(September 28, 2016 at 7:04 pm)Jehanne Wrote: It seems like they (Krauss, Carroll, Carrier, etc.) are basically one-man shows.  Over the last six months I have emailed all three of them on occassion, suggesting ideas that I believe would be helpful to their "ministry".  No replies from any of them.  I get the impression having just listened to the entire "Moving Naturalism Forward" conference (first day episode here):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju4C_ITlBsU

that they (our "leaders") do not get along with each other very well and may not even like each other.

Thoughts?

I think it is important that atheists unite against religious folk because the religious people unite with their groups and attack the lone atheist. Safety in numbers.

However, if we present a disunited front then theists never know from where the next 'attack' might come. They hate that.

(October 1, 2016 at 6:18 am)Czechlervitz29 Wrote: I think it is important that atheists unite against religious folk because the religious people unite with their groups and attack the lone atheist. Safety in numbers.

I never felt that way. Maybe because I don't live in the USA - so I wouldn't really know how things look there. I also never felt attacked by any religious folks. Where I live, religion or it's absence is private. Nobody asks and nobody really speaks about it. I never had to do the talk, and never felt the need to rally behind someone because of my lifestyle being threatened.

And to stress that point again, my life doesn't revolve around atheism. It's just the tiny kernel of not believing, not what makes me as a person.

Yeah, I've never felt attacked in groups. The need to gather together for most atheists I know has been for community, not protection...and I live in the Bible Belt.

(October 1, 2016 at 7:59 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Yeah, I've never felt attacked in groups. The need to gather together for most atheists I know has been for community, not protection...and I live in the Bible Belt.

This is one that I do not understand with people who are gay/lesbian.  Where I work there is "Pride" group, but the people whom I work with and for, I know practically nothing about their private lives or even where they live in general (which city), and so, a person could be completely gay and I would never know it, and so, what's the point of having such groups when one's personal life is so private to begin with?  I suppose that we can hang around people who have similar interests to us (like, stamp collecting); other than that, what's the point?

(October 1, 2016 at 9:29 am)Jehanne Wrote:

(October 1, 2016 at 7:59 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Yeah, I've never felt attacked in groups. The need to gather together for most atheists I know has been for community, not protection...and I live in the Bible Belt.

This is one that I do not understand with people who are gay/lesbian.  Where I work there is "Pride" group, but the people whom I work with and for, I know practically nothing about their private lives or even where they live in general (which city), and so, a person could be completely gay and I would never know it, and so, what's the point of having such groups when one's personal life is so private to begin with?  I suppose that we can hang around people who have similar interests to us (like, stamp collecting); other than that, what's the point?

I've got 10.000 house elves coming up with an answer to your question as we speak.

(October 1, 2016 at 9:29 am)Jehanne Wrote: I know practically nothing about their private lives or even where they live in general (which city), and so, a person could be completely gay and I would never know it, and so, what's the point of having such groups when one's personal life is so private to begin with?

Yeah, what's the point? What proportion of your life is determined by atheism?

I understand that the LGBT communities need some way to pressure politics into acceptance. But to say atheism was on the same lines is stretching it. I'm as disinterested in atheism as I can possibly be, as long as there isn't some political pressure group wanting to shove religion down my throat, thereby threatening my lifestyle.

Other than that, I always found more interesting and challenging discussions with my coworkers or aquaintances than religion. It virtually bores me rigid and unless if else isn't bringing it up, I'm not the one to take than path.

(October 1, 2016 at 9:37 am)abaris Wrote:

(October 1, 2016 at 9:29 am)Jehanne Wrote: I know practically nothing about their private lives or even where they live in general (which city), and so, a person could be completely gay and I would never know it, and so, what's the point of having such groups when one's personal life is so private to begin with?

Yeah, what's the point? What proportion of your life is determined by atheism?

I understand that the LGBT communities need some way to pressure politics into acceptance. But to say atheism was on the same lines is stretching it. I'm as disinterested in atheism as I can possibly be, as long as there isn't some political pressure group wanting to shove religion down my throat, thereby threatening my lifestyle.

Other than that, I always found more interesting and challenging discussions with my coworkers or aquaintances than religion. It virtually bores me rigid and unless if else isn't bringing it up, I'm not the one to take than path.

That must be why you frequent an atheist forum. Because the subject is so irrelevant and boring to you.

(October 1, 2016 at 10:12 am)Excited Penguin Wrote: That must be why you frequent an atheist forum. Because the subject is so irrelevant and boring to you.

You know why I cam here? Because I expected to find liberal minded individuals. I frequented boards like Fearbush before that and my rationale was to find similar people here. Not because I wanted to wave a flag for atheism. But because I expected that people here would be more open minded than on political boards.

Turns out I was half right. I met as many interesting persons as I met sheep on both sides of the spectrum. Turns out that the numbers are almost equally divided between people I would love to meet in real life as the ones I have next to no interest in.

So, as I said. Atheism doesn't define me. My values do. And they have nothing to do with atheism, other than the god clamp being off.

(October 1, 2016 at 10:50 am)abaris Wrote:

(October 1, 2016 at 10:12 am)Excited Penguin Wrote: That must be why you frequent an atheist forum. Because the subject is so irrelevant and boring to you.

You know why I cam here? Because I expected to find liberal minded individuals. I frequented boards like Fearbush before that and my rationale was to find similar people here. Not because I wanted to wave a flag for atheism. But because I expected that people here would be more open minded than on political boards.

Turns out I was half right. I met as many interesting persons as I met sheep on both sides of the spectrum. Turns out that the numbers are almost equally divided between people I would love to meet in real life as the ones I have next to no interest in.

So, as I said. Atheism doesn't define me. My values do. And they have nothing to do with atheism, other than the god clamp being off.

Why are you trying to sell that idea as something peculiar to you? I'm pretty fucking sure every single one of thinks the same, both regarding atheism and why they joined these forums. Generally, though, we don't like to make as if we're so fucking special for thinking that way.