Communal Secularity: Congregational Work at the Sunday Assembly

Smith, Jesse M.; Cragun, Ryan T.; Manning, Christel; Fazzino, Lori L.

doi:10.1515/9783110458657-009

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…But clearly, niches are being filled by groups with differing emphases. For example, Sunday Assembly, the Center for Inquiry, and other humanist groups span a range of agendas (Cimino & Smith 2014;Smith 2017). Although not all secular or nonreligious groups prioritize prosociality, those that do so likely utilize the same social capital-generating mechanisms that are present in any group that effectively promotes prosociality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Effects of Religious Belief and Affiliation on Prosociality

Galen

Gore

Shults

2021

Secularism and Nonreligion

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To what extent do supernatural beliefs, group affiliation, and social interaction produce values and behaviors that benefit others, i.e., prosociality? Addressing this question involves multiple variables interacting within complex social networks that shape and constrain the beliefs and behaviors of individuals. We examine the relationships among some of these factors utilizing data from the World Values Survey to inform the construction of an Agent-Based Model. The latter was able to identify the conditions under which -and the mechanisms by which -the prosociality of simulated agents was increased or decreased within an "artificial society" designed to reflect real world parameters. The combined results indicated that prosociality was more related to agents' group affiliation and social networks than to their worldview beliefs. It also showed that prosociality changed as a function of agents' worldviews, group affiliation, and social network properties. Individuals with supernatural worldviews had higher levels of active prosociality, but this was primarily directed toward ingroup members. Naturalistic believers and the unaffiliated, on the other hand, tended to have higher levels of trust and tolerance. We describe the potential usefulness of such modeling techniques for addressing complex problems in the study of secularity and nonreligion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Effects of Religious Belief and Affiliation on Prosociality

Galen

Gore

Shults

2021

Secularism and Nonreligion

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“…Smith ( 2017b ) notes that SA tends to emphasize the importance of emotion. Although there is no object of worship (e.g., a God), the emotion creates a sense of community.…”

Section: Theme 1: Searching For Meaning and Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Smith ( 2017b ) describes a sociological study he performed on Sunday Assemblies in the USA. He points out that although SA downplays the idea of “belief”, they nevertheless influence individuals in terms of their world views and beliefs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This occurs through ritualistic practices, similarly to religious institutions. According to Smith ( 2017b ), the rituals employed in the SA create a “secular solemnity”, which is similar to the atmosphere occurring in religious congregations (p9). Smith suggests that SA tends to encourage “collective effervescence” (a term coined by Durkheim), where members focus intently on an idea and elevate it to something sacred.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A “random group of misfits” or being “part of something bigger”? Exploring experiences of attending a non-religious congregation

Blackburn

Jim

Paltoglou

2022

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Purpose Religion is an important part of many people’s lives and there is some evidence that attending church or other religious congregations is positively associated with psychological well-being. However, religious participation is declining in Western Europe and North America. Sunday Assembly is a non-religious gathering that intends to provide a similar communal experience and a sense of spirituality to the church, but without the religious element. In the current study, we aimed to explore the experiences of and motivations for attending a non-religious congregation in relation to well-being. Methods A qualitative approach was taken, gathering data through semi-structured interviews with participants from Sunday Assembly congregations across England. Results Thematic analysis was used and three key themes were found: (1) searching for meaning and community, (2) Sunday Assembly as protective of mental health, and (3) loneliness in a crowd. Conclusions Sunday Assembly can provide a sense of belonging and improvement in mental health through shared experience and spirituality, and it can act as a coping mechanism during difficult times. Further research could explore the benefits of Sunday Assembly upon attendee’s mental health, test the effectiveness of Sunday Assembly as a coping mechanism, and whether continued attendance improves mood over time.

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“…In his estimation, the nonreligious who engage in these types of communities should expect positive benefits no less than those who experience them in religious contexts. Smith (:99, ) calls the social dynamics of Sunday Assembly, and similar groups that produce such psychosocial benefits, communal secularity —that is, “the embodied practices and symbolic performances” that hinge on the objectification of the secular, and that “both affirm[s] and reflect[s] secular values and commitments.”…”

Section: Becoming Religion's Othermentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Religion's Other: A Review of the Study of Nonreligion and Secularity

Smith

Cragun

2019

Scientific Study of Religion

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In this article, we review the research literature on nonreligion, secularity, the nones, and other forms of "religion's other." As a relatively new area of sustained and still growing research activity, with its attendant theoretical and methodological implications continuing to take shape, our focus is on the social science research from the mid-2000s to the present. We consider the challenges of definition and perspective in this line of inquiry, highlight key arguments, and summarize the main findings from empirical studies of nonreligion and its relationship to topics including identity, health, family, and prejudice. After discussing the organizational and social movement aspects of nonreligious communities, as well as related developments in how scholars are studying these communities, we conclude our assessment of the state of this field by proffering questions relevant to both current efforts and whatever future directions are in store for research on religion's other.

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Communal Secularity: Congregational Work at the Sunday Assembly

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Modeling the Effects of Religious Belief and Affiliation on Prosociality

Modeling the Effects of Religious Belief and Affiliation on Prosociality

A “random group of misfits” or being “part of something bigger”? Exploring experiences of attending a non-religious congregation

Mapping Religion's Other: A Review of the Study of Nonreligion and Secularity

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