Why Does an Atheist Go to Church?

Welcome to my blog.  I am your friendly neighborhood Atheist.  I do not believe in an afterlife, a soul, a spirit, karma, ghosts, demons, or angels.  I hold no supernatural beliefs.  I do not believe in Zeus, Thor, Krishna, Allah, Isis, or Yahweh.  I do not believe in God…

…but I’m going to church. 

As a culture, we place an amazing amount of emphasis on our churches, mosques, any synagogues as institutions, acknowledging their importance to society, and their roles in the community.  And why not?  These are places of fellowship for like-minded individuals to come, meet with others, celebrate their beliefs and worship how they see fit.  We are a social species who seek to bond amongst common ground.  As an atheist, I recognize the value of having a community of people bonded together by a common belief.  As such, I have decided to embark on a survey of churches in Evansville, IN (and possibly other areas) to gain an understanding of the different varieties of churches offered in my community.  Every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (depending on the faith and their day of Sabbath), I randomly select a church to appear at, to observe others in their modes of worship, and to educate myself on how and why they worship.  I try to remain fairly anonymous (except to the people who know me or want to get involved) and in a city such as Evansville, that may be difficult, but I don’t seek to cause a disturbance nor disruption.  I only want to take in the myriad of different religious traditions our great country has, to varying traditions, embraced.

Every week, after I leave the chosen place of worship, I intend to record my experiences as they occur.  Mostly, I want to focus on these churches and what they have to offer, how they present themselves, and to really provide a point of view unique to someone who is not looking to join as a convert, but as one seeking to just learn more about our religious traditions and to convey what one can expect from our local houses of worship.

In order to provide a fair rubric on which to make a judgment, I’ve devised a scale on which I can make notes, discuss the positives and negatives of any given place of worship, and to make a final assessment.  I’ll also provide a feedback email address to which members or those interested in joining me on these Sunday outings can contact me.

I have chosen to rate a church a score out of 10, with 10 being the highest.  I designate points based on five criteria:  the congregation, the message, worship, outreach, and information accessibility.  The congregation will be judged on their friendliness (1), the message will be judged on the choice of topic (1), its inspirational value (1), the clarity of the message (1), and its applicability to life (1).  Worship will be judged based on the overall content of the worship time (1), and the level of audience participation (1).  Outreach will considered on the level of community involvement a church places itself in (1), and the variety of activities the church offers in proportion to its size (1).  Lastly, the level of information available for any newcomer will also be considered (1).  Of these individual scores, I will break it down to decimals, so if I feel a congregation was somewhat friendly, or I found just a little information, I can appoint a .5 instead of a full 1.

Granted, it is difficult to find an objective rubric upon which one may judge a place of worship, as they’re all different and unique.  Most of the judging on my part will be arbitrary, but it provides a guideline to which I can adhere in providing details on each respective locale.  I hope this proves to be a positive and educational experience for all involved, and I intend to be positive and fair in my assessment.

There are some understood concepts that must be stated before I begin reviewing.  First, this is from an atheistic standpoint.  I don’t intend to be converted, nor do I intend to de-convert.  If I do, well…there’s always room for a pleasant surprise, right?  Secondly, I don’t assume any religious point of view is true, so these aren’t going to be theological rants.  Lastly, most churches are supposed to be welcoming to outsiders.  As such, I hope to enjoy many educational experiences, and I intend to treat each house of worship I enter with the respect equal to the above average parishioner.  There is much to learn from stepping into the world of the average churchgoer and I appreciate all the opportunities that are sure to come from being a part of your time of worship.

This is the perspective of an atheist who goes to church...