Why Atheists Need Church

I went to church today. Many churches, in fact. Walking around Vienna’s tiny Old City, it’s hard not to run into a church. My feet got tired, so I sat down in one of the few available seats, which happened to be in a pew. A woman in her 40’s knelt next to me. Her daughter sat in the pew directly behind her, a mix of impatience and ignorance welded to her face, soothed only by the candy necklace she was chomping on.

“What are we dooooooing?” she asked. The impressive old church clearly didn’t have the same significance for the girl as it did for her mom.

“We’re praying” said the mom. “Shhh.”

“But why?” I imagined the girl say.

“Because.” I imagined the mom replying. “The world is scary. The hope that someone, something, is bigger than us, is in control of all of this chaos, is comforting. The hope that there is some meaning to life, that there’s a reason we exist, is reassuring.”

Of course, the mother didn’t say this. I didn’t say it either, both because the girl was six, and because the attempting-to-pray mother’s right elbow was six inches from my crotch.

But this imagined exchange did get me thinking. About life, about purpose, about the future, about humanity. About my life. What I wanted to do and who I wanted to be.

And then, an epiphany.

The structured self-reflection offered by church is tremendously beneficial. It’s a set time every week to reflect on yourself and your life. It’s guided (mandated?) self-improvement. The physical act of having to go somewhere, sit, and think about your decisions, your actions, your goals, and your character, the ritual of it all, imparts a seriousness of its own. Just like one of the intrinsic features of time tracking is being held to account for your time at the end of the day, a weekly church session can help keep your values in check. It’s like court-ordered therapy: you’re a lot less likely to beat the shit out of your wife if the two of you have to see that therapist every Tuesday night.

But, there’s no good secular equivalent. We don’t have any rituals or ceremonies. We don’t have designated temples or sanctuaries where people gather at set times to think about and discuss how to better themselves. And that’s kind of a shame. I had some amazingly productive hours over the last week sitting in these old churches and thinking. Sure, I could do this at home, but part of the benefit came from being somewhere where I had nothing to do but sit and think. Part of the benefit came from getting to observe other people doing the same thing.

So, try going to church, or synagogue, or temple, or whatever. I’ve found that you’ll be left totally alone (and avoid the religious stuff) if you go sometime during the week at non-mass times. You might be surprised at how much clear thinking you can get done in a quiet, unfamiliar place.

Img: JohnMaschak