Religion for Atheists - Alain de Botton, Community

In the chapter titled “Community” Alain de Botton explores how religions foster a sense of belongingness through structured communal practices - something modern secular societies often lack. De Botton notes that religious traditions - like church gatherings, synagogue services, or communal meals - are designed to bring people together across class, age and background. He points out that these events are not just spiritual; they are deeply social and emotionally connective. For instance the Christian gathering where “the mass actively breaks down the economic and status subgroups within which we normally operate, casting us into a wider sea of humanity.”

In contrast, the modern secular world promotes individualism and privacy, often at the expense of social bonds. He critiques how secular events such as concerts or lectures rarely create lasting communal ties.

The mechanisms used by religion are rituals, shared meals (like the Eucharist or Shabbat dinner), and architecture to enhance community spirit. De Botton suggests that secular insititutions could benefit from adopting similar formats to foster meaningful human connnection.

The overall message of the chapter is; we don’t need to believe in God to appreciate and borrow religion’s community-building tools. Secular life will be much richer and less lonely if we adopted some of these communal structures.