Quote:Anyone who knows me knows that I am an athiest. I've had more facebook debates with friends and relatives than I can remember,

It's 'atheist' and bragging is not attractive personality quality,even when about something praiseworthy. Being an atheist and having any debates on Facebook don't quite cut the mustard

Quote:I'm very abrasive when it comes to religion

Not just with religion.

Quote: I preach because it's my nature to be loud and aggressive.

Yet more unattractive qualities; Preaching is irritating and arrogant,and often an indicator of a closed, shallow and lazy mind. Aggression is the dominating trait of the bully.It indicates an indifference to the feelings and rights of others.

I don't know you,so don't know if you are simply an adolescent trying to impress or are really as obnoxious as your post suggests.

Hopefully,you'll mellow and improve. (OK,unfair, I haven't ) Learning how to use paragraphs would be start. At present, really can't be arsed wading through your walls of texts.

(May 11, 2010 at 7:50 pm)Synackaon Wrote: Some of us have job interviews to deal with, so pardon me if I state that flaunting your atheism is just as bad ™ as a religious person flaunting their chosen doctrine.

I prefer to leave it as an unspoken fact that only my closest allies and friends know, with the rest either suspecting or oblivious.

Although I like your signature a lot, Synackaon (actually once had this one too in a different forum), I somewhat disagree with you.
I also think that religion should not be a topic in job interviews (so also not atheism). But I consider speaking and discussing ones believes a good thing. And atheism does not support a "doctrine" - it is in contrary even required to think about things yourself (the contrary of doctrine).
The 'believe' in reason and logic itself cannot be considered a doctrine as it just turned out to be the correct way of describing our world in all cases known to date.

I regard religion as a serious threat to our society as it denis and in most cases even abolishes the pillars of our society. Therefore telling people about it is good.

(May 11, 2010 at 9:39 pm)padraic Wrote:

Quote:Anyone who knows me knows that I am an athiest. I've had more facebook debates with friends and relatives than I can remember,

It's 'atheist' and bragging is not attractive personality quality,even when about something praiseworthy. Being an atheist and having any debates on Facebook don't quite cut the mustard

Quote:I'm very abrasive when it comes to religion

Not just with religion.

Quote: I preach because it's my nature to be loud and aggressive.

Yet more unattractive qualities; Preaching is irritating and arrogant,and often an indicator of a closed, shallow and lazy mind. Aggression is the dominating trait of the bully.It indicates an indifference to the feelings and rights of others.

I don't know you,so don't know if you are simply an adolescent trying to impress or are really as obnoxious as your post suggests.

Hopefully,you'll mellow and improve. (OK,unfair, I haven't ) Learning how to use paragraphs would be start. At present, really can't be arsed wading through your walls of texts.

LOL. Yes I am that obnoxious, and it seperates people who can tolerate me from people whom I wouldn't want to bother with anyway, like yourself. However if you choose to correct my grammar and judge me based solely on my belief that one shouldn't be afraid to be who they are, then perhaps this conversation is pointless. You say that preaching is often an indicator of a shallow and lazy mind, perhaps you missed the debates part of my post. I am very arrogant, however, in that I am fully aware of my capability in regards to debate. I know i'm smarter than most people that I speak to.

If you're suggesting that I am an aggressive, obnoxioius prick, then I would say you are right. I am so because I choose to be, because it suits me, and it suits my purpose. I'm an adult now, I have plenty of friends, so I don't really care about who likes me or who I offend anymore. It isn't personal, in fact, in most cases it's impersonal, I hear something, or read something that makes me want to dismantle someone. Am I being preachy, yes, however I am in a better position to be preachy because unlike most theists, I know my shit. I can defend almost anything I say against anyone, I can defend political, theological, and existential positions against anyone. And I do believe i've earned the goddamn right to be brutish about it. I grew up pentecostal, I had this jesus mumbo jumbo forced upon me for a large portion of my lifetime. I watched some of the most vile human beings I knew hide everything they were behind a pulpit and a smile. I've seen the very worst of men disguise hatred, racism, and apathy as virtues of a believer. So I will at every time I feel appropriate viciously and vehemently defend my beliefs against anyone. I do not care about feelings, I do not care about being politically correct. Our society has become soft-skinned. Everyone is expected to walk on eggshells, you can't say this, can't do that, everyone lies to each other to avoid conflict or hurt feelings and honestly, it's reaching the level of absurdity.

So, while my views may not be shared by everyone, while everyone may not feel confident enough to stand up, I do. Some people have to walk within the gray so that idealists can keep their utopias. I'm fine with that, i'm comfortable with that. It isn't a requirement for disbeleivers, and honestly if you don't feel motivated to stand defiantly against both a government and society who holds archaic beliefs far too high, then you probably never will. If you feel like it's best to remain humble and meek, then perhaps you should stay on the bench and allow people like me to carry the weight for you. Do you believe that a minority can change the way the world looks at them by blending in and remaining silent? History says no. So, dislike me if you will, but it changes nothing, certainly won't change me. However distasteful my methods may be, they are effective. I use bait tactics in debates because no matter how cheap they are, they work.

I don't know about you, but i'm tired of political ads and church signs, pedophile preists and televangelists showing one face, and hiding another. I'm tired of religion being an impenetrable conversation piece, and unquestionable facet of our society. I'm tired of people telling me that I need such and such deity to be happy. But mostly i'm tired of being told that I should be respectful of the beliefs of others. Here in the United States churches have the clout to shape and mold judiciary and social law. Churches and their political puppets get to tell me that I have to go outside of the state if I want to see a non-country non-gospel concert. Churches in this country are allowed to weigh in on social issues like gay marriage and call them moral issues, and no one does a damn thing about it.

So, I will absolutely offend as many people as I feel necessary. I will do what I feel is the quid pro quo for implementing changes to this theocratic bureaucracy that our country has become. And i'm not alone. People should be pissed off about who makes decisions in this country. People should get offended when churches are allowed to fund political campaigns. If you are afraid of the consequences, then hide who you are behind a screenname on an internet forum. But if you want change, then at some point you will have to let your voice be heard, even if you must demand it so.

There's a few more walls for you to not read. However if you would like to continue this discussion, i'd suggest PM or elsewhere.

I have to speak out (pun intended!). I'm on the side of speaking out. It's delightful seeing when atheists are NOT scared into shutting up.

Speaking out though, doesn't mean you have to give up your personal style. If you lean towards the polite, no need to dump that, just don't stifle yourself from saying what's on your mind.

It doesn't mean that you have to start speaking out in places you find inappropriate, like work. Just that you don't stifle yourself in places others consider it acceptable to spout their religious crap. Everyone's always going to disagree on where they think the best venue for religious discussion is or isn't. The original poster did nothing that xtians don't take the right to do for granted, such as not hiding one's religion at work and mentioning one's religion on one's license plate.

Trouble is that it is dangerous. Real life dangerous, since god cult members like to kill people who go against their organization's wishes. But if no one ever spoke out about touchy topics, blacks would still be slaves, women would still be slaves, etc., and if you are a black woman, you'd be really really fucked. Theocracy is a human rights abuse (on the freedom of thought, speech and expression field) and needs to be stopped the same way. That way always starts with people who just won't shut up!

In the spirit of the original post here's something to tell theists who hate you for being atheists.

And top it off with a kind hug. The best you can do is kill them with kindness.

I'm definitely for speaking out
But am not quite sure about how to go about it

And in plain English

1 John 4: 20-21

If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.

-hehe, i was gone again, so this is my first post in a little while-

Nearly every girl my age is a christian (I live in the bible belt, US), so I can't speak out unless I want to scare them off (atheists are "evil" here, you should here some of the stories -lies- that the ministers tell others, it's ferocious) . In all seriousness, there's only one girl I know that didn't have any negative reaction whatsoever when I told her. I told her I used to be a christian (she is one), and she asked why I became an atheist. She seemed genuinely curious, but I didn't want to have that discussion. Now that she's been just as great of a friend since I told her; perhaps she's curious of her religion's faults herself. I can't know for sure.....anyway now I'm rambling but yeah: You can't speak out in the bible belt unless you want to be an outcast. I may be highly introverted, but I'm still in high school so I need a little approval for involuntary group projects and stuff. Then again it is GREAT shock value, and I adore shock value. I go through some of the strongest urges to revolt against some of the terrible views here (extreme authoritarianism + extreme Israel rules and so does christianity, everyone else sucks), and I have gotten into a couple of debates. Both times I was challenged by theists who would not leave me alone as soon as they knew I was an atheist. As a pacifist I said no, but they insisted. Then I refuted every one of their arguments (these two are "honors academic students, so much for that), and they just got irritated at me.
And if you're wondering if I go around touting my lack of faith in other people's faces, I don't. I only say something when necessary, and even then I still suppress it. Atheists are hated by many here.

and yeah my grammar is crap but im not feeling it right now, i didn't sleep well last night.

YAY!!!!

---

I really want to speak out against alot of people including some family members.
I support anyone who wants to speak out against this nuts.

I wish we could do something as a whole all the atheist together do something that will change shit.
I would go anywhere.

And why can't you start there?