Live Free Thought

Wes sent me this ad he found in the throw-away newspaper in Dallas -- like the Observer, but with more expensive crap for sale.

He sent it because he knows I can't stand the North Texas Church of Freethought. A few years ago, when I lived in Dallas, I went for a few weeks, mostly because I wanted to meet other atheists and do something to shed the feeling that I was the only one. In Texas, surrounded as I am by people who don't think to deeply about their own beliefs, it's easy to feel isolated.

On the surface, this "Church" seemed to combine all the social aspects of a congregation without the belief in an imaginary friend.

Cool, I thought.

But over a very short period of time, the flaws in their group became really obvious.

It was begun in 1994 by four people -- two married couples -- who donated their own money to start things up. But these same four people were also the only people who occupied any offices. Not elected offices, mind you: these people were self-appointed, and there were no rules I could find about electing replacements. They led the group and made all the decisions. Suggestions that opposed their ideas were gently discouraged at first, after which the founders would just remind whomever that it was their money that had begun the church.

In short, these four people had taken a good idea, a useful concept, and turned it into their own private power trip.

I don't mean to say that it was at all cultish. It wasn't. Meetings were open to the public, members weren't kept in isolation from outside influences, and there was no secrecy about the goings on. It wasn't a cult. Just four people who had put themselves in control of a group and wanted to stay there.

But that's not my problem anymore.

Here in Austin, it's much cooler. The Atheist Community of Austin is a large and diverse group with a lot of activities and a lot more fairness and equality than the North Texas Church of Freethought had.

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