Ep. 53: Do Atheist Communities Need More Magic and Ritual? – Timothy Stacey

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Timothy Stacey, a researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Past episodes of Beyond Atheism have examined the “secular paradox” and the isolation felt when people begin to challenge and lose their faith. In this episode we talk about creating and maintaining community using myth and magic (but they don’t mean what you think they mean!). We learn about Tim’s research with the Metro Vancouver Alliance and how it can teach us to forge meaningful atheist spaces. In the lightning round, we get a surprising answer about belief in God!In the bonus section, available exclusively to supporters on Patreon, we ask Tim about how we can create communities between people with widely divergent viewpoints. We also learn his thoughts on recent environmentalist protests like throwing soup at a Van Gogh painting.Check out Tim’s book, Saving Liberalism from Itself: The Spirit of Participation: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/saving-liberalism-from-itself For more on Tim: https://www.uu.nl/staff/TJStacey Follow Tim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/godsandsods Nathan and Todd recently appeared on the Graceful Atheist podcast: https://anchor.fm/gracefulatheist/episodes/Nathan-and-Todd-Beyond-Atheism-e1qmpe9 Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexander Nathan’s website: https://www.nathangalexander.com/ If you find the podcast valuable and want to support it, check out our Patreon page, where you will also find bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/beyond_atheism We are grateful for every contribution.Beyond Atheism is produced and distributed by Atheists United Studios: https://www.atheistsunited.org/podcasts