A former colleague and his wife had just had a baby girl, and he was telling me they were probably going to raise her outside the Catholic church and let her make up her own mind when she was able to think about the idea rationally. Although I’m also a non-believer, I recommended they bring her up as a member of the flock, because Catholics teach values and embraces community.

Well, according to an article in TIME (August 4th issue) I’m not the only atheist/agnostic who was worried about what churches bring to the table.
Mike Aus and Jerry DeWitt were both Christian ministers before they left the church. Now they and other atheist/agnostics meet in corporate conference rooms and other places to listen to sermons about losing their faith accompanied by a musician who sings softly about Albert Einstein.

Mike Aus calls his service “Houston Oasis” which was formed through the online social-network “Meetup”. Those of you who are atheist or agnostic know that it’s kind of a lonely existence and those who are don’t often talk about it with their friends to avoid confrontation. After all the last time I checked there’s only one admitted member of Congress who is openly atheist. There’s music, Aus meets his “parishioners” at the door, there’s meet and greet time, guest speakers and Aus’ emphasis on the wonders of the world around us, not some invisible god.

Aus avoids some church trappings such as the church choir or a moment of silence. Aus’s target is those who are nostalgic for church ritual but have lost faith in its doctrines. In my mind this might be a mistake as meditation has given me many an uplifting experience. But that’s more than just a moment of silence.

Some atheist churches and organizations, such as the Sunday Assembly, a London based organization, have set a goal to start 100 assemblies in 15 countries by the end of the year. One only needs to look at what’s happening with ISIS in northern Iraq to see the necessity. They just blew up another statue important to the Shiite branch of Islam, a statue meant to mark the burial site of Jonah. The Taliban previously destroyed two ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. In American traditional churches have used the Bible to justify slavery and encourage homophobia. A dozen atheist services are already being held in America and a dozen more are set to begin.

But this isn’t necessarily a top down movement; DeWitt, a former Pentecostal minister, is the leader of the Community Mission Chapel in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Reverend Martin Lavanhar leads services for humanists.

One of the provocations for this sort of activity was the Supreme Court’s decision to allow prayer before town board meetings. Nonbelievers have delivered the invocation in some cases after the court ruled their right to do so.

According to the article one out of five Americans claim no religious affiliation. Six percent now declare themselves agnostic or atheistic.

Another reason for some blowback against organized religion is the mega churches like Joel Osteen’s flock, numbering 43,500. Osteen’s message is similar to Oral Roberts’ teaching that Christians are rewarded monetarily for affirming their belief in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This has led to the politicalization of religion. Danger, Will Robinson. The First Amendment allows for freedom of religion, but it also protects us from religion. One of the leaders of the Christian Coalition, Ralph Reid, was implicated in the defrauding of Native American casino interests during the Jack Abramoff scandal. Can you say “hypocrite”?

Aus never believed in hell; after leaving his progressive nondenominational church he joined the Clergy Project, a burgeoning group of doubting ministers on the Net. In March of 2012, he came out as a non-believer on MSNBC’s Up With Chris Hayes.

Many academics support aspects of religion; it explains the origin of the world for one thing, albeit it misinterprets mythology for fact. We don’t get sermons on the authenticity of evolution and the Big Bang, unless we’re watching “Cosmos” on television. Ritual and social practices are also important.

Another important group is the Humanist Community at Harvard, which holds services similar to Aus’s. It also provides resources to atheist meetings to keep the momentum going.

Many nonbelievers, such as Bill Maher, disapprove of the pseudo church gatherings as being too similar to what they’re trying to get away from. But the argument is strength in numbers. Rather than the Catholic church in South America losing members to fundamentalist churches, isn’t Aus’s approach a better alternative? The appeal seems to be the hoppin’ and a boppin’ that happens in a Pentecostal environment. Believe me, a Catholic sermon is better than a sleeping pill.

One of the “community moments” at one of Aus’s meetings involved how humans are “hardwired” to respond to sensational news; i.e. miracles at Lourdes or exorcism, which the Catholic church seems to recognize these days. All one needs to do is listen to a rational explanation of possession; what we’re seeing is an anxiety attack with aspects of Tourette Syndrome. There is no devil. The devil is a middle east construct, which came in handy after the Salem Witch trials. When the judges came to their senses, they claimed that the devil made them do it.

Dave Schwinghammer is the author of an unconventional mystery, SOLDIER'S GAP, available on Authorsden or Amazon.com, new and used. Please check out the reviews. Thank you.