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- #33 Secular churches: community without religion
#33 Secular churches: community without religion
And why atheists around America are looking for meaning in old churches.
Dr. Dan Smith
January 17, 2024
January 17, 2024
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Your faithful writer,
Dr. Daniel Smith
Nearly 1 in 3 Americans today says that they have no religious affiliation, up from 20% of Americans ten years ago.
This group includes Americans who say they’re “spiritual” but not “religious” (also known as SBNRs) — an increasingly common refrain from the countless Americans who are turning to Eastern philosophies, astrology, and other ideas in their search for meaning.
Moreover, only half of Americans surveyed say that they attend religious services with any regularity.
As the social influence of religion continues to decline, a surprising new trend has emerged across the country: secular churches and even atheistic churches.
Today’s newsletter will explore the following questions:
What are secular churches?
Why are more Americans attending secular church services?
How are these churches fulfilling a need for community and social belonging without religion as a unifying force?
What are Secular Churches?
Secular churches are non-religious community organizations designed to provide attendees with the experience of attending a religious service without it actually being oriented around a religion.
Ten years ago, more than 400 people gathered for the inaugural meeting of the Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles.
Sunday Assembly was founded by Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans, a pair of British comedians who sought to create a space where people could find camaraderie and community without having to adhere to a particular religious faith or dogma.
Jones and Evans leading a Sunday Assembly gathering in London. 2013.
Jones and Evans gave the group the motto: Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More.
Your average Sunday Assembly meeting includes: singing (usually with popular songs instead of gospel songs), reading from inspirational texts, icebreakers (so people can get to know each other), collaboration on community service projects, and some jokes.
A Sunday Assembly meeting in a coverted church in London. 2013.
Jones said that he first had the idea of creating a secular church after leaving a Christmas carol concert:
“There was so much about it that I loved, but it's a shame because at the heart of it, it's something I don't believe in.
If you think about church, there's very little that's bad. It's singing awesome songs, hearing interesting talks, thinking about improving yourself and helping other people — and doing that in a community with wonderful relationships. What part of that is not to like?”
Why do people join secular churches?
People are attracted to secular churches for a number of reasons.
Maybe they left the religion they grew up in but still wanted to be a part of a spiritual community. Or they want to meet other people as part of a positive social group oriented around helping others. Or maybe they just moved to a new city and wanted to meet new people.
Professor Phil Zuckerman of Pitzer College, author of the 2019 book What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life, explained:
“In the U.S., there's a little bit of a feeling that if you're not religious, you're not patriotic.
I think a lot of secular people say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. We are charitable, we are good people, we're good parents and we are just as good citizens as you and we're going to start a church to prove it.’
It's still a minority, but there's enough of them now.”
Secular churches: fulfilling the need for community without religion
As religion becomes less and less important to Americans, it is understandable that people are turning to secular churches to satisfy their need for community and meaning.
I have some personal experience with this. Last year, I joined an amazing choir group called the Miami Sound Space. The Sound Space is an inclusive “community choir collective” that accepts anyone who wants to join and sing.
The choir has many experienced & talented musicians, but the setting is casual enough for inexperienced singers (like myself) to join in without feeling overwhelmed.
Some cool testimonials from fellow Sound Space members.
In addition to the regular choir, which performs several times per year, the Sound Space also works with incarcerated individuals at Everglades Correctional Institution near Miami. That group, called the Bluebirds, helps people in prison to express themselves and connect with people outside of the prison walls.
The Bluebirds Choir
The Sound Space is also developing a Threshold Choir, which will sing to people in hospices and other end-of-life scenarios.
Other Sound Space members have told me that they loved singing in choirs when they were younger but that they were uncomfortable with the religious element that came with church choirs. Joining the Sound Space has been a great way for me to meet and connect with a diverse group of kind-hearted people.
Watch this incredible performance from some choir members:
LEARN MORE
Professor Jacqui Frost of Purdue University is a world-leading expert on secular churches, having spent much of the last decade researching them.
Check out her recent article about secular churches in The Conversation, entitled: Church without God: How secular congregations fill a need for some nonreligious Americans.
ART OF THE DAY
Head of Medusa by Salvador Dalí. 1962.
Thank you for reading. Please reply to this email if you have any thoughts or feedback.
Yours,
Dan