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Overreacting to atheists

Started by LoneMateria, August 16, 2009, 06:27:26 AM

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LoneMateria

August 16, 2009, 06:27:26 AM
Okay I want to know your guys opinions.  First off I like HAF but its not the only atheist site I go to.  On my other site I use my buddy told me about yet another forum site that he joined thats an atheist site.  Its called atheist nexus.  He told me (but I didn't believe him) that this is the site of atheists who ... think we should bend over backwards for theists.  That these people would go to an "Atheist Church" to make other theists more comfortable with us.  He also said that the people have berated him on a few occasions calling him a militant atheist whatever that means and claimed he was an outsider.  Now we think a lot alike so i wanted to see this for myself (figuring worst case scenario I can just leave the site).  I didn't know there were so many of these people out there.  I had to restrain myself from making a total ass of myself.  

Anyway I want to know what the consensus is here.  First off the name of the post was "Your own sacred texts"

QuoteWhat books do you Atheists worship? (I need suggestions here. Selfish person coming through!)

Name favorite titles, even if they aren't really Atheist books. Read a great book on Evolution? A book that explains the science of homosexuality? A picture book of undersea creatures? A biography of Penn? A cookbook that includes flying spaghetti monster supreme? Or a beautiful fiction about Princess Sprinkles in the enchanted forest?

Okay, so I went overboard with the suggestions, but lets go for variety and the reasons you love them. Personally, I'd especially be interested in religious/psychology stuff. ...And maybe a picture book.

To start off, I really love The Scarlet Letter. ...Everyone else in my class hated it. Interestingly, even though it's fiction, it still offers a lot of information and combats Puritan ideals... a great perspective and beautiful story to boot.

Now it wasn't bad enough that this came through.  7 people responded to his post and just went with it.  Which pissed me off.  First off I calmed down since his picture was of Pikachu so I figured hes young.  But damnit you have to start somewhere.  Also in order to be accepted to the site you must say you are an atheist, theists are supposedly not welcome.

Here was my response with the persons name bleeped out (just to be nice):
QuoteFirst off atheists worship no books, we are not Christians, Muslims, Jews, or any other religion. Atheism is not a religion we don't meet up every sunday and explain our love for gravity or the big bang or any other theory. We don't chant songs about it and convulse on the floor babbling in tongues.

******* you are insulting atheists and painting everyone with the same brush. You think all atheists believe in Evolution which isn't true. You think we all are in favor of gay rights which isn't true. That we are all share views with Penn and Teller which isn't true and that we all use the flying spaghetti defense. None of that is true atheists are not all the same. The only thing atheists have in common is the lack in a belief of a deity. Whether you are an atheist or not you are spreading around false stigmas of who atheists are and what we believe. I'm surprised no one has said a word to you about it. We atheists need to correct this misconceptions of who atheists are.

Now a book i'd recommend is "50 reasons people give for believing in a god" by Guy P. Harrison. It was the first atheist book I've read. He bends over backwards to make theists happy from time to time but its a great book.

I've yet to have anyone respond after me and its been 12 hours.  Now that i'm thinking about it did I overreact?  What do you guys think of this?
Quote from: "Richard Lederer"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages
Quote from: "Demosthenes"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
Quote from: "Oscar Wilde"Truth, in matters of religion, is simpl

Godless

#1
August 16, 2009, 08:28:45 AM
I don't really think you overreacted, because what that guy posted seems kind of ridiculous. If he asked me that question in person I would just laugh...

curiosityandthecat

#2
August 16, 2009, 01:17:02 PM
Depends on whether or not he meant "worship" tongue-in-cheek. I use theistic terms like that constantly to actually draw a humorous distinction between the actuality of the word and the way in which I'm using it. He could've also just been saying, "These are just books, no different than the Bible, hence to worship The Scarlet Letter is just as useful as worshiping the Bible. Both are works of fiction and the word is no different between the two."

I joined Atheist Nexus a while back, but I hated the layout so much I quit going. They were marketing it as a Facebook for Atheists (trying to get 10,000 members by their first birthday, if I remember correctly). I wasn't impressed. I'll stick to the 20 or so regulars here, thankyouverymuch.  :)
-Curio

Squid

#3
August 16, 2009, 04:15:45 PM
Quote from: "curiosityandthecat"I joined Atheist Nexus a while back, but I hated the layout so much I quit going. They were marketing it as a Facebook for Atheists (trying to get 10,000 members by their first birthday, if I remember correctly). I wasn't impressed. I'll stick to the 20 or so regulars here, thankyouverymuch.  :)

Same here.  I haven't been there in a while.  Although I've cut out a lot of sites I used to go to regularly since I'm working full time and trying to finish up my thesis.

Whitney

#4
August 16, 2009, 04:31:00 PM
Are you sure it wasn't an inside joke?  We really do have a freethought church here in Texas (2 of them actually) but no one that attends them talks like that (it's like a tax free club).

Oh, and can you link me to the thread?

LoneMateria

#5
August 16, 2009, 05:47:02 PM
I will link when I can get to the site.  I'm getting a message i've never had before saying that I have a redirect loop and need to clear my cookies.  I did and I still can't get there. Part of me wonders if they IP banned me for speaking my mind.  I'll have to switch to my neighbors connection to find out (as far as I know I broke no rules).  

I'm pretty sure its not an inside joke because of everyone reactions. Also last night right before I went to bed someone defended him basically saying that he didn't think he meant worship in that way but didn't address the issues I pointed out and claimed that some of the books she liked it could be considered damn close to worship like what theists do.

Since I can't get to the site to get the post heres my annotated version.  Basically I said she doesn't see what is wrong.  That atheists are adopting theist labels to make them more comfortable with us.  That using words like worship and painting all atheists with the same brush is counter productive and plays into the hands of apologists who go around spouting phrases like atheism is a religion.  Atheists have their own sacred texts and a few others I can't remember now (still a little groggy).  And then I basically rehashed what I said before that atheists need to break these false misconceptions about them and adopting theist labels is counter productive to that end.  Atheists can vary in a wide range of aspects in their life and that the only thing one can have in common from another is their lack in a belief in a deity.  I think my response post was a little more ... critical then my first.

Anyway i'll link that site when I can.
Quote from: "Richard Lederer"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages
Quote from: "Demosthenes"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
Quote from: "Oscar Wilde"Truth, in matters of religion, is simpl

LoneMateria

#6
August 16, 2009, 10:45:02 PM
I hate double posting so I'm gonna make this quick.  I still can't get to the site //atheistnexus.org Its under forums and the title is Your own sacred texts.  I don't know if its just me.  But also it turns out my neighbor with his unsecured linksys router is gone so I can't see if they IP banned me.  Can anyone check it out?

***EDIT*** I just got the idea to check and see if it was google chrome acting up.  My Maxthon browser just says the page isnt there.  But its not a 404 error like when you get IP banned (used to be an admin of a forum site a long time ago thats the message people got when we IP banned them but in recent years I haven't seen a 404 error message, IE may have removed them I don't know.)
Quote from: "Richard Lederer"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages
Quote from: "Demosthenes"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
Quote from: "Oscar Wilde"Truth, in matters of religion, is simpl

curiosityandthecat

#7
August 16, 2009, 11:14:10 PM
Quote from: "LoneMateria"I hate double posting so I'm gonna make this quick.  I still can't get to the site //atheistnexus.org Its under forums and the title is Your own sacred texts.  I don't know if its just me.  But also it turns out my neighbor with his unsecured linksys router is gone so I can't see if they IP banned me.  Can anyone check it out?

***EDIT*** I just got the idea to check and see if it was google chrome acting up.  My Maxthon browser just says the page isnt there.  But its not a 404 error like when you get IP banned (used to be an admin of a forum site a long time ago thats the message people got when we IP banned them but in recent years I haven't seen a 404 error message, IE may have removed them I don't know.)

I'm getting the redirect loop. Frankly, not a big loss.  :)
-Curio

LoneMateria

#8
August 17, 2009, 12:57:55 AM
lol cool, I know its no big deal but i was just getting irritated and thought I might have been banned for saying that they were pandering to theists. XD
Quote from: "Richard Lederer"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages
Quote from: "Demosthenes"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
Quote from: "Oscar Wilde"Truth, in matters of religion, is simpl

curiosityandthecat

#9
August 17, 2009, 01:22:14 AM
Just an update:

Quote from: "@atheistnexus"Atheist Nexus is temporarily still down. Hopefully it will be back up soon.

http://twitter.com/atheistnexus/status/3352376079
-Curio

quizlixx

#10
August 19, 2009, 01:58:14 AM
I've never heard of the site before, I'll check it out. But i have a feeling that atheistnexus.org and I aren't going to be very good buddies.
"The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is."

Chimera

#11
August 19, 2009, 05:34:16 AM
I'm on Atheist Nexus and I like it there a lot. I haven't seen much "pandering" to theists at all...I must just avoid those topics somehow. LOL
"I refuse to believe in a god who is the primary cause of conflict in the world, preaches racism, sexism, homophobia, and ignorance, and then sends me to hell if I’m 'bad.'" â€" Mike Fuhrman

LoneMateria

#12
August 19, 2009, 05:51:00 PM
first off http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/your-own-sacred-texts?page=2&commentId=2182797:Comment:468368&x=1#2182797Comment468368 That should link you to my thread.  I forgot the site came back up.  I think you can figure out who I am.

Chimera I think I seek out threads that just want us to sit back and take it in the ass and try to rip them a new asshole.  It feels like ... :brick:

I don't think I like the site that much but I can always pop in from time to time.  I like the relevant discussions here a hell of a lot more ^_^
Quote from: "Richard Lederer"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages
Quote from: "Demosthenes"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
Quote from: "Oscar Wilde"Truth, in matters of religion, is simpl

LoneMateria

#13
August 20, 2009, 08:05:57 AM
OMFG i'm getting pissed at this mel person.  I think (basing this off of shit shes said) she attends the church of atheism.  She claims she goes around on Sundays and proclaims her "love" for gravity and the big bang.  I think her with that ugly ass michael jackson lookalike photo is bat shit crazy.  I thought I was making some progress with her but I was wrong.
Quote from: "Richard Lederer"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages
Quote from: "Demosthenes"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true.
Quote from: "Oscar Wilde"Truth, in matters of religion, is simpl
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