Comments on: How Do You Get Atheists To Attend Your Meetings?

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:53:09 +0000

People say they wouldn’t come to an atheist meeting, it’s too narrow, no point etc etc.

What if it was a humanist meeting? That broadens the scope a little.

By: Erik

Erik — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:59:25 +0000

Step 1: Don’t call them “meetings.” Try “atheist gathering,” or “atheist party,” or the cryptic and intriguing “atheist event.” Nobody wants to go to a meeting.

By: Indigo

Indigo — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:55:56 +0000

I don’t attend the meetings of the Carpe Diem club at my university for a number of reasons. One of them is the universal problem of having a busy schedule and no time to join a new organisation. Mostly, though, I feel it’s redundant. I’m a philosophy student and we have colloquia and philosophy cafes and so on for discussion; I could join any one of a dozen activist/charitable groups like Amnesty International or Students Against Poverty or the bike co-op; and I don’t feel a lot of need for atheist fellowship because most people I know either share my atheism or don’t care.

By: SASnSA

SASnSA — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:19:29 +0000

Did somebody mention herding cats? It’s the biggest weakness in the atheist community. Freethinkers are so diverse and independent, it’s hard to get us all moving together in one direction like sheep.

By: ollie

ollie — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:01:27 +0000

“So I tend to avoid meetings where I think people don’t care about fun”

To me, talking about the latest popular book on evolution or cosmology IS fun.

I think that this post hits to the heart of the matter: atheists tend to have fun in different ways and the sorts of things that we attend tend to be the sorts of activities that we enjoy; there is no one set type of activity that atheists enjoy.

Those of us who join groups tend to joing groups that are centered around our favorite activities.

Personally, I go to lectures, yoga classes, footraces, ball games and sometimes the film club’s “artsy” film series presentations.

By: writerdd

writerdd — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:14:24 +0000

I spent many years spending my time at church meetings. I don’t need to do that now that I am not following a religion any more. I prefer to use my time on personal endeavors and socializing with friends and family. There’s basically nothing an atheist group can do to have me show up at their meetings. I don’t just don’t do meetings.

By: Lexi

Lexi — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 07:38:17 +0000

So I tend to avoid meetings where I think people don’t care about fun, and care a lot about intellectual masturbation.

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:10:38 +0000

I am always interested in going to the meetings at my school, but I work a lot. The meetings are almost always when I’m at work.

By: Tony Pro

Tony Pro — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:37:55 +0000

Jeez. Maybe we need to offer an afterlife to everybody.
If that doesn’t work we can always threaten them with burning alive forever.
I’ve heard these tactics can be very effective.

By: TK

TK — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:08:46 +0000

The aviation industry is dominated by extremely Republican, extremely religious people. It’s career suicide for me to join any group that touts non-religion (the clubs we join go on our college transcripts). To start one would be even worse. The school I go to is one of the few non-religious colleges/universities that has an extremely conservative population so even if I go to a public meeting, I could be spotted.

In fact, I’m contemplating removing all references to atheism and secularism from Facebook and everywhere else that there is a profile of me. I used to use my real name here but even that has to go.