We had like ~160 people. It was great chatting with fellow heathen strangers later on various breakout rooms.  Considering how I'm constantly exposed to religious bullshit and calling to prayer and fucking Inshallahs and Mashallahs etc due to my family and friends, I need a breather every now and then where I can badmouth Mo the pedophile and Allah the megalomaniac asshole. So it was great in therapeutic sort of way. Fun times.

(December 24, 2020 at 1:34 pm)Apollo Wrote: We had like ~160 people. It was great chatting with fellow heathen strangers later on various breakout rooms.  Considering how I'm constantly exposed to religious bullshit and calling to prayer and fucking Inshallahs and Mashallahs etc due to my family and friends, I need a breather every now and then where I can badmouth Mo the pedophile and Allah the megalomaniac asshole. So it was great in therapeutic sort of way. Fun times.

Glad I didn’t - the way you describe it, it sounds rather like a church service.

Boru

(December 24, 2020 at 1:47 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(December 24, 2020 at 1:34 pm)Apollo Wrote: We had like ~160 people. It was great chatting with fellow heathen strangers later on various breakout rooms.  Considering how I'm constantly exposed to religious bullshit and calling to prayer and fucking Inshallahs and Mashallahs etc due to my family and friends, I need a breather every now and then where I can badmouth Mo the pedophile and Allah the megalomaniac asshole. So it was great in therapeutic sort of way. Fun times.

Glad I didn’t - the way you describe it, it sounds rather like a church service.

Boru

I don’t what a church service is. Is that the sunday sermon they show in the movies where everyone sings etc?

(December 25, 2020 at 2:48 am)Apollo Wrote:

(December 24, 2020 at 1:47 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Glad I didn’t - the way you describe it, it sounds rather like a church service.

Boru

I don’t what a church service is. Is that the sunday sermon they show in the movies where everyone sings etc?

A church service is when like-minded religionists get together in a building (usually called a 'church') and form an echo chamber to reinforce each other's views. Dissent is frowned upon and may lead to expulsion from the groupthink. Lots of these people find such gatherings therapeutic. Sounds a lot like what you described.

Boru

(December 25, 2020 at 5:22 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(December 25, 2020 at 2:48 am)Apollo Wrote: I don’t what a church service is. Is that the sunday sermon they show in the movies where everyone sings etc?

A church service is when like-minded religionists get together in a building (usually called a 'church') and form an echo chamber to reinforce each other's views. Dissent is frowned upon and may lead to expulsion from the groupthink. Lots of these people find such gatherings therapeutic. Sounds a lot like what you described.

Boru

Well, it depends on the context—if I go to the bar I am not looking to have a debate on moral theories of the 17th century and hear alternative view point—I am there to meet new people, who don’t have obsessive objection to drinking. I think bunch of atheists getting together virtually to drink and listen to music and talk on various topics (including religion) is just that. To me it breath of fresh air as I can talk about pretty much anything without worrying about insulting someone’s prophet or culture of tribe.

(December 25, 2020 at 3:15 pm)Apollo Wrote:

(December 25, 2020 at 5:22 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: A church service is when like-minded religionists get together in a building (usually called a 'church') and form an echo chamber to reinforce each other's views. Dissent is frowned upon and may lead to expulsion from the groupthink. Lots of these people find such gatherings therapeutic. Sounds a lot like what you described.

Boru

Well, it depends on the context—if I go to the bar I am not looking to have a debate on moral theories of the 17th century and hear alternative view point—I am there to meet new people, who don’t have obsessive objection to drinking. I think bunch of atheists getting together virtually to drink and listen to music and talk on various topics (including religion) is just that. To me it breath of fresh air as I can talk about pretty much anything without worrying about insulting someone’s prophet or culture of tribe.

I’m still failing to see the difference between that zoom meeting and, say, a Catholic mass.

Boru

(December 25, 2020 at 3:23 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(December 25, 2020 at 3:15 pm)Apollo Wrote: Well, it depends on the context—if I go to the bar I am not looking to have a debate on moral theories of the 17th century and hear alternative view point—I am there to meet new people, who don’t have obsessive objection to drinking. I think bunch of atheists getting together virtually to drink and listen to music and talk on various topics (including religion) is just that. To me it breath of fresh air as I can talk about pretty much anything without worrying about insulting someone’s prophet or culture of tribe.

I’m still failing to see the difference between that zoom meeting and, say, a Catholic mass.

Boru

Since I have never been to catholic meeting I can’t speak for the difference but can only say that I didn’t feel any differently than walking in a party and hanging out with new people.

There were actually various disagreements among people on various things (gender assignment was one of the things people talked about along with sports) and there was quite diversity of point of views. It’s true that no one had the view that god made us the way we are but I wouldn’t call that echo-chambering .

Also, I think atheists are in fact quite diverse too—many are just laid back live or let live, others are skeptics, yet others are somewhere in between and even among themselves they disagree on various logical arguments on religion.

(December 25, 2020 at 3:43 pm)Apollo Wrote:

(December 25, 2020 at 3:23 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I’m still failing to see the difference between that zoom meeting and, say, a Catholic mass.

Boru

Since I have never been to catholic meeting I can’t speak for the difference but can only say that I didn’t feel any differently than walking in a party and hanging out with new people.

There were actually various disagreements among people on various things (gender assignment was one of the things people talked about along with sports) and there was quite diversity of point of views. It’s true that no one had the view that god made us the way we are but I wouldn’t call that echo-chambering .

Also, I think atheists are in fact quite diverse too—many are just laid back live or let live, others are skeptics, yet others are somewhere in between and even among themselves they disagree on various logical arguments on religion.

Did anyone at the zoom event argue in favour of religion?

Boru

(December 25, 2020 at 3:47 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(December 25, 2020 at 3:43 pm)Apollo Wrote: Since I have never been to catholic meeting I can’t speak for the difference but can only say that I didn’t feel any differently than walking in a party and hanging out with new people.

There were actually various disagreements among people on various things (gender assignment was one of the things people talked about along with sports) and there was quite diversity of point of views. It’s true that no one had the view that god made us the way we are but I wouldn’t call that echo-chambering .

Also, I think atheists are in fact quite diverse too—many are just laid back live or let live, others are skeptics, yet others are somewhere in between and even among themselves they disagree on various logical arguments on religion.

Did anyone at the zoom event argue in favour of religion?

Boru

I don't know. I only went to one breakout room and not all but the room I went to had variety of topics and discussions.  However, I won't be surprised if none of the 160+ folks spoke in favor religion. But that doesn't make it echo chamber per se. We don't go to, say, a wedding reception and sing virtues of unwedded lifestyle or benefits of divorcing. Every occasion has a theme––or lack of certain one or two themes. That doesn't make it an echo chamber.  I'm pretty sure if anyone would have wanted to talk in favor of religion no one would have objected or kicked out that person from the room.