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Permalink Reply by Nelson on April 29, 2011 at 1:33pm

(i don't have to tell you this as a sociologist but) people crave connections with other people. they want to feel a part of something. they crave acceptance from their peers. religion- but more accurately the culture around religion- provides that for a lot of people, and so when you leave your church behind you lose that and all the good feelings it brings you.

so i think primarily people seek out a replacement for that.

 

also, often people feel marginalized in their community because of their atheism. so their seeking out of like-minded others isn't just about replacing what they lost when they were part of their former faith culture but actually off-setting their feeling of being an outcast.

 

then, yes, sure, i'd say that a certain percentage of people are after political mobilization as well.

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Permalink Reply by Walter Maki on April 29, 2011 at 1:39pm

That about nails it for me as well.

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Permalink Reply by Akshay Bist on April 29, 2011 at 1:34pm

I live in India & I have only ever met 1 atheist in my life, he was a friend when we were 10. I have met a few liberal people & a few non-religious theists. I just wanted to interact with fellow atheists.

This is new & exciting for me. Even though I have been an atheist since I was a little kid, I only started reading about or watching youtube videos about atheism last year. Before that I was more of a passive atheist.

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Permalink Reply by Dave G on April 29, 2011 at 2:31pm

Hang out, chat about things with people who are not going to freak out when you say something non-respectful about (or even hostile to) religion, and in general socialize.

The political aspect (church/state separation, etc) is certainly a consideration, but it is secondary in my mind.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Robinson on April 29, 2011 at 2:54pm

People's beliefs inform their actions. Many theists come right out and state that people cannot be moral without their god. Others may not state it, but ask questions like, "How can a person be moral without God?”

When a group of people believe that some other group is morally inferior they have a tendency to act superior to that group. This sort of behavior can manifest in many ways, such as the Pew research study that shows 63% of Americans would not vote for a presidential candidate that does not believe in God.

And how about the numerous stories on this site and many others about friends and families cutting ties with a person who comes out as an atheist? I think organizing is an important tool used to inform people that atheists are people to love, not monsters to be oppressed.

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Permalink Reply by Nicholas Dennis on May 9, 2011 at 8:34pm

Many of us organize for the sake of intellectual discussion. However, there should be no atheist "organization" or else we may become associated with religion itself. However again, it is important that people understand what an atheist really is. The bible preaches about how anyone who doesn't believe cannot do any good and is doomed to hell (was in psalms I think). Other religions have a similar message. So, to prevent such ignorance from persisting, the formation of an atheist organization is important and needed, especially in the modern age where many closet atheists still exist and need some encouragement to say what they truly feel.

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