“We did have one protester in the States,” Jones recalls when discussing any aggro he’s seen in his role as spiritual and moral leader of feel-good atheism. “He had a sign which said ‘Demonic Heathens Stealing Religion’ and then named me as ‘Enemy No. 1’ and Pippa Evans as Enemy No. 2.”
The irate protester, however, had not familiarised himself with the personnel behind this demonic new movement. “He clearly hadn’t done his research because I posed for a picture with him and he didn’t recognise me,” he remembers. Enemy No. 1 gets away.
True to the spirit of the church, they chose to invite the interloper into the assembly. He opted not to avail of this opportunity.
He’s adamant the Sunday Assembly is most definitely not anti-religion. “We think religion is great. We think churches are fantastic too. Do you know if people go to church, they live longer. They’re healthier, they’re wealthier, they’re happier.”
One won’t hear hectoring atheists in the Christopher Hitchens mode at these events. Rather the ceremonies are a “celebration of life”. He says: “We come from nothing, we go to nothing, and in between we get this wonderful jam-packed 70 or 80 years where we get wonderful experiences with brilliant people.”
They forsake the standard mournful hymns one gets at most masses. “We sing secular hymns,” Jones says. A classic example of a secular hymn is ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’, he says. “We also do ‘I Need A Hero’. What a great tune. We’ve blasted that out many a time.”
Jones is looking towards the future. “What’s exciting is that there is a whole team of people in Dublin and all over Ireland who are trying to start their own. In October and November, we’re going to tour Ireland to help people start their own ‘Atheist Mass.’”
The idea came to Jones about six years ago. “I met Pippa in 2011, and she had a very similar idea. Then our diaries aligned and we started it in January. It has gone mental. We had one in London. By the end of the year there might be 40 around the UK.”