Whether officially recognized or not, Stedman\u2019s life looks much like that of a chaplain. He convenes like-minded people, invites speakers, coordinates discussion groups, organizes activism. He offers one-on-one pastoral counseling and couples counseling. He officiates at weddings, succors the grieving, helps students resolve conflicts with their families. His flock steadily grows, with more than 900 people now on the YHC mailing list.<\/p>\n
And members of the humanist community find that it manages to fuse and catalyze various aspects of their personalities\u201d\u201dsome might even say souls\u201d\u201din a way that other secular groups can\u2019t. \u201cI appreciate having a place to tackle big, hard questions with people coming at them from a similar perspective to mine,\u201d\u009d says Chelsea Blink \u201921PhD. She admits she wouldn\u2019t mind if YHC were \u201cchurchier,\u201d\u009d replete with singing and preaching, but she acknowledges she may be in the minority in that regard.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething enviable about religious communities is the regularity of that weekly religious service,\u201d\u009d says Stephen Goeman \u201917MDiv, who interns with YHC, \u201cand how that can drive people in the congregation to hold others accountable for ethical positions.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love that language of accountability,\u201d\u009d adds Stedman, citing a study showing that even nonreligious spouses who attended church regularly were more civically engaged. \u201cWe have collectively agreed to these certain moral views. We\u2019ve made a commitment to one another.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n