Guest rtgalileo Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 So I deconverted a while back (more than a year ago?), and I've been pretty excited about my new found lack of faith. I attend a university in the Bible belt where there are a ton of religious organizations but no secular ones, so I'm really thinking about starting a club with a friend. However, there is a lot to consider and I'm kind of at a loss of how to proceed. The first point is: What is the purpose of the club? We have decided it is to provide a social setting for nonreligious people to interact. I don't have a problem with religious people coming -- in fact, I would be happy if they came, and maybe they could learn something -- but I don't want people coming to preach. The second: What will we do? Debate seems to be one option, but I see this failing from either 1) lack of participation or 2) over-enthusiastic participation. IMO, debate is something to avoid. The other solution is to simply show media. What I have immediately available includes: Jesus Camp, God's Warriors (CNN), The Man from Earth, Beyond Belief (2006 & 2007), Root of all Evil, Enemies of Reason, The God Who Wasn't There, The Bible's Buried Secrets, and a ton of youtube videos. So I ask the community, does anyone else have a similar experience of starting a secular club, or have you attended one? What is their purpose and what do they do? How do you attract attendees (I hear gathering the nonreligious is like herding cats)? Any advice or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etchison Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 That's a great idea, and I hope you carry through with it. One aspect of your charter might include that the group is "dedicated to propogating a positive image of the non-believer." Or "Positive image of skeptical world view." etc. Debate and movies might be cool, but above all else, try to maintain the higher ground when it comes to how you treat people. Figure out helpful things that your group can do that will *truly* benefit the other students or the local community. Be altruistic. Clean up dog poo. Give food to the poor. Do a toy drive for underprivileged kids. Associate Atheism with good works; that will mess with people's heads! : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I organized a Meetup group once. It wasn't on the same subject but some of these observations might still apply. Unless you are an extrovert and exceptionally good at public speaking and moderating debates, it is very difficult to lead discussions/debates without some special training. I found that it was very hard not to have one or two dominant personalities completely take over. Being very introverted myself, I kept hoping someone else would step up to the plate and lead the discussion part, but it never happened. The more people attending the meeting, the more difficult it is. I had 20 people at times, and that becomes hard. The particular format of my group was to show a film and then have a discussion afterward. This worked pretty well but even though I prepared for each meeting it was easy to get off topic and there were equipment problems that I could have done without. It is worth a try to do it though. It is something really needed and I really learned a lot from leading the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I think this is a good idea. Something that is needed in today's society when you basically have church or the bars to meet people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 At my University, we have a club called the Freethinkers. It is sponsored by CFI, The Center for Inquiry. We do things like sit around and talk about current events at our weekly meetings. That is what we usually do. But we sponsor and participate in some seminars/forums on campus about once a semester. We went on a field trip to Chicago to see all the museums last year. We had a fun Christmas party this year and went to see an atheist comedian. There is also the Secular Student Alliance, and they have clubs on college campuses too. I would get in touch with these organizations for tips on starting a club at your university. Good luck! http://www.secularstudents.org/ http://www.centerforinquiry.net/about www.campusfreethought.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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