3 ms·

Historically, the village church wasn't just about worshipping the sky father and shunning non-believers. It was the original social safety net and the congrega

Historically, the village church wasn't just about worshipping the sky father and shunning non-believers. It was the original social safety net and the congregation would support people who were experiencing hardship. The tribe would come together for births / marriages / deaths. By rejecting all religion and vacating churches we've sort of thrown the baby out with the bathwater. We've damaged everyone's need for belonging and increased loneliness. Secular movements to restore a sense of community would be welcomed IMO (there are articles about how local mcdonald's have become gathering places in small american towns, surely this isn't ideal)

JetAlone 5y ago
In Ronald's Name, why are you denouncing the McFaithful?
paulryanrogers 5y ago
> Historically, the village church wasn't just about worshipping the sky father and shunning non-believers. It was the original social safety net and the congregation would support people who were experiencing hardship. So because charity in the past had these massive strings attached in the past today we should do what exactly? Modern social safety nets are more widely available and free from guilt trips, controlling busybodies, and harmful superstitions. > By rejecting all religion and vacating churches we've sort of thrown the baby out with the bathwater. We've damaged everyone's need for belonging and increased loneliness. IME far more emotional and physical harm was done by centuries of religion than this brief interm period between when they've been thrown off and the establishment of saner institutions and memes. McDonalds may not be the picture of healthy food options, yet as an established at least they don't encourage shaming or ostracizing people for being different. A relatively clean, dry, and welcoming place to meet isn't a bad thing.
Baeocystin 5y ago
My parents were Unitarians, and their Sunday meetings were near-secular community events. I (an atheist) greatly enjoyed (and benefitted from) attending, both as a child and as an adult. Some folks were/are more religious than others, but all are welcome to partake in the Sharing of the Coffee, and other such important rituals, and I am not joking when I say that. Getting together regularly with folks over time is literal community-building.
DarylZero 5y ago
It's not a "sense" of community that's lost, but actual community. > Secular movements to restore a sense of community would be welcomed IMO (there are articles about how local mcdonald's have become gathering places in small american towns, surely this isn't ideal) Because there are no communities, there is nothing to organize or coordinate that can possibly hope to raise the very substantial funds that would be necessary to operate a public building. Really, this kind of thing should be tax-funded, like libraries often are. Organizing that way would be easier and more sustainable, yet still seems hopelessly far out of reach. Churches manage to live from "tithing" donations which requires deploying a very complicated mental infrastructure to keep people so willing to invest so much. The idea of manipulating enough people in some way to cause them to forward so much of their income to a secular community center seems also hopeless. Outside libraries, America doesn't have indoor public spaces, "third spaces." Except for whatever businesses might set up as their little hooks to get sales -- probably short-lived since a faux community built on a semicovert sales strategy isn't easy to develop either.

JetAlone 5y ago

In Ronald's Name, why are you denouncing the McFaithful?

paulryanrogers 5y ago

> Historically, the village church wasn't just about worshipping the sky father and shunning non-believers. It was the original social safety net and the congregation would support people who were experiencing hardship. So because charity in the past had these massive strings attached in the past today we should do what exactly? Modern social safety nets are more widely available and free from guilt trips, controlling busybodies, and harmful superstitions. > By rejecting all religion and vacating churches we've sort of thrown the baby out with the bathwater. We've damaged everyone's need for belonging and increased loneliness. IME far more emotional and physical harm was done by centuries of religion than this brief interm period between when they've been thrown off and the establishment of saner institutions and memes. McDonalds may not be the picture of healthy food options, yet as an established at least they don't encourage shaming or ostracizing people for being different. A relatively clean, dry, and welcoming place to meet isn't a bad thing.

Baeocystin 5y ago

My parents were Unitarians, and their Sunday meetings were near-secular community events. I (an atheist) greatly enjoyed (and benefitted from) attending, both as a child and as an adult. Some folks were/are more religious than others, but all are welcome to partake in the Sharing of the Coffee, and other such important rituals, and I am not joking when I say that. Getting together regularly with folks over time is literal community-building.

DarylZero 5y ago

It's not a "sense" of community that's lost, but actual community. > Secular movements to restore a sense of community would be welcomed IMO (there are articles about how local mcdonald's have become gathering places in small american towns, surely this isn't ideal) Because there are no communities, there is nothing to organize or coordinate that can possibly hope to raise the very substantial funds that would be necessary to operate a public building. Really, this kind of thing should be tax-funded, like libraries often are. Organizing that way would be easier and more sustainable, yet still seems hopelessly far out of reach. Churches manage to live from "tithing" donations which requires deploying a very complicated mental infrastructure to keep people so willing to invest so much. The idea of manipulating enough people in some way to cause them to forward so much of their income to a secular community center seems also hopeless. Outside libraries, America doesn't have indoor public spaces, "third spaces." Except for whatever businesses might set up as their little hooks to get sales -- probably short-lived since a faux community built on a semicovert sales strategy isn't easy to develop either.