Church-like environment or actual church for atheist/agnostic parents?
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Anonymous
| My husband and I are both atheist/agnostic (not sure exactly, but suffice it to say religion is not a part of our lives). However, as my kids get older, I do miss the structure and the messaging and the community that church offers. I'd love them to be part of a group that teaches them selflessness, and giving, and community outreach, and other things like this that are frequently aligned with churches. Any other parents out there want this kind of thing for their child and been able to find something that works? Of course as a parent, I'm teaching those things anyway and trying to model them, but it's nice to have a community where kids can see other people that value these things, and that plan volunteering opportunities, etc. Suggestions? |
Anonymous
| I tihnk there are Ethical Societies that do that kind of thing--you can try googling that + your local area. |
Anonymous
| No experience yet, but Ww are considering a UU church and think it might meet your (and my) criteria. |
Anonymous
|
Unitarian Church for us though we also considered the Washington Ethical Society. We liked both but the Unitarian Church really won us over.
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Anonymous
| How about Buddhist temple? |
Anonymous
| OP i am atheist too but I belong to the catholic church and so does my family. We just emphasize the caring, giving and community part. DS will know it's BS when he grows up, but he gets that feeling of belonging and the positive aspects of church. |
Anonymous
| Unitarian Universalist is the only way to go. |
Anonymous
I'm not even UU and I agree. Attending one service at Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL was a transformative experience for me. |
Anonymous
Same here. But, if you think UU might interest you, you should go to a couple to find one that you're comfortable with. They each have a little different flavor. |
Anonymous
| Washington Ethical Society http://www.ethicalsociety.org/ or All Souls Unitarian http://www.all-souls.org/ |
Anonymous
| Where are you? I would look at uu congregations. |
Anonymous
| UU church. |
Anonymous
| Don't know where you live, OP, but we live Cedar Lane Unitarian. |
Anonymous
*love* not live |
Anonymous
| I was raised UU (went to Cedar Lane) and though I don't attend church now, the upbringing was really great. It's such a welcoming, diverse faith, and the Sunday School reflects their principles well. Second the recc for Cedar Lane; All Souls in DC (Mount Pleasant) and River Road are also great congregations. GL! |