Atheists Going to Church, and Other Forms of Happiness
Interesting article here about atheists who attend churches. (via Andrew Sullivan.) It doesn't say anything particularly mind-blowing, but it does strike at the ways in which religion can be a positive force in the world, and the importance of a community. As it happens, I'm already up on the actual importance of community because...
...I just finished reading The Geography of Bliss, in which NPR correspondent Eric Weiner (writing in a style much like Bill Bryson) journeys to the happiest places on earth (Iceland, Bhutan, Switzerland) as well as some unhappy ones (including the unhappiest: Moldova) and comes to several consistently interesting conclusions about happiness. I expected it was just going to be a travelog-ish lark, and I've found instead that my thinking has been altered. Highly recommended.
Okay. Back to more writing.
...I just finished reading The Geography of Bliss, in which NPR correspondent Eric Weiner (writing in a style much like Bill Bryson) journeys to the happiest places on earth (Iceland, Bhutan, Switzerland) as well as some unhappy ones (including the unhappiest: Moldova) and comes to several consistently interesting conclusions about happiness. I expected it was just going to be a travelog-ish lark, and I've found instead that my thinking has been altered. Highly recommended.
Okay. Back to more writing.
posted by Cowboy Dave Dickerson | 12:26 PM
1 Comments:
You're right; the article isn't mind-blowing. It's especially interesting to me as an agnostic who attends a "New Thought" Christian church (Unity). I go for a number of reasons; the main one is that it is always interesting and entertaining. Between the ministers, guest speakers (spiritual gurus of all faiths), regular and guest musicians, and the eclectic (for Dallas) congregation, it provides an enjoyable focal point for the weekends. Does that mean that I'm less of an agnostic? I don't know. As the article outlines, though, many of us enjoy having some sort of communion (with a small "c") with like-minded people, especially when we're the odd ones out in our larger communities. I found it intriguing that the Freethought fellow is here in Dallas, which is very much in the Bible belt and home to numerous fundamentalist megachurches. You do find that nondemoninational churches (Unity, Unitarian, etc.) thrive here.
Nothing profound; just an observation.
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