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‘A Godless Congregation’: British Comedians Launch Atheist Church to Provide Secular Weddings, Funerals & ‘Worship’ Services

Dec. 21, 2012 3:21pm Billy Hallowell

It isn’t often that one hears of atheists attending church, however a new movement seems to be gearing up, as non-believers search for ways to create secular community groups. A Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., is holding weekly services for atheists and humanists. And, now, in London, stand-up comics are launching their own house of worship — a secular project that is sparking international attention.

The Islington Gazette is reporting that comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans are preparing for what the outlet dubs “a godless congregation,” which will be located in Canonbury (a residential district in the north of London). The atheist church, called “The Sunday Assembly,” will provide secular weddings, funerals and monthly services (the first Sunday of every month).

Jones and Evans, a musical impov duo, will launch the church on Jan. 6 (on the Feast of Epiphany). According to the Gazette, the two decided to create the house of worship when they realized that, while they enjoy some aspects of religion, they do not believe in a higher power.

Comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans to Launch Atheist Church in London

Photo Credit: ShutterStock.com

“We thought it would be a shame not to enjoy the good stuff about religion, like the sense of community, just because of a theological disagreement,” Jones told the outlet.

Rather than in-house reverends, the church will include speakers who will come in to talk about a variety of issues each month. And, much like deity-driven churches, the house of worship will include a house band led by Evans.

“We all should be ludicrously excited every single moment to be alive in one of the best countries in the world,” Jones noted. “If the church becomes a useful place for others, that would be a good thing. We just want people to feel encouraged and excited when they leave.”

While Jones’ and Evans’ new project is certainly curious, they aren’t the first non-believers to share an appreciation of church culture. Author Alain de Button, too, has noted that atheists can learn quite a bit from believers.

What do you think about the concept of an atheist church? Let us know in the comments section below.

–

Related:

Tulsa Preacher Launches Weekly Church Service for Atheists, Humanists & Secularists (Yes, Really)

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Comments (67)

woody4_rom828
Posted on December 22, 2012 at 5:08am
It’s not a church. The true church is the body of Christ, in other words, all those who have put their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. All they will be doing is gathering at a local community building.

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- ZengaPA65
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 5:37am
  The people that did all the killing and torturing during the Inquisition put their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior.
  
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- Quester55
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 8:04am
  My follower Believer & worshipers of Jesus are forgetting that we have an enemy in this earth, Satan! And it mocks everything of Jesus & Heaven !!
  This new church is nothing new, just the name has been changed to protect the Guilty, The old title still remains the same however, that being; The church of Satan !!
  
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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 9:41am
  Change the name to “building of Athiests Comming Togerther”…and git rid of that “cross” if they are really athiest-commedians!
  
  Report this comment
- Locked
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 12:26pm
  Eh. Unitarian Universalists have had churches for years; but they’re not strictly Christian (I seem to recall seeing once that the majority of their membership is made of atheists or Humanists). Doesn’t bother me what they call their building.
  
  Report this comment
- chucksue351
  Posted on December 23, 2012 at 6:36am
  the word church just means a called out assembly for whatever purpose, look in the book of act to see that, by the way church derives from the word circus, any connection
  
  Report this comment
SamZydeco
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 11:40pm
I have made this argument before : no religion is a religion in and of itself. Why should their religion super edge traditional religion?

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- piper60
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 9:34am
  Unitarian atheist?That’s logical. So what o they actually believe in?The ten suggestions?
  
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hgaut
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 10:56pm
I find this a little dangerous in that it’ll give people a false sense of salvation for those that are ignorant of God’s word. They’ll feel that just being good may get them to heaven. But then again, who are they worshipping during their worship service; the Creator or the creation? And why have a cross on the bldg instead of creating their own symbol. They could just as easily form a community center with like minded people who have the same philosophy. I think these people just want to justify themselves and not give an account to God so they don’t feel judged. The main hymn may be ***-Ba-Ya By Gosh. ***-Ba-Ya.

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54smom
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 10:34pm
See they do need church.

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- AbrahamsSheepdog
  Posted on December 23, 2012 at 12:21pm
  Yes. Take the glory of God out. Look how dumb humans are. Pitiful. To be so useless to the world. How can our Creator watch and still love us? I know why Jesus wept.
  
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woodcellar
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 10:16pm
It seem they know or feel they are missing something so they copy. Maybe they will figure it out if they are not to pig headed.

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hillarie
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 9:06pm
They already have a church for atheists. It’s called the unitarian universalist congregation.

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- Locked
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 12:42pm
  I thought the same thing; though to be fair, the UU is for all faiths and belief systems. I think atheists and Humanists only make up about half of their population.
  
  Report this comment
jman-6
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 8:31pm
As a Christian I’m actually glad to see this except I wish they wouldn’t call it a church, disrespectful! The reason I think it’s a good thing is simple: Until JESUS comes back were stuck with them so I would much rather have the godless sharing values and morals than not!

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- NeoFan
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 8:58pm
  British Comedians? Thats redundant.
  
  Report this comment
- Dent
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 10:54am
  @Neofan
  
  Are you saying that all Brits are Comedians, or that all Comedians are Brits? Or is it just that you don’t know what “redundant” means?
  
  Report this comment
jessieH
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 7:14pm
When GOD tears it down, will they blame Bush, again? Brits. Can’t live with them, so, we started our own country.

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Think It Thru
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 6:16pm
Odd. They need to go to a building to not believe in God? Christians don’t need to go to a building to believe in God.

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Ducky657
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 6:14pm
The red cross is a great touch. So many churches took God (specifically Jesus Christ) out of their confines years ago so this is no big deal. Makes about as much sense as the Gay Marriage thing. What is the point?????????????????

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- DZ-015
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 12:28am
  Look at the credit to the photo. If it says ShutterStock, it is not the actual building for this atheist conclave; rather, it’s a photo picked by The Blaze for illustrative purposes only.
  
  Report this comment
silentme63
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:33pm
God will not be mocked….

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- ModerationIsBest
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 10:22pm
  I mock the idea of a God everyday. I’m still here.
  
  Are you going to come at me with a “you’ll find out one day!” kind of threat?
  
  BTW, these people are stupid.
  
  A church for atheists? Nonsense.
  
  Report this comment
emmess
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:11pm
What’s unusual is the format; a church. But morality and ethics are not the exclusive domain of the religious. In fact, for those who are students of the Hebrew Scriptures and are familiar with the prophets, nowhere is there a requirement to be religious, just to be righteous. The prophets eschewed ritual and harangued the Jews to be righteous and not ritualistic. Atheists, without compromising their philosophical principles, can adhere to the gentile version of the Commandments known as the Noahide laws: Seven commandments that are the roadmap for civilization. It can also be argued that God needs atheists in order to witness His existence when He chooses to reveal it.

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Dave.the.Blaze
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:52pm
I was raised a Christian but no longer believe in it. I’m not, however, an atheist. But I’ve noted recently that some atheists have become quite “evangelical” in their views, so it seems they are indeed forming churches of a sort. It’s their right, of course, but I wonder if they’re on a slippery slope they will end up regretting.

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shorelineliz
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:26pm
“just because of a theological disagreement?” yeah. Don’t let something as pesky as theology stop you from starting your secular atheistic church. groan. where can I barf?

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- emmess
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:18pm
  Have you ever heard of the Unitarian Church? God is an option there.
  
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shorelineliz
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:24pm
A secular church for atheists who enjoy some aspects of religion but don’t believe in God. Is this the sequel, sequel to Dumb and Dumber or what? Stupid people do so annoy me as do special orders which upset me.

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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:54pm
  No, more like the sequel to Idiocracy.
  
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AvengerK
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:10pm
So now atheists have a church….

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- Free_Thought
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:32pm
  Doesnt make much sense to call your building a church if that is what you say you are against. Im an atheist as well but would never set foot in this place.
  
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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:47pm
  Who and why would anyone go? To see a show? Do they do stand-up? If that’s the case, they can’t very well claim it’s a church, could they? It would be a theater.
  
  Report this comment
- brother_ed
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 5:12pm
  “And now for something completely different!”
  
  -MP’s Flying Circus
  
  Report this comment
- ModerationIsBest
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 10:25pm
  Only weak people who need to “feel” part of a community join anything resembling a church, religious or not.
  
  Even if some kind secular, free thought convention was held here, I still wouldn’t go.
  
  Report this comment
- DZ-015
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 12:31am
  Avengerk: It’s not a church; it’s a crutch.
  
  Report this comment
kung
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:10pm
Why don’t they just drop the religious parody and call it what it is – a club for gays and nerds?

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Eastinfection
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:08pm
Are they going to file for tax-exempt status?

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- Free_Thought
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:19pm
  I guess if they are a church, they have the same right to be tax exempt
  
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- Anonymous T. Irrelevant
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:50pm
  They are not a church if they aren’t worshipping a deity. If they actually provide charity or the poor, I believe soup houses and homeless shelters are also tax exempt.
  
  Report this comment
WildschweinJager
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:08pm
What the point? Church weddings are done as a delcaration to the world in front of God to love and be faithful to you wife or husband. Not life partner, dog or donkey.

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Sil in CNY
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:45pm
If the pic included with this article is the actual “church” they will be using…shouldn’t they take the cross off the front of it? Wouldn’t want to be hypocrites, now….would they?

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- IMCHRISTIAN
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:55pm
  Exactly what I was thinking. God will not be mocked but he does love all his children and if it would change their minds about God then it might be ok but if they are in the building to mock..to bad ..no future.
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:05pm
  Maybe they’ll just invert it?
  
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Cavallo
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:42pm
See, it IS a religion.

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- Winedude
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:58pm
  Just because people congregate doesn’t make it a religion. Under very loose definition of religion, people who assemble to, as an example, hearing Glenn Beck speak could be called a religion. Actually that would be much closer to a religion that as assembly of people that merely want to congregate….Beck is nothing more than a preacher anyway…
  
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- Cavallo
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:50pm
  It is what they are doing at the congregation that makes it a religion. Its the fact that it centers around a specific religious philosophical belief. It is a religion. Although, IF you want to speak academically it would be considered a “cult”, since it has a small following with current living leaders. Should church going atheists gain enough numbers it would become a sect, then at a certain threshold it would be a religion.
  
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- Baerlin
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 8:44pm
  It is not a religion because there is no visible sign of a belief or of faith. A religion means that there is something that you have faith in and adhere to. Something that you believe in. Granted, atheists believe in a godless universe, and that has been called a religion by the Supreme Court, but for them to gather and worship is a bit absurd. “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6 : 8
  
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- DZ-015
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 12:50am
  Cavallo: You are correct. Atheism is a religion, just like zero is a number. The nonexistence of God cannot be proven, rather those atheists who assert it are taking their position as a matter of faith. Anyone who who asserts that they are an atheist because the existence of God has not been proven and also says that faith has nothing to do with it is not an atheist, but an agnostic. (That is, unless they lied about the faith part.)
  
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- Pnis
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 8:26am
  No DZ, they can be an atheist. I can’t prove that god doesn’t exist, nor can I prove that unicorns don’t exist, but I don’t believe in either of them, which makes me an atheist. That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.
  
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- trojans231
  Posted on December 22, 2012 at 5:08pm
  Scientism (veritas.org has a good video on it) is the atheist religion. It’s the belief that science is the absolute truth and power in the world (which is a bit silly, since a basic understanding of science shows that they stray from dealing with absolutes).
  
  Problem is, very few atheists like to own up to the fact that their extreme behaviors based upon their atheism essentially prove their membership in the Church of Scientism.
  
  “I love science, Ferk religion! Science is better than religion!”
  
  “1. the two are completely different. Science is a process, not a thing. Religion is a thing, not a process. Are you making science a thing and putting it as an absolute?”
  
  “Science is legit man.”
  
  “2. Scientism bro. Sucking on the teets of the cow of Scientism.”
  
  “Nuh uh, Scientism doesn’t exist. I only worship science as an absolute truth and so do a lot of other people, that doesn’t make it a religion!”
  
  “3. Jim Jones was an atheist and led a religious movement. It’s very obviously a religion.”
  
  Pardon my strawman.
  
  Report this comment
Margyt
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:38pm
This is either hilarious or totally disgusting….can it be both? This encapsulates the faith issue from the beginning of time. They like some aspects of religion but not the God part. So they create a world without God and think they can end up in the right place. Meanwhile God is the most real thing of all.

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- SimpleTruths
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:45pm
  “Meanwhile God is the most real thing of all”
  
  Of really? Have him give me a call, I have a few questions.
  
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- M13
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:53pm
  Simpleton,Obama is to busy playing golf to give you a call.
  
  Report this comment
- kaydeebeau
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:15pm
  @ simple – you will speak with Him eventually – take a notebook with you – though I bet when faced with Him – you will be dumb-struck – but hey good “luck”to you
  
  Report this comment
kaydeebeau
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:36pm
The Almight will not be mocked – eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow……

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kaydeebeau
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:34pm
Father, forgive them……

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macpappy
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:33pm
Atheist Church to Provide Secular Weddings, Funerals & ‘Worship’ Services

This is one of the stupidest headlines I have ever seen in print.
What is it that Atheist worship, exactly?
Do we not have, and have always had “Secular Weddings, and Funerals”. Even in Britian.
“Secular Worship Services” is an oxymoron.
This folks is the MSM dividing the conservatives. Y

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- moreteaplease
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:44pm
  “Secular Worship Services” is an oxymoron.
  —————–
  Hilarious isn’t it? :)
  
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- Eastinfection
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 4:10pm
  They’re going to name it “Little Harvard”.
  
  Report this comment
- Al J Zira
  Posted on December 21, 2012 at 6:20pm
  Not sure why anything new needed to be established, especially in England. They already have the Church of England.
  
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