New atheist church opens its doors in Christchurch

Friday, September 26th, 2014

The Sunday Assembly, commonly know as the atheist church, has arrived in Christchurch.

Sunday Assembly Christchurch will formally launch on Sunday September 28th, 2014.

Sunday Assembly is a church without god but it is not necessarily anti god.

Sunday Assembly was founded in London in January 2013, and since then it has exploded across the world with over 30 Assemblies up and running (it’s the ‘fastest growing church in the world’ according to the Daily Beast).

The Daily Beast may not be factually accurate when they designate Sunday Assembly as “the fastest growing church.”

Yet the media hype points to a cultural shift documented by Pew Research where one out of five people in the United States now classify their religious affiliation as “none.”

In New Zealand, just under half of the population at the 2013 New Zealand Census declared an affiliation to Christianity. However, regular church attendance is probably closer to 15%

After hearing about the Sunday Assembly on Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon and via social media, local organisers from Christchurch contacted Sunday Assembly’s London HQ for help in setting up their own congregation.

In their press release the organisers say that the Sunday Assembly is all the “best bits of church, emphasising fun, music, togetherness and universal human values, without the religious baggage that so often causes division and derision.”

Each service is based around a values-based theme, with a guest speaker, reading and songs all inspired by that idea.

The event takes place at The CBD Bar, 208 Madras St, Christchurch. It kicks off at 11am on the 28th of September and entry is free.

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