belief, the Scouts will bring themselves in line with the reality of 21st century Britain, where more than two thirds of young people say they have no religious belief.”

Yesterday George Pratt’s father Nick said: “It’s good news, we will wait and see what transpires but if they let George back in that will be mission accomplished.”

 

Un-Blessing with Un-Holy Water?

UPDATE: Watch Florida Atheists wash away the holy oil.

 

Fr Dwight Longenecker writes:

This article says a group of atheists gathered to ‘un-bless’ a portion of highway with ‘un-holy water.’

If they were really atheists they wouldn’t believe any of that stuff, so why would it matter if the road were blessed or not? The fact that they take the trouble to conduct some sort of ceremony or ritual to ‘un-bless’ the road seems laughable, but is, in fact sinister.
If they really wanted to counter a Christian blessing they should have got some shaman or witch in to curse the place, and it is only a matter of time before they do so.

What the atheists don’t understand, of course, is that atheism will eventually lead to the demonic. Nobody can believe in nothing for long. The atheists are not content to live as true atheists–minding their own business, imagining that they can live in a spiritual vacuum, and allowing those “religious kooks” to do their own thing.

No. They’re not content to let religious people do what they want. Beneath their louche tolerance, shallow sophistication and affected nonchalance, their atheism is driven by rage so they have to try to close religion down, and when their meager efforts fail they will become increasingly violent and hateful.

They will then drift into new ways to curse God and destroy religion, and many of them will (either explicitly or implicitly) summon up and yield their souls to the powers of darkness. This is because it is impossible for a human being, who has an immortal soul, to exist in a state of non-alliance. You must serve either God or the Devil.

Already locked in a vile hatred of religion, they will find it all too easy to ally themselves to even greater powers of hatred and violence. Their God-empty souls will be vulnerable to every spiritual entity out there in the great chaos and taken over by evil, they will initiate a demonic reign of terror. More terrifying still is that they will do the most vile things and praise themselves for being ‘free’ or ‘bringing about a new society.’

Do not imagine for a moment that atheism is ever benign. The atheists have always been out to destroy the church, and they will fight the faith with the tenacity and terror of the pit.

 

Atheists Plan Billboard Campaign this Christmas Season

Proclaiming their gospel of nothingness:

“You Know It’s A Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason,” was one tagline offered up on a billboard by the American Atheists organization one holiday season. The atheists intend to put up more billboards this year, some featuring images of Santa, Jesus, Poseidon and the devil next to the message: “37 Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them.”

How impious and frankly, quite uninspiring.

 

Sorry Atheists: Jesus Statue Stays

Forest Service Reverses Decision To Remove Jesus Statue From Public Land

So it would seem as if those wicked ’freethinkers’ (atheists, agnostics), will not be getting their way, at least, not this time:

The United States Forest Service reversed its decision to force the removal a statue of Jesus Christ standing on public land after learning about the statue’s historical significance, according to a press release sent Friday. Forest Service officials said they are seeking public comment and that the statue will remain where it is until they hold a special hearing on the issue.

The Kalispell based service group Knights of Columbus acquired a special permit in 1953 to build the statue on forest service land on Big Mountain overlooking Whitefish. Officials decided initially in August to force the statue’s removal after an out of state non-profit complained that the statue’s location on public land violated the constitution. That group, the Wisconsin based Freedom from Religion Foundation, told NBC Montana they are prepared to take the issue to court if the statue isn’t moved.

NBC Montana dug a little deeper. According to tax statements, the group is run out of Madison, Wisconsin and reports almost $6 million in assets.

On their website, FFRF takes credit for ending bible classes at a public school in Tennessee, for stopping the government from making Good Friday a federal holiday, and for keeping a state capital from funding a nativity pageant. Just like the Big Mountain statue, all were fought over the separation of church and state.

“We cannot seed federal property to the Knights of Columbus to put up a huge, proselytizing statue,” said Co-founder Annie Laurie Gaylor The only way to keep everybody happy, the way to protect every body’s rights, is for the government to stay out of the religion business.”

Fox has this nice photo of the spot:

Britain Without Churches

Can you imagine for one moment what England would have been like today without those churches and all that those churches mean? …

“Certainly it would not have been safe to walk the streets. All respect, decency, all those things which tend to make modern civilization what it is would not have been in existence. You can imagine what we should have had to pay for our police, for lunatic asylums, for criminal asylums.”

— Duke of Devonshire, 1800s, quoted in God Is Back by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge.

The above was here.

Spanish Atheists Plan Attacks on Catholics

During Holy Week and World Youth Day:

During an interview on Madrid’s ELA Radio Atheists in Combat, a group representing a coalition of Spanish atheist groups made a public declaration of their intention to  “punish” the Catholic belief, and to “damage” the views of Catholics.

Atheists in Combat went on to praise the burning of churches in 1936, and expressed their intention to “welcome” the Pope “as he deserves”, during the announced visit to World Youth Day which is to be held in Madrid this summer.

Several militant groups in Spain are planning sacrilegious actions against Catholics during Holy Week with the intention of perpetrating ‘hurtful action against the innermost feelings of Christians, around the passion and crucifixion of Christ.

In Madrid atheists plan a parallel procession to the traditional solemn Maundy Thursday  procession. The so called Atheist Procession plans to mock the  Stations of the Cross on one of the most sacred nights of the Catholic faith with public displays of sacrilege, around themes such as, ‘   Brotherhood of the Holy Paedophilia “ , the “Brotherhood of the Holy Larceny Papa’  [Google translation] and disgusting sexual references to Our Lady.

HazteOir.org, the Spanish website states that the public statements by Atheists in Combat and the Atheist Procession  may constitute crimes of threats and insults to religious beliefs, all established in the Penal Code.

More here.

Despicable miscreants.

On the Disturbing Trend of 'De-Baptisms' in Europe

Writes Msgr Charles Pope:

… tragically there are some in Europe who are formally renouncing their faith through a process they call “de-baptism.” In effect they write to the parish where they were baptized and asked that their name be blotted out from the book of life, also known as the Baptismal Register. Of course the Catholic Church does not remove the names, but does make a notation that they have formally renounced the Christian faith, that they have renounced their baptism…

… Pray, this is very serious. It is bad enough to drift away from the faith, but to formally renounce ones baptism is to really ramp things up to a mega-serious level…

Read his piece in full here.

The whole thing is no better than American Atheists who prefer to ‘de-baptise’ using hair dryers:

All round, ‘de-baptism’ remains a tragic decision with dire eternal consequences.