I lead a full and lively social life with lots of friends.....most of whom are believers of one complexion or another. We are not one dimensional, being an atheist is not the only thing that defines us. I lead a perfectly normal life without the need to talk about my lack of belief all the time. If I only confined my interactions with others to other atheists I would have no friends.

i think it is naive of the religionists to ask this. they may as well ask how can we be good people if we don't believe in a god. (oh wait -- they DO also ask that!) your ideas are good. you also don't need holidays or scheduled meet-ups to have a social life. atheists work and meet people at work, have hobbies, take vacations, sometimes go to bars or parties or whatever and meet people. atheists have neighbors! why would it be hard to have a social life? are ALL religionists reliant on their churches for their social lives? how restricted and sad!

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I celebrate holidays based on natural events and seasons -- i.e. Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice, Fall Equinox, Spring Equinox --- and holidays of National significance -- ie. Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, etc.

There is no reason not to embrace fun holidays too...such as Star Wars Day (May 4th)....or whatever floats your boat...as well as birthdays and anniversaries.

Meet-up groups --- book clubs, hiking groups, knitting circles, etc. are great social circles too.

I love going to VegFests (food festivals) and Comic-Cons too.

As far as I am concerned, one does not need a church in order to have a social life.

A strange idea that a social life should be dependent upon religion! Seems like a few people should get out more!

Im attracted to non theistic "religions" and their communities, from the ancient buddhism and taoism to the new ones: Satanic Temple, pastafarianism, dudism, the church of bacon, Penns Sunday School. Music festivals, concerts, lectures, your local hippy/hipster culture and local music venues and bars can offer similar community if you find the right bunch. Lots of podcasts and their communities, and of course this site. I do wish I had a bigger, more secular local group with regular activities but Im a hermit so Id probably stay home and do what I do most of the time anyways.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with non-believers participating in and enjoying friendships in religious events and activities. Nothing is forcing anyone to do anything they do not want to do. I was a member of a singles sunday school class for about 10 years and was some of the best times of my life. I never stepped foot in the sanctuary. Ignore the nonsense, meet people and have a good time.

I am a human being and so somewhat social by nature. Spiritual opinions have little bearing on that. I get together with friends and family as often as my work schedule will allow. I celebrate what, when, and with whom I want.

Honestly, I could flip the question on them and ask how they socialize if they are at church Sunday, Sunday night, Wed night, plus at worship band practice the other nights...

well 1st of its not a club we belong to its just our view of the world although i get that its way different in USA than Scotland. Personally i celebrate xmas birthdays go hill walking meet up in pubs there are games clubs sports clubs night clubs cinema theatre the list goes on.Not everyone is comfortable in groups nor expects every outing to be a group of like minded people wheres the fun in that having interesting and diverse conversations makes for an interesting and varied life we don't all have to agree all the time and if we do we are probably in a cult or religion

There’s a decent sized community of atheists in my city that meets at a locally owned coffee shop every Sunday for “church.” We usually have solstice parties a couple times a year. Also, I know a lot of atheists attend Unitarian churches

I've seen Baptists party with Methodists, Jews with Catholics and I used to drink with a Muslim (a fallen Muslim). Make it about the personal relationships or make it about the free food and booze, ignore the rest.

There are plenty of social gatherings and celebrations that have absolutely nothing to do with a religion. If you can't find them, you just aren't looking hard enough

I've only been using this site for a month or so and have already seen a fairly large number of posts looking for a form of fellowship that churches provide. When my kids were little my wife and I belonged to a Jewish temple as my wife was Jewish (I had no religion). The fellowship and sense of belonging was really, by far, the best part of that but there really are a number of other ways for that kind of connection. My kids got into soccer and I became a referee then was on the board of directors for the league. That involvement brought fellowship with people very involved with youth sports and those people are more fun anyway. For religious folks, belonging to a church sort of "automatically" provides that fellowship. For Agnostics it might require a little more effort to join community groups (like youth sports) but, if you look, you'll find plenty of them. Joining other families for camping trips is also fun but your point is well made, that fellowship and connection with the community is important. (and BTW, my wife is a happy Agnostic with me now).

There are many non-believer social groups where Atheists and other non-believers come together to build a sense of community, learn, and socialize. In my area (Sacramento, CA), there's a group called "SACFAN" (Sacramento Freethinkers, Atheists and Non-Believers). They lease some commercial space they call "Reason Center" and hold events there.

The group I belong to has solstice parties, gather at two drinking spots every month and have a first of the month meeting. We also gather for science lectures at FIT in Melbourne, FL. We pick up trash on a stretch of rd and we help the local homeless shelter.

I just posted a similiar question.
Being a liberal agnostic in a red state is very lonesome

By religious festivals, I assume you mean Christian ones? Can you name one that wasn't coopted from Pagan or local culture? Nope. They're pretty much all stolen because early Christianity was so dour, it NEEDED some sort of hook or lure. Who's to blame if that continues to go unchallenged? I have no interest in football, but I'll go to superbowl parties sometimes. I also attend Meetup sessions. Create an occasion to celebrate. Buy some new socks. Dilly dilly! Visit some place you haven't been before. Dilly dilly! Ooh, look - it's Happy Hour at (wherever). Dilly dilly!

I celebrate Christmas with my family. Not in a religious sense, but as a time to be with my family, eat good food, spoil the children and play silly games.

Halloween can also be celebrated as a bit of fun. Midsummer and midwinter can be celebrated to simply mark the turning of the year, as can the equinoxes.

I currently don't celebrate any holidays either. I have tried to find meet ups in my area, but haven't had any luck. I would be interested attending one, but I don't have the time now to start one and coordinate it.
I do ballroom dancing, and I have met a lot of people who are supportive. We don't talk about religion at the studio, but it's a great way to meet people and be part of a community. It's great for your health and a lot of fun. I would try getting involved with an activity where you are surrounded by positive people who accept you.

You all say that you are atheist well , let me share a bit of information. When you stand before god/ jesus you will cry out his name. He will say i knew you not, then send you straight to hell . You will be screaming for just one drop of water you will not get any !!!!!

Being that you can't tell who is an atheist simply from going to the atheist bar, I'm assuming you would have to hook up on the internet first and then plan a gathering. This is one reason why claiming that atheism or agnosticism is a religion is ridiculous. There is no set location or function like church where you can go to meet fellow atheists. It's not an organization like religion is.

There are sporting events/clubs/leagues, book clubs, classes, the arts, fitness centers etc. There are always at the very least some non-practicing although self-identifying (insert religion) people to create friendships with.

We have all the opportunities to socialize that everyone, including church goers, have. We have community groups, meet ups, friends, hobbies, theater, movies, sports, hiking swimming, camping, etc.

I wouldn't call being in church "socializing' since it's done out of fear of going to hell -NOT from free choice. Plus, women usually have to wear the most dreadful 1950s clothing..hose, heels, skirts, cheap polyester clothing, sit still, be subservient to men, and be miserable.