Why do some athiests in the South go to church?

[Taverner]

I've met a few coworkers orignally from the south, and all of them were athiests, and all attended church while they lived there....

:shrug:

[southlandshari]

1. Good question.

I've got a better one.

Why do some missionaries...well, um...never mind!

:evilgrin:

[Initech]

2. I've been to the south and I think I have the answer...

Outside of the major cities, there is NOTHING to do there! Really, there's Atlanta... and 400 miles of highway between Atlanta and Lexington.

Hell, half the counties in Kentucky dont serve alcohol! I wish I could say that I was making this up, but I'm not.

The sad thing is, I think religion might be a bigger deal in the south because there's simply nothing else to do!

[southlandshari]

4. ROFL!

Nothing else to do in the South?

:rofl:


Come on back down, darlin', and we'll put that myth to rest right quick!

;)

[Taverner]

7. Yes, I beleive he forgot the true religion of the South

FOOTBALL ;)

[southlandshari]

9. Oh yeah, that too.

:P

[Initech]

13. Ah, of course!

[VaYallaDawg]

16. Don't forget NASCAR. n/t

[Initech]

12. OK... do you have an alternate theory?

I've been to quite a few towns in KY, there's nothing between the border and Lexington.

[southlandshari]

14. Not one that won't get this thread locked, I'm afraid!

:evilgrin:

[RevCheesehead]

3. why, to be seen, of course.

It's about image, making connections that will enable you to prosper in life, and having people think favorably about you.

I don't believe for a minute that half the people in church go there to actually worship.

[necso]

8. Good answer.

Guys also go there to "troll for babes".

[GOPisEvil]

11. Correctamundo, especially in small towns.

[southlandshari]

18. LOL!

Tell the truth...you think about this from the pulpit on Sunday mornings, don't you?

:evilgrin:

[RevCheesehead]

30. Especially on Sunday mornings.

Usually when we dedicate the offering at the Doxology. I'm tempted to use a simple, direct prayer:

"O Lord,
No matter what we say or do,
This is what we think of You."

So far, I've held back. O8)

[xmas74]

32. I'm so glad I don't attend your church.

I'd fall out of the pew cracking up if I heard that.
I almost did during this last Sunday sermon.

[RevCheesehead]

35. Every once in a while, some people actually do laugh.

I'll never forget when I was preaching in an oldy-moldy fundy Methodist Church in Greensboro. I was boring them, as usual (since women can't be preachers); and I was trying to get their attention. So I said, "You want to know what God wants? It's what I want. Let me tell you what I want, what I really, really want...."

One teenager, a visitor, burst out in laughter - and the rest of the congregation stared at her. I smiled at her, winked, and said "well, at least one person listens to the radio." Poor kid.

Then there's a week ago Sunday, when I mentioned that we should pray for our country, as we seek to find a new justice on the Supreme Court, because of the death of Antonin Scalia. Whoops. :evilgrin:

[xmas74]

36. We have a woman.

Her husband is the associate. He did the sermon on Sunday. It was about 9-11. He served in Iraq and he went off on all of the bumperstickers and the magnets. He said that was not patriotism and that no one could define it for us-it is something that each person decides on their own. I almost fell out since we have quite a few of those damn magnets in the parking lot!

[southlandshari]

37. Can't. Breathe. Laughing. Too. Hard!

:rofl:

A woman in the pulpit, quoting the Spice Girls to little old ladies....

:rofl:

I knew there was a reason I liked you, darlin'!


Still :rofl: !

[redqueen]

20. I think that's it.

Witnessed a disturbing exchange between the moms of my daughter's friends last weekend involving that sort of thing. Sad, really.

[Az]

5. Church is not just about belief

Churchs are social institutions. In some communities they are so intwined in the society that exluding oneself from them can be selfdestructive.

[southlandshari]

6. Hey you!

Long time, no see!

:hi:

[Az]

17. Long time not being seen

:wave:

[johnnie]

10. To get to the other side

Oh wait, wrong punchline. Or maybe not...hmmm???

[SOteric]

15. As a practicing Catholic, I have known more than a few

Atheists who still attend mass.

For the most part, they do so as an act of love and respect for their parents.

Yes, there are many who stand up for every principle and give no ground and would argue with even their dear old mum for wanting them to step foot in a house of worship.

And there are others who don't feel it's any skin off their nose to spend an hour listening to a bunch of stuff they don't believe and aren't likely to change their minds about just to keep that sweet smile on mum's face.

[SCDem]

41. I'm a Unitarian (athiest who likes to talk and research religion!)

anyway as I say pack your bags for purgatory just in case I'm wrong!

[mitchum]

19. This southern atheist only goes to weddings and funerals...

I haven't been inside a church for any other reason since I was twelve.
Except for the period of time when I was a stained glass artisan. But that was during the week. And shirtless.

[Rob H.]

22. Same here--weddings and funerals only

And the last funeral I went to (for a great-aunt) was like an infomercial for Jesus. I left thinking that the preacher could've spent a little more time talking about her life and family (fun fact: she and my great-uncle had been married for 58 years when she died) instead of doing the fire and brimstone bit.

[mitchum]

27. Same experience here...

I went to an aunt's funeral a few months ago, and that braying Baptist ass kept going on about hell. Who in the hell wants to hear about hell at a freaking funeral???!!!
Didn't really bother me (except for the tactlessness), but I'm sure the believers were somewhat uncomfortable.

[BamaGirl]

21. I don't think most do

once probably, but not these days. I'm not an atheist, but I only step foot in a church for weddings and funerals. A lot of people go for the social aspect.

[tjwmason]

23. There was some research done in the U.K.

Whose conclusion was that belonging had more effect on church-going than believing. When you join a church, there is an entire community which goes with it - in many cases it would appear that this is more powerful than belief.

[trof]

24. Possibly hedging one's bets?

;-)

[Jamastiene]

25. And I quote my community college english teacher, "We need

to do what society expects of us or we will never survive." That pretty much sums it up. They'll harangue us if we don't. I know. I don't go to church. Hate it. I'll fight it until the end.

[NNadir]

26. To avoid being burned at the stake?!?

I do it too, but only for family members, most recently for my beloved step-mother at the unexpected funeral of my step-brother.

It's not like it hurts me under those circumstances, but even here in New Jersey I have problems with complete strangers who are curious about my lack of church going. Some of them are in my kid's public fucking school!

[MountainLaurel]

28. So their kids don't get beat up at school

Or told by their teachers that they're going to burn in hell?

[Pithlet]

43. I worry about that

Living in Memphis we aren't as isolated as we'd be in a small town, but wse still miss somewhat socially. So much is tied to church down here. I worry that if we still live here when our kids start going to school that they'll have a hard time when asked what church they go to. It's uncomfortable enough when someone asks me, and I'm an adult.

[Sandpiper]

29. To avoid being ostracized/harrassed

My family moved to the south when I was a teenager, and one of the first and most frequent questions we'd get was "So, ya'll go to church?"

[xmas74]

31. It's the meeting place in some small towns.

Everything happens at church. That would be a good reason for it.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

33. Because they are too hung over to fish?

[leftofthedial]

34. for the spaghetti dinners

mostly

and the baptist cooze

[RebelOne]

38. I'm an atheist, live in Georgia

and sure as hell don't go to church.

[Heidi]

39. It's a social event for them, just as it is for many Christians. (nt)

[lpbk2713]

42. I thought that was what Wal-Mart was for.

:eyes:



Any time of day you can find groups of six or eight people gathered together blocking the aisles while they chat away about nothing in particular.

[Heidi]

47. You don't get to dress up in your Sunday finest for Wal-Mart,

and Wal-Mart chat, unlike church, is a non-competitive sport. :eyes:

[Rabrrrrrr]

48. "non-competitive sport" - that's brilliant!

:rofl:

I love that image. Indeed, sometimes the chat in the church can be VERY competitive.

I also love the "I don't love God, I love being known - hence, if you don't do what I say, I will stop giving money to this church"

[Shell Beau]

40. The social aspects, I suppose.

[Book Lover]

44. Fear of reprisal (nm)

[kilgore65]

45. The religious culture in the South really sucks....

It is all-pervasive, cultic, fundamentalist and has no bearing whatsoever on true spirituality. In my workplace, the people there, especially the older females, can talk of NOTHING except what goes on in church, who was at chuch, is this person going to church, etc. It is truly pathetic.

[Rabrrrrrr]

46. So they can still get medical care from doctors, so the police will still

help them out, so they aren't made pariahs in the community, so the fire department will put out a fire for them, so that grocery clerks don't treat them poorly, so that they can get insurance, so that the cops don't harass them while driving, so their kids don't get beat up at school, so teachers will teach their kids, ....

All that Good Chrsistian Love that the Christians can only muster for themselves would be lost on the godless ahtiests with their intellectual book learning and wine-drinking ways.

[kwassa]

50. Good Christians can knock back the wine, too .... communion, after all

Wherever two or three are gathered together, there is a fifth.

God bless the Whiskypalians.

[arwalden]

49. Peer Pressures? Family Pressures? Employer Pressures?

Are you certain it's just a Southern-thing? I'd imagine that these types of pressures might be pretty universal.

[kwassa]

51. A church is also a form of community center, both good and bad ...

and since most of us humans need to live in community, this satisfies that need. Which explains Unitarians, of course.