Growth of Atheist Churches

It sounds like an oxymoron to call something an “atheist church,” but as mainstream church attendance continues to decline, atheist church attendance is on the rise (The Conversation, January 11, 2024). Atheist churches are an attempt to give non-religious people the sense of community and belonging often generated by attendance in traditional churches. Atheist church meetings often have group singing, a message or lecture on a topic of interest in place of a sermon, and social support programs. Some of these churches practice “debaptism,” where a person renounces his or her former belief in God.

While the idea of an atheist church service may sound odd and counterintuitive, attendees laud their benefits and even claim their participation has been life changing. Happy members cite encouragement and a feeling of belonging as reasons for their continued attendance.

God directed His people to worship Him, coming before Him as a body of believers weekly on the seventh-day Sabbath. And God built into this worship many added psychological and emotional benefits as blessings for obedience. Most religions around the globe have a similar weekly practice, and worldly Christianity has held to this practice, even as it changed the day of worship from God’s Sabbath to the pagan Sunday. Satan, the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), is a master copycat and inspires people to put their own spin on their worship, doing it their own way. Such counterfeit worship should not be surprising. The Apostle Paul warned that “perilous times will come” at the end of the age (2 Timothy 3:1–4), noting that people will practice a “form of godliness” yet deny its power (v. 5). We see this today in the world’s Christianity, and even among atheists. To learn the truth that exists behind the veil of worldly religion, be sure to read or listen to our free resource Satan’s Counterfeit Christianity.