Research sprint: secular churches in the Bay
Research Sprints are short (usually one hour) Internet spelunking sessions guided by questions. As I explore, I stream my thoughts into the Captain's Log. Writing prevents me from defaulting to a passive knowledge consumption mindset. While writing, I engage with what I read, and it is easier to notice when I am surprised. Afterwards, I summarize and quantify how much my beliefs updated.
New beliefs and questions
90%: Churches should be radically inclusive, never exclusive. Selectively curating a community is in tension with the commonly understood concept of "church".
30%: The only active, properly secular "church" in the Bay Area is Sunday Assembly.
50%: ...and feels like a cross between TED talks and the Presbyterian church I grew up in, except the worst of both worlds. It has the untargeted, superficial nature of a TED conference; it has some of the cringe energy of church. A bit harsh, but they just strongly remind me of all the Presbyterian services I was super bored in growing up. I think we can design something better. I'm still glad they exist, it's just not for me.
75%: the total population of people in the Bay Area attending secular churches is less than a thousand (Sunday Assembly's congregation can't be more than a few hundred).
99%: this is far less than the population of people in the Bay Area that are interested in one service that a secular church provide: a community of practice for wisdom.
99%: Glide Church is doing amazing things by orienting themselves around public service. Mad respect. They are spreading goodness, happiness, and meaning as a byproduct of their work; they're not chasing it directly.
50%: happiness and meaning cannot be pursued directly, they can *only *be a byproduct of other efforts.
90%: openness to these experiences can be practiced. Learning to make choices that lead to happiness or meaning can be taught.
100%: The French Revolution was wild. On one day in 1793 there was a state-sanctioned French Burning Man where they replaced Christian altars with altars to Liberty and carved "To Philosophy" over the doors of the Notre Dame. They had scantily clad dancers celebrating everywhere. At basically the same time as all the beheadings. Then Napoleon reinstated Catholicism like a year later.
Future questions: What communities of practice for wisdom exist in the Bay Area? Should they help people articulate their values, promote their own set of values, or some combination? Can happiness and meaning be pursued directly? What types of people seek meaning? What does it mean to seek meaning? Can we design an environment in which status-seeking behaviors lead to good and meaningful lives as a byproduct?
Captain's Log
Questions I have
How many are already in the Bay Area? What's up with that one friend Chrispy had that ran one for a while? What do they actually do? Did people like them? Did people feel like they became more wise? Were any actually cool?
There's the Unitarian community, which I believe was profiled in Utopian Communities.
6:19 PM: Whoa. Wikipedia list of "irreligious organizations". Isn't that... most of them? These mostly feel like militant atheists or rationlists ("Committee for Skeptical Inquiry", lol). Not my vibe. Yeah - even the promising-sounding "American Humanist Association"'s tagline is "Good without a God".
Distinguishing these communities from cults.
Will be important. To summarize Jess Alonso's thoughts on cults:
How do you win acceptance? By becoming more yourself (community) or less yourself (cult)
Are narcissists in charge? No (likely community) vs yes (likely cult)
A fun diversion into French revolutionary history.
6:31 PM: whoa! "The Cult of Reason was France's first established state-sponsored secular religion, intended as a replacement for Catholicism during the French Revolution. After holding sway for barely a year, in 1794 it was officially replaced by the rival Cult of the Supreme Being, promoted by Robespierre. Both cults were officially banned in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte with his Law on Cults"
Who is Robespierre? French lawyer and statesman who was one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. His goal was to unite France, pomrote equality before the law, and defend direct democracy. But he also was pretty indifferent to human suffering and is responsible for so many executions that he was the "incarnation of terror".
6:35 PM: OK, fun. But what did the Cult of Reason stand for? Sounds hedonistic, disorderly, multifarious, and "doctrinal hereies both petty and profound". What an interesting time, holy shit! Check out their annual OFFICIAL NATIONWIDE "Festival of Reason":
November 10, 1793: In ceremonies devised and organised by Chaumette, churches across France were transformed into modern Temples of Reason. The largest ceremony of all was at the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. The Christian altar was dismantled and an altar to Liberty was installed and the inscription "To Philosophy" was carved in stone over the cathedral's doors. Festive girls in white Roman dress and tricolor sashes milled around a costumed Goddess of Reason who "impersonated Liberty". A flame burned on the altar which was symbolic of truth. To avoid statuary and idolatry, the Goddess figures were portrayed by living women, and in Paris the role was played by Momoro's wife, Sophie, who is said to have dressed "provocatively" and, according to Thomas Carlyle, "made one of the best Goddesses of Reason; though her teeth were a little defective."
That's the coolest thing ever.
What happened after? The Cult of the Supreme Being by Robespierre restored theism in 1794, and then three months later Napoleon restored Catholicism, lol.
How many secular churches are already in the Bay Area?
What is a "non-denominational church"? One that doesn't subscribe to any specific named religious subgroup, like Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, any of the varieties of Protestantism, etc. Islamic denominations include Sunni and Shia, and Jewish denominations are like reform, conservative, and orthodox.
6:46 PM: lots of dead ends about people charting the decline of religious affiliation in the US and attending churches less. One fun term: "apatheist".
Wtf kind of doublespeak is this? The "Secular Franciscan Order" is for Catholics. "Secular", here, just means they're not monastic.
From Pew research: 48% are Christian, 15% adhere to other faiths, 35% are unaffiliated, leaving 2% in alternative faiths. That puts an upper limit on it, at least.
Sunday Assembly
6:55 PM: Finally found one: Sunday Assembly East Bay. Assembles monthly. Founded by two comedians! They sound a bit lame, though... they call small groups "smoups"
"What should you expect from a Sunday Assembly event? Just by being with us you should be energised, vitalised, restored, repaired, refreshed and recharged. No matter what the subject of the Assembly, it will solace worries, provoke kindness and inject a touch of transcendence into the everyday. But life can be tough… It is. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, we have moments of weakness or life just isn’t fair. We want The Sunday Assembly to be a house of love and compassion, where, no matter what your situation, you are welcomed, accepted and loved. Most of all, have fun, be nice and join in."
"Sunday Assembly was dreamed up in 2013 in London in the U.K."
"There are dozens of chapters around the world. And every year there is an international conference where you can meet and have a great time with other like-minded people."
Format: 10:30-11:00am: Meet and Greet, 11:00-12:00pm: Celebration, 12-1:30 pm: Potluck. Seems like a long service - I wonder what happens? But I like that there's the hangout time beforehand and a potluck after. I bet it attracts a lot of random or lonely people - that certainly happened at the Presbyterian I was raised in. That kind of thing does tend to repel many people. But that's also part of the whole point of a church; that it's inclusive, open to anyone.
How selective can a church be? I mean... it could, but it'd be such a narrative violation that it'd be terrible for its reputation. Probably better (and more accurate) to just call it a community.
Wow - 826 past events on their Meetup.
They're also a breeding ground for small groups AKA "smoups" (some comedians, here...) - like their own mini-meetup. Book clubs, activism, music, hiking, and philosophy group that also includes a potluck dinner. Interesting.
7:07 PM: wow, this real church in SF accepts tithes/gifts in the form of equity instead of cash. Way to know your congregation (and capitalize!). Reality SF.
Other churches
7:13 PM: Article from 2019 on secular churches:
Yet unlike Thrive, which Gorman calls “soulful,” Sunday Assembly is overtly atheist. Gorman says speakers at Thrive are asked to use language that’s “inclusive,” but they sometimes do mention “God".
Other hip, millennial-friendly spiritual venues in the area include Glide, a Christian-based San Francisco church that calls itself “radically inclusive” and emphasizes a strong service component; Kehilla, a progressive synagogue in Oakland that uses “newer prayer forms that reflect our feminism, our egalitarianism, our concerns for the health of the planet, our spiritual seeking and our faith, as well as our healthy skepticism;” and Oak Life Church, an Oakland-based group that meets at the New Parkway Theater and focuses on diversity, peace and justice, and deep community.
Man, radically inclusive just sounds nicer. I should probably update on that belief (elitist?), especially when it comes to hosting events.
Service formats
What is the format of a Thrive service?
" A typical service: opened with a spoken-word poem with no mention of God. Many of their services open with singing and poetry, or with community activists giving secular “TED Talks.”
Hmm. This doesn't actually appeal to me that much. Like - why would I go consume this content with random other people? I'd rather establish a consistent group so that people can build trust and connection with each other. I WOULD want to
Thrive's purpose? Aims to provide a space for people to find meaning and connection.
"Given the current zeitgeist around personal growth, it’s no wonder these institutions are, well, thriving. People have a hunger for human and community connection in an era when it’s becoming increasingly rare. If I had to guess, I would say that many feel like I do: mostly happy, but somewhat empty, and always searching for a deeper meaning. Maybe they, too, find themselves in a secular church pew without knowing quite why they’re there, then leave feeling somehow more connected."
"GLIDE is a nationally recognized center for social justice, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives. Through our integrated comprehensive services, advocacy initiatives, and inclusive community, we empower individuals, families and children to achieve stability and thrive."
This place sounds dope. I kinda want to visit. It's also SO high budget, wow.
Looks pretty big. Maybe 1,000 congregation?
Oh damn, Glide is LIVE. Look at this production - what a party! But it's just another church.
And here's one for Sunday Assembly, from one of their YouTube videos.
Seems like the total secular church population is like 300 people.
Secular "church" is the wrong branding. What should I try looking at instead?