Atheists set up own church

`We are not an organization founded on being against something. We're an organization founded on being for something - reason, tolerance and the search for truth.' Mike Sullivan, co-founder and executive director of North Texas Church of Freethought

IRVING, Texas - When four former Catholic altar boys started an atheist "church" here a few years ago, they didn't think they were doing anything special. They just wanted a place where they and other nonbelievers could gather for fellowship, just as other churchgoers do.

But five years later, the North Texas Church of Freethought - nicknamed the "church for the unchurched" - has become a model for other atheist congregations, sparking interest in similar ventures around the world.

"It's an idea that I had for many years," said Tim Gorski, one of four founders of the group, which is believed to be the nation's largest atheist congregation. "I had no idea it would get to be as successful as it's become."

About 40 people attended the first service in Irving's Wilson World Hotel in 1995. The church now has 150 members and is raising money toward buying a building. Leaders helped launch a congregation in Houston in March, and atheists in England and New Zealand have contacted them about starting a church.

Although the philosophy of atheism is obviously not new, said Mike Sullivan, Freethought co-founder and executive director, the possibility of having a "church of unbelievers" is.

The church offers atheists, humanists and other "freethinkers" many of the same things theistic places of worship provide, Sullivan said, including a disbelief in false gods. But he said atheists take that precept one big step further.

"We've rejected all other gods - plus one more," Sullivan said; atheists find belief in the God Christians, Jews and Muslims worship unreasonable.

"The beauty of this church is that the entire world of human ideas is open to us," Sullivan said. "We are not limited by one thought or belief."

Sullivan and Gorski said they understand that for many people, the idea of atheists going to "church" is foreign. But nonbelievers need fellowship, too.

"I think we missed church," Gorski said.

"It's like people that aren't religious, they still need a community to come together," said John Hendricks, a former Presbyterian who has attended the meetings for four years. "We're not a bunch of angry atheists. There are a lot of smart people here."

Freethought members come from all racial backgrounds, and Sullivan is proud that many are young people with families.

"We are not an organization founded on being against something," Sullivan said. "We're an organization founded on being for something - reason, tolerance and the search for truth."

The fellowship does not collect offerings during services, but it solicits donations for operating costs. The group's Web site - http://church.freethought.org/ - says members can designate 1 percent of their purchases at Kroger and Tom Thumb grocery stores for the church through the businesses' Kroger Cares and Good Neighbor programs.

About 75 people usually show up for the hourlong services at the hotel, or "mini-symposiums" as Gorski calls them. Topics include ethics, behavior, current events and religion. Almost anything - including the Bible and God - are open for discussion.

A recent service began with a performance by two cellists, followed by a couple singing a folk song - no hymns - and then a spoof on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Gorski spoke to the casually dressed group about the theory of freethought, telling them that "freethinkers understand that nothing we think is beyond question." He also told them about freethought "heroes" who lived centuries ago.

Meanwhile, in a room across the hall, Gorski's wife, Deborah Boak, was instructing the children's Sunday school class.

"There are two things we try to do," Boak said. "Establish critical-thinking skills, and the other part is moral thinking. We probably share 90 percent of what other churches think (about right and wrong). We believe that once you make a commitment to do what is right, you don't need a god hanging over you to force you to do it. The people here are comfortable believing you can be a good person and lead a good life."

Unlike most of the people who attend Freethought services, member Clinton Smith said he has been an atheist since childhood.

His dad was a preacher, but he lived in Germany with his stepfather, who was an atheist. "When you're growing up, you do what your parents do," said Smith, who has been a member of the fellowship since its founding.

Smith's girlfriend, Martina Kolmeder, said she joined the group after a long spiritual journey.

"I grew up very religious," Kolmeder said. "I tried everything. Then I read Bertrand Russell's book `Why I Am Not a Christian.' Russell's book changed my life. But it was very difficult for me to turn away (from Christianity). People told me that if you turn away from God, you're going to hell. Now I don't worry about that."

Gorski said he realizes that Christians' thoughts about atheists run the gamut from benign acceptance to outright contempt. Just as they ponder his fate, he wonders about theirs.

"Our question is, is it possible to know anything with absolute certainty?" he asked. "As long as you're alive, nothing is ever final."