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WTF Is Up With Atheists Lately?

Pinkie

Pinkie

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If ever there was a group that had no need to be banging on people to join, it's atheists. Yet they're rampant on facebook, at least. I joined a few pages, because as a Deist, their POV interests me. I also like a magazine/facebook page called "Skeptical Inquirer", which makes scientific matters easy for me to understand.

What I don't understand is this urge to ridicule or harrass people with religious beliefs, (unless mebbe the Catholics for reasons having nothing to do with a belief in God).

I find it highly ironic that a group which is presumably full of free-thinkers who gave the matter deep thought now seeks to expand its own ranks by shaming, bullying, etc. It's as if this is some new fad....as in, it's cool in 2011 to be an atheist.

Any thoughts?
 
WTF is up with whiny theists who think they're the only ones with freedom of speech?
 
Cephus said:
WTF is up with whiny theists who think they're the only ones with freedom of speech?
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But trying to be as annoying as they are kinda...i would think, at least...end any chance of your ideology growing? If people want someone annoying, i think they would sooner be theist.
 
Cephus said:
WTF is up with whiny theists who think they're the only ones with freedom of speech?
Click to expand...

LOL.

You do realize the facebook is not owned by the US government, correct?

I'm not trying to contain anyone's speech, Cephus. I'm trying to understand this new phenomena. I haven't seen activism among atheists since Madalyn Murray O'Hair was appearing on the Donohue Show.
 
DarkWizard12 said:
But trying to be as annoying as they are kinda...i would think, at least...end any chance of your ideology growing? If people want someone annoying, i think they would sooner be theist.
Click to expand...

Well, most of the major religions have had longer to hone their skills at annoying people.
 
I apologize we're bugging you theists with our "facts" and what not...
 
Whoppletraps said:
I apologize we're bugging you theists with our "facts" and what not...
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Whoopletraps (what a nick!), I'm not really annoyed. I'm curious. I wonder if this isn't basically about the Religious Right, in which case, dealing with them as "religious people" is self-defeating, IMO.
 
Well truthfully those atheist groups who bitch about every little sign of religion(like the cross at ground zero) are just whiners who can't let little things that don't really matter go and they shouldn't be a reflection on most atheists.
 
Whoppletraps said:
Well truthfully those atheist groups who bitch about every little sign of religion(like the cross at ground zero) are just whiners who can't let little things that don't really matter go and they shouldn't be a reflection on most atheists.
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There's a cross at Ground Zero? Is there also a Star Of David, etc.?

If not, that's hardly a "little thing".
 
Whoppletraps said:
I apologize we're bugging you theists with our "facts" and what not...
Click to expand...
Is pinkie even a theist? if not, the only theist posting here is me, and I haven't even said anything about atheism.
 
I don't know if the word "Dogmatist" exists but if it does, it's what I wish to avoid in any kind of human interaction. I don't care if someone is atheist or theist... if they are dogmatic and want to walk all over me with what they believe, then they can talk to my back as I walk away.

Jerks.
 
DarkWizard12 said:
Is pinkie even a theist? if not, the only theist posting here is me, and I haven't even said anything about atheism.
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I'm a Deist, Dark.

I believe there is a Divine, a God. But that's it. I don't believe in life after death, the power of prayer, etc.
 
Pinkie said:
There's a cross at Ground Zero? Is there also a Star Of David, etc.?

If not, that's hardly a "little thing".
Click to expand...

Why? It provides a source of comfort or inspiration to Christians, and is an interesting shape for non-Christians. There's nothing stopping Jews putting up a Star of David if they want.
 
spud_meister said:
Why? It provides a source of comfort or inspiration to Christians, and is an interesting shape for non-Christians. There's nothing stopping Jews putting up a Star of David if they want.
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Huh? People can just add whatever they like?
 
As an atheist myself, the only time I even think about anything to do with religion is when one extremist or another does something retarded. Like Fred Phelps ranting about gays or some atheist recoiling in horror at the sight of a cross like they're in the middle of an exorcism or something.
 
Pinkie said:
There's a cross at Ground Zero? Is there also a Star Of David, etc.?

If not, that's hardly a "little thing".
Click to expand...

As an atheist, I can say that don't really give a **** about that. It's really none of my business what other people believe. I won't respect your beliefs or refrain from making fun of them, but I won't try and shove mine down your throat either (unless, of course, you try to shove yours down mine).
 
atrasicarius said:
As an atheist, I can say that don't really give a **** about that. It's really none of my business what other people believe. I won't respect your beliefs or refrain from making fun of them, but I won't try and shove mine down your throat either (unless, of course, you try to shove yours down mine).
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I'm a huge fan of separation of church and state.....doesn't the US government now own Ground Zero?

In any event, back to the Op.....so you don't attend atheist conventions? I was taken aback when I first saw an announcement for one. I can't quite see what there'd be to talk about.
 
DarkWizard12 said:
But trying to be as annoying as they are kinda...i would think, at least...end any chance of your ideology growing? If people want someone annoying, i think they would sooner be theist.
Click to expand...

I don't consider most of them annoying, although there certainly are some exceptions. When religion, especially organized religion, pushes itself into the live sof so many people, often illegally, it's only natural for people who disagree with that to speak up. Sorry that many theists consider anyone who dares disagree with their beliefs to be rude.
 
Cephus said:
I don't consider most of them annoying, although there certainly are some exceptions. When religion, especially organized religion, pushes itself into the live sof so many people, often illegally, it's only natural for people who disagree with that to speak up. Sorry that many theists consider anyone who dares disagree with their beliefs to be rude.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm sure some do. I don't. But such things as this do puzzle me:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/27/us/27atheists.html?pagewanted=all
 
Title of the linked article is: [h=1]
Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military[/h]
 
Pinkie said:
Title of the linked article is: [h=1]
Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military[/h]
Click to expand...

So? While I really find it distasteful that they have to do so, the reality is that religion is ingrained in military life and the only way to get a non-religious voice involved is through the chaplaincy program. There are far, far too many cases of people using rank to bully people into attending religious services, etc. The military ought not have chaplains on the payroll at all, that's a clear violation of the separation of church and state. If various religious people want to volunteer to set up on-base religious services, I have no problem with that so long as there is no requirement or intimidation that people attend. The second you start paying for certain religions to have representatives on site, you're violating the law, but since the military establishment is so heavily religious, the only way to get non-religious counselors and the like in place is to play along under the existing rules. Atheist "chaplains" wouldn't be conducting religious, or non-religious services, they would be available for counseling and the like.
 
I think part of what happens is that Theists tend to see any expression contrary to their particular book as an attack on their beliefs. It's not harassment for me to say "I don't believe the Christian bible is the word of God," but most every Christian I say that to seems to take it personally. I don't go out of my way to mention it, either. It usually comes up when they ask me about going to church. I tell them I don't go to church, and then they just have to know why. (and I'm not singling out Christians, they're just a convenient example because they're the most prominent in this particular country and therefore it comes up more often)

It stems from the underlying message of organized religions: Believe this, or else. This is the word of God.

That leads people to a sort of absolutist way of thinking. If I disagree with this, I am disagreeing with God.

In my experience, Atheists seem like the group of people least likely to "recruit," if you will.
 
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