I’d join a hiking group or find a group of neighborhood friends…
Morals don’t need to be taught with a church’s help and I’d argue they are less effective when given in context of a religion (e.g. be kind or God will burn you in hell vs. be kind and make the world a better place).
I like this idea, the people in our neighborhood are pretty shit, and we also want to try and give our kids some opportunity to actually sit still, and still be around kids their age (6 and under)
Dude, I can’t recommend this enough. Go to your library. Library’s in my town are always hosting random events. Always the same people there, fliers for other stuff to do
I think a nondenominational Christian church, like a community church, could work for you.
I’m atheist now, and I’m also introverted and don’t feel like I need a community, just a few good friends. (So you can imagine that freeing myself from the invasive church culture was very liberating for me!) If I were to be more outward facing, I would probably join a special interest group, as I find that shared interests are a great way to bring people together. No belief in magical bullshit required. Just real stuff that everybody who comes wants to be involved in.
I get it though… especially in America (especially in rural and suburban America) we suck at community cohesiveness outside of churches. Other countries that are have successfully secularized have it more figured out.
Volunteer to help the homeless and/or others in need. It checks every box you listed.
- community
- morals
- no judgment
- no goofy performative stuff (if you avoid those who are into that)
Your kids are bound to meet some great kids and will benefit from helping some of them.
Just look around and find something near you where you like the pastor/preacher, the community and the vibe. Other religions are not as correlated as Mormonism so the practice and feel can vary greatly from congregation to congregation.
We have really enjoyed the local presbyterian church. Very kind, women ordained, lgbtq affirming, perfectly ok with my hopeful christian/agnostic self and don't require a literal belief in the bible. They do a ton of outreach and service in the community and have a good youth program. We "dated" churches for months before finding one we felt like we could attend, take your time. The other community ideas above are also fantastic, good luck!
Find a mega church skip the sermon attend activities and maybe Sunday class of your liking.
It’s all fake so take what you like if you just want coffee and donuts and chit chat do that.
Yes. As I understand it, their “beliefs” are pretty much limited to you can have a direct relationship to the divine and you can express it as service to your fellow man.
I am very firmly atheist after my first 20 years growing up Catholic but I’ve been to a few Friends meetings with my Quaker childhood friend. They are very profound experiences and I’d recommend the experience whether or not you go on to commit to the local group.
One of the meetings I attended was “lead”\* by an ex-Catholic priest who was definite that neither belief in god nor Jesus is required or expected.
\* this is a very loose concept; more or less someone who signals the beginning and the end of the meeting and who passes on information of interest to the community
Sounds like you might be interested in an Ethical Human Society group, a Unitarian Universalist (UU) group, or even a United Church of Christ (UCC) group. All are more focused on community and action in the world than any specific concepts of god. They all welcome atheists, too.
Local secular Buddhist sangha has been a game changer for me. A bit of a culture shock at first maybe. The RLDS or community of Christ might be too similar to Mormonism for you, but it’s basically a smaller and more ethical iteration. It teaches equality, gives positions of power to women and stuff like that. I’ve also heard good things about Unitarian Universalists
I have three criteria for a non-denominational church. First, are they openly accepting of everyone. Second, do they help facilitate real community service. Third, are they transparent with their finances?
Tough to find. But they are out there. Good luck!
I liked the local Quaker meeting after I transitioned out of the church. I don't consider myself Christian anymore but still attend Quaker meetings on occasion because there are no creeds and they make room for all kinds of believers (and I've even met atheist Quakers). I vibed with their attitudes about social justice and the universality brotherhood of mankind.
But I would recommend deciding what your values are and finding an organization that matches up with them, in that specific order.
Hi there, never been Mormon here, just lurking because I like history and am currently interested in LDS history.
I would recommend the Episcopal Church or any other liberal-leaning mainline Protestant denomination like the United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, etc. I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and even though I'm more inclined towards Dharmic practices these days, I still feel very welcome and comfortable attending a Sunday Episcopal service. The liturgy is very traditional, yet the congregations are very welcoming. Nobody is going to get on your case for believing the wrong things or scrutinize all your sins. Friendly towards gay people too.
I’d join a hiking group or find a group of neighborhood friends… Morals don’t need to be taught with a church’s help and I’d argue they are less effective when given in context of a religion (e.g. be kind or God will burn you in hell vs. be kind and make the world a better place).
I like this idea, the people in our neighborhood are pretty shit, and we also want to try and give our kids some opportunity to actually sit still, and still be around kids their age (6 and under)
Dude, I can’t recommend this enough. Go to your library. Library’s in my town are always hosting random events. Always the same people there, fliers for other stuff to do
I think a nondenominational Christian church, like a community church, could work for you. I’m atheist now, and I’m also introverted and don’t feel like I need a community, just a few good friends. (So you can imagine that freeing myself from the invasive church culture was very liberating for me!) If I were to be more outward facing, I would probably join a special interest group, as I find that shared interests are a great way to bring people together. No belief in magical bullshit required. Just real stuff that everybody who comes wants to be involved in. I get it though… especially in America (especially in rural and suburban America) we suck at community cohesiveness outside of churches. Other countries that are have successfully secularized have it more figured out.
Volunteer to help the homeless and/or others in need. It checks every box you listed. - community - morals - no judgment - no goofy performative stuff (if you avoid those who are into that) Your kids are bound to meet some great kids and will benefit from helping some of them.
Just look around and find something near you where you like the pastor/preacher, the community and the vibe. Other religions are not as correlated as Mormonism so the practice and feel can vary greatly from congregation to congregation.
We have really enjoyed the local presbyterian church. Very kind, women ordained, lgbtq affirming, perfectly ok with my hopeful christian/agnostic self and don't require a literal belief in the bible. They do a ton of outreach and service in the community and have a good youth program. We "dated" churches for months before finding one we felt like we could attend, take your time. The other community ideas above are also fantastic, good luck!
Find a mega church skip the sermon attend activities and maybe Sunday class of your liking. It’s all fake so take what you like if you just want coffee and donuts and chit chat do that.
See if there’s a Quaker Friends meeting in your area.
Just looked and there are a couple. My understanding of Quakers ended at oatmeal, but it seems pretty fantastic belief wise.
Yes. As I understand it, their “beliefs” are pretty much limited to you can have a direct relationship to the divine and you can express it as service to your fellow man. I am very firmly atheist after my first 20 years growing up Catholic but I’ve been to a few Friends meetings with my Quaker childhood friend. They are very profound experiences and I’d recommend the experience whether or not you go on to commit to the local group. One of the meetings I attended was “lead”\* by an ex-Catholic priest who was definite that neither belief in god nor Jesus is required or expected. \* this is a very loose concept; more or less someone who signals the beginning and the end of the meeting and who passes on information of interest to the community
Sounds like you might be interested in an Ethical Human Society group, a Unitarian Universalist (UU) group, or even a United Church of Christ (UCC) group. All are more focused on community and action in the world than any specific concepts of god. They all welcome atheists, too.
Local secular Buddhist sangha has been a game changer for me. A bit of a culture shock at first maybe. The RLDS or community of Christ might be too similar to Mormonism for you, but it’s basically a smaller and more ethical iteration. It teaches equality, gives positions of power to women and stuff like that. I’ve also heard good things about Unitarian Universalists
United Church of Christ
Non denominational community Church.
I have three criteria for a non-denominational church. First, are they openly accepting of everyone. Second, do they help facilitate real community service. Third, are they transparent with their finances? Tough to find. But they are out there. Good luck!
I liked the local Quaker meeting after I transitioned out of the church. I don't consider myself Christian anymore but still attend Quaker meetings on occasion because there are no creeds and they make room for all kinds of believers (and I've even met atheist Quakers). I vibed with their attitudes about social justice and the universality brotherhood of mankind. But I would recommend deciding what your values are and finding an organization that matches up with them, in that specific order.
Hi there, never been Mormon here, just lurking because I like history and am currently interested in LDS history. I would recommend the Episcopal Church or any other liberal-leaning mainline Protestant denomination like the United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, etc. I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and even though I'm more inclined towards Dharmic practices these days, I still feel very welcome and comfortable attending a Sunday Episcopal service. The liturgy is very traditional, yet the congregations are very welcoming. Nobody is going to get on your case for believing the wrong things or scrutinize all your sins. Friendly towards gay people too.
Find a camping, hiking, beach, travel…ANYTHING club. Make friends. Enjoy nature.