I was listening to an item on Radio 4 yesterday afternoon about the Sunday Assembly - for want of a better expressions, an atheist church. All the community benefits associated with traditional church, but without the God aspect, the irrational metaphysics or the desperate need for certainty in an increasingly uncertain world.
There's no doubt that the church was once the focus of community life, but since the decline in belief and the associated decline in churchgoing, nothing has really filled the social void. Social isolation, especially among the old, is a big problem, but if you're not religious you feel out-of-place in a church.
Sunday Assembly is a neat concept which addresses community cohesion in the face of a decline in belief, much in the same manner as the local village hall. The traditional church is constantly fighting a battle to save its fabric, as is the local village hall - all coming from the same community pockets. It's a pity these two community efforts can't be combined within a single, shared building.
The problem with any new movement, however, is longevity. Without a charismatic leader, organisations tend to fizzle out after a while. Sunday Assembly really needs to capture the current popular zeitgeist by having snazzy uniforms (perhaps in a fetching black and silver) and injecting some catchy slogans like; ''I Want My Country Back'. Perhaps there's even a role for a charismatic leader, like Nigel Farrage...
Sunday Assembly is a neat concept which addresses community cohesion in the face of a decline in belief, much in the same manner as the local village hall. The traditional church is constantly fighting a battle to save its fabric, as is the local village hall - all coming from the same community pockets. It's a pity these two community efforts can't be combined within a single, shared building.
The problem with any new movement, however, is longevity. Without a charismatic leader, organisations tend to fizzle out after a while. Sunday Assembly really needs to capture the current popular zeitgeist by having snazzy uniforms (perhaps in a fetching black and silver) and injecting some catchy slogans like; ''I Want My Country Back'. Perhaps there's even a role for a charismatic leader, like Nigel Farrage...
Went on our usual Sunday walk yesterday and came across some roadkill in the verge of one of the little-used country lanes.
Must have been at least 3 kilos. Poor thing obviously had an altercation with a car. Hay and I took turns to carry it as it was so heavy - we called it a training marrow...
Not sure why Hay was so insistent on taking it home - I hate marrow.
Must have been at least 3 kilos. Poor thing obviously had an altercation with a car. Hay and I took turns to carry it as it was so heavy - we called it a training marrow...
Not sure why Hay was so insistent on taking it home - I hate marrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment