Atheist forum refugee

Welcome, San Diego born Yosemite Mtn. Shop manager Atheist here. You will find this place a welcome reprieve but we do have a few zealots both religiously and politically....just don't let them get to you as there are Mods who do not understand humor and sarcasm. You will do fine here otherwise.

 

That word "atheist" can mean a lot of things...so many things that the word has become almost worthless.

I've discontinued using "agnostic" for that same reason.

Descriptors have that problem. They mean different things to different people and at different times.

I describe my "agnosticism" this way:

I do not know if gods exist or not;
I see no reason to suspect gods CANNOT EXIST...that the existence of gods is impossible;
I see no reason to suspect that gods MUST EXIST...that gods are needed to explain existence;
I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction...

...so I don't.

How do you two describe your "atheism?"

 

I believe in one god, the father almighty, maker of heaven and Earth.

That said, I don't think he pays much attention to the details. There is such a thing as immorality, which means there is morality. I find god in that, I suppose. But I can't get around the problem of child abuse. He doesn't love the little children of the world as I would prefer.

 

The atheists I have encountered are nastier people than Christians, Jews and Buddhists. You have to scratch the surface some times, as they are often superficially friendly, and will help others lout of jams, but they go full Bill Maher quickly enough if you challenge them on why it is good to be good, or why it is necessary to be good.

Obviously there are exceptions -- evil priests and good atheists.

 

I'm a pretty chill person. I like talking to all kinds of people.

 

Encountered online?

 

I like the word Atheist. Its accurate. As in without a belief is God. But for me thats not really the important question.

The important question is about whether or not the self is immortal and how the mortality influences your decisions during your life.

I think a large part of our societal decay comes from the idea that people think they are going to reborn in perfect bodies or reincarnated or such.

The world, I believe, would be a more moral place if people accepted their mortality than vice versa.

 

I've probably seen you in the Yosemite mountain shop. I go to the Valley all the time. Can you give me a discount?

 

Online, on TV, and in person. Please don't pretend not to know what I'm talking about.
The religious are more respectful of atheists than vice versa.

 

Most people are respectful in person and dicks online. I'd just be curious about some specifics of your nasty in person encounters with Atheists.

I think the religious are pretty two faced when it comes to their interactions with Atheists. I mean you don't get to believe that someone deserves to be tortured forever, that they are incapaple of bwing moral or even knowing love, things that theists say about atheists all the time, then win some sort of points for being 'more polite'

Maybe its true that Atheists are nastier online or that Richard Dawkins is a dick, but what Christians and Muslims believe is infinitely nastier.

 

One of my former friends is atheist. He never misses a chance to mock belief in God, to mock prayer, to indict religion as the cause of wars and misery.

Another friend bragged about telling some poor mormon that his religion was b.s. I happen to agree with this, but you don't have to insult believers who are just proselytizing.

I say these guys are friends, and they have been in the past. Truth is they depress me with their nihilism, and so I don't seek their company anymore.

And online atheists are obviously much worse.

 

Well you don't have to tell me about the nastiness of Online Atheists. I left an Atheist forum to come here because they were basically too insulting and closed minded for me.

But I dont really see the problem with the guys telling the Mormon his religion is BS just because he was proselytizing. I mean proselytizing is the exact same thing as saying what you believe is B.S.

That interaction seems pretty much like two people saying "what you believe is B.S." "well so is what you believe in."

There is a thing that most Atheists in the United States have at one point been religious. But the same thing cannot be said in reverse. So try to imagine how prostletizing sounds to an atheist.

So I think Christians need to actually practice a little of their religion when it comes to dealing with us heathens and don't be so offended all the time. Your religion teaches you to turn the other cheek. If the early Christians can go through being fed to the lions, you should be able to take the occasional insult online without crying that atheists (3% of the population?) Are picking on you.

P.S. Mormonism IS B.S.

 

That was 20 years ago..I started during Curry co. days.

 

Holy crap. Thats even longer than ive been going there. But not by much.

 

It was a great place back then...no MCA, Delaware North or GMP. Camp 4 was still smokin' and everyone had fun...things have changed quite a bit.

 

Thank you for sharing all the information after the bolded paragraph.

As to that paragraph, however, I disagree totally.

The word "atheist," as I said, can mean lots of things...so many that the word has become almost worthless as a descriptor.

 

Just because theists attempt to confuse people as to the meaning does not mean it worked.

 

Can you give me some examples of how you think the word is being used differently? I feel like when I say "I'm an Atheist" people normally know what I'm saying and if they don't the misconception is on them.

When people start adding a bunch of descriptors or changing the word atheist to "brights" or something stupid like that is when it gets more confusing.

Atheist for me is a good word. It's a baseline starting point for a conversation.

 

Hello, Tec.

I am NOT a theist...and I maintain that the word "atheist" means different things to different people...and that causes problems in discussions where it is used.

For some, "atheist" means a positive assertion that no gods exist.

For some, "atheist" means a lack of "belief" that any gods exist...but a "belief" that it is more likely that no gods exist than that at least one does.

For some, "atheist" means "anyone with a lack of 'belief' that any gods exist"...making people like me "atheists" when I object to that being applied to me. (I lack a "belief" that any gods exist...AND...I lack a "belief" that no gods exist.)

So...there is a problem.

I've identified the problem as: The word "atheist" can mean lots of things...so the word has is almost worthless as a descriptor.

If you disagree...tell me why you disagree.

 

Read my answer to Tec above.

That will answer your question.

You might tell me what kind of "atheist" you are if you want to.

 

Perhaps you are applying too much meaning to the term. Personally I tend to avoid any label until a theist (usually Christian) starts getting nasty and gets me pissed. Atheist can be all the things you list or whatever....hell be agnostic or whatever. Most religious people simply believe in one more god than you do and consider everyone else to be wrong anyway.

 

I do not use labels or descriptors myself any more, Tec, or at least, not very often.

I state my position thusly:

I do not know if gods exist or not;
I see no reason to suspect gods CANNOT EXIST...that the existence of gods is impossible;
I see no reason to suspect that gods MUST EXIST...that gods are needed to explain existence;
I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction...

...so I don't.

 

I have to remind my jewish family that was slaughtered by the kind Christians. Making an insulting overgeneralization about atheists is bigotry And I do have to laugh at your stereotyping atheists as being defensive. Thank goodness Christians aren’t (sarcasm alert)

 

Replace the word god with unicorns

 

I prefer.....

I accept that which is.

What "Is ", is subjective so everyone has their own version.