HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — One of Holland’s nicknames is City of Churches, but for a growing number of residents, that’s a name that doesn’t fit. These are people who are atheist, humanist, agnostics, seekers or, as some call themselves, “nones,” as in “none of the above.”
Some would call them unchurched or other names. Now, they are gathering to creat an umbrella group, the Holland Openly Secular Alliance, or HOSA.
They aren’t actively recruiting new members, said Patricia Reilly, who was raised by Catholic nuns in an orphanage until she was in eighth grade, then adopted by into a non-denominational Protestant family. (Listen to Reilly’s full interview here: http://bit.ly/2Pq8C4M.)
“As adolescents, we felt compassion, so we worked hard to (evangelize),” she said. “It was a great relief, when I moved into the secular community, because I no longer needed to divide humanity into the ‘saved ‘and the ‘unsaved’.”
The Herrick sessions, Reilly said, is a chance for people to find community and for the curious to learn more.
“We’e not interested in engaging in a debate. That’s not our style,” she said. “We just think there’s a segment of the Holland community that’s curious and open.”
Reilly said she has a deep respect for Christians and others who count themselves among the faithful. She works with interfaith groups, because she said, they have common values of empathy and compassion.
She said both groups work on social justice and interfaith activities.
HOSA’s first public lecture on Oct. 22, drew nearly 40 people, featuring speaker Chris Lubbers, a graduate of Holland Christian High School and Calvin College, and a Muskegon Community College philosophy of religion instructor.
Lubbers talked about morality, “Good Without Belief in a God” for the first gathering and will focus on “Bodies, Souls, and the Afterlife” for the second HOSA meeting, set for 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 29, 2018 at Herrick District Library, 300 S. River Ave., Holland, in the large classroom.
