Title: New member
Post by: Dries on February 25, 2010, 05:24:50 PM
Post by: Dries on February 25, 2010, 05:24:50 PM
Hi, I'm Dries van Tonder, a South African, and an atheist. Came here cause the locked down RD forum. I'm not much of a talker, more of a observer and socializer. Hope to make some friends here :)
Title: Re: New member
Post by: notself on February 25, 2010, 06:01:28 PM
Post by: notself on February 25, 2010, 06:01:28 PM
Welcome, Dries,
Many of us are new here. It is a friendly place and all the threads are relatively short so it is easier to jump into a conversation. You may feel more like posting.
Many of us are new here. It is a friendly place and all the threads are relatively short so it is easier to jump into a conversation. You may feel more like posting.
Title: Re: New member
Post by: Whitney on February 25, 2010, 08:40:30 PM
Post by: Whitney on February 25, 2010, 08:40:30 PM
I heard about the RD problem via another thread on here, that really sucks. I hope you enjoy HAF just as much (or more) than you did RD's forum.
Title: Re: New member
Post by: LoneMateria on February 25, 2010, 09:05:59 PM
Post by: LoneMateria on February 25, 2010, 09:05:59 PM
Welcome. Though I wasn't on RD I am sad to see it go. I've been part of forum communities that have been broken up before and its sad. I hope your friends from that forum find you on here and I look forward to our future conversations.
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become an atheist? Whats the weather like in South Africa this time of the year?
Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become an atheist? Whats the weather like in South Africa this time of the year?
Title: Re: New member
Post by: Dries on February 26, 2010, 04:51:14 PM
Post by: Dries on February 26, 2010, 04:51:14 PM
I like the name "The Happy Atheist", it sounds like a pub :beer:
Title: Re: New member
Post by: LoneMateria on February 26, 2010, 05:08:53 PM
Post by: LoneMateria on February 26, 2010, 05:08:53 PM
Thank you for sharing your story. Christianity is a divisive religion that propagates a "US vs. THEM" way of thinking. Do you have any social stigmas tied to atheism over there? And what are some of your favorite books?
Title: Re: New member
Post by: kenh on February 26, 2010, 05:10:22 PM
Post by: kenh on February 26, 2010, 05:10:22 PM
Welcome to the forum. I'm pretty new around here also, but I can attest to the fact that the natives are friendly.
I think you're the first South African I've met on a forum like this. I'll be glad to hear your views. I once knew a girl from Durban, but that's another story...
I think you're the first South African I've met on a forum like this. I'll be glad to hear your views. I once knew a girl from Durban, but that's another story...
Title: Re: New member
Post by: elliebean on February 27, 2010, 04:59:59 AM
Post by: elliebean on February 27, 2010, 04:59:59 AM
Hi Dries! Welcome to the forum.
Title: Re: New member
Post by: Dries on February 28, 2010, 03:05:43 PM
Post by: Dries on February 28, 2010, 03:05:43 PM
Quote from: "LoneMateria"Thank you for sharing your story. Christianity is a divisive religion that propagates a "US vs. THEM" way of thinking. Do you have any social stigmas tied to atheism over there? And what are some of your favorite books?
As far as I know, there are no social stigmas tied to atheism in South Africa. This could be the result of our history, where the intolerance of the past has been replaced by a culture of embracing the diversity of our nation. I certainly haven't experienced any negative reaction to my atheism. People seem to accept it and move on. A colleague at work who occupies the office next to mine is a staunch creationist and fundamentalist christian. When he invited me to attend a church meeting, I told him that I'm an atheist. Since then he hasn't bothered me about religion and we get along quite well. The guy has a brilliant sense of humour though.
Favourite books: There are two that really stand out from the rest:
One hundred years of solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marques;
The man who fell in love with the moon - Tom Spanbauer.
Thanks for the other welcome messages