Earlier, in the days of the Reason Rally (March 2012), MSNBC’s Up w/Chris Hayes aired an episode on non-believers/Atheism. The guests included Susan Jacoby, Richard Dawkins and local favorite Jamila Bey, but also Pastor Mike Aus who publicly came out of the atheist closet on Chris Hayes’ show.
Aus said that he'd long had doubts about his faith and beliefs, but never abandoned the idea that Christianity provided for basic human needs for support and community.
"Regardless
of theological orientation, there is some kind of deeply ingrained basic human
need for community. Homo sapiens are a tribal species that need support from
others, that cannot be denied."
Well, Up with Chris Hayes had an update in
October. According to the Houston paper
Aus, along with several other atheists, freethinkers and secular humanists in
Houston, launched Houston Oasis - a community that offers
sanctuary for freethinkers. Houston Oasis is a community grounded in reason rather than
revelation, celebrating the human experience as opposed to any deity.
The Houston Chronicle's profile
on Houston Oasis called it a “church” which did prompt the Oasis folks to clarify that they do NOT see themselves as
an:
‘Atheist church" nor do we
use the term "church" as a descriptor. We are simply a community of
freethinkers--atheists, agnostics, deists--and even theists-- dedicated to
understanding life through reason and promoting humanistic values. We attempt
to avoid labels and accept people wherever they may be.’
The first Houston Oasis Sunday morning gatherings
was held in early September and featured live music by local artists, personal
testimonies, a message and time for fellowship and for “those who do not want to be part of
organized religion...but who do want to be part of organized-something.”
More music was featured in later gatherings. Now it has a Facebook
page.
It’s probably a good place for some of what has been called Nones and, of
course, secular humanists. Perhaps a
good spot for WASH folks to stop by on there.
