Nonbelievers striving for humanist connections

[SecularMotion]

On a recent Sunday, as millions of Americans met to celebrate their belief in God, 18 people met in Harvard Square to celebrate their lack of religious conviction.

They had come, as they do most weekends, for meditation, philosophical jousting, and a potluck lunch led by Harvard University’s humanist chaplain, Greg Epstein. Call it organized irreligion.

“Sometimes,’’ he said, “the discussion at these meetings can get pretty heated. That’s just our version of ‘Amen.’ ’’

On Saturday, at a ceremony featuring Seth MacFarlane - creator of “Family Guy’’ and official Harvard Humanist of the Year - Epstein launched a nationwide network of groups like his, designed to offer atheists the fellowship and ceremony of churchgoing without any belief in the transcendent.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/10/17/harvard_universitys_humanist_chaplain_founds_a_church_for_the_churchless/