It's probably due to a number of things:
Like Brian said, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks provide a platform for like-minded people, so dedicated sites/forums (which take time/money in maintenance and security) are dwindling.
Like Hammy said, most of the time confrontations with theists merely ends with bad feelings on both sides and a lack of anything actually getting done, which is frustrating.
I do think that, culturally in the US at least, it's far less taboo than it used to be. Yeah, it's still forbidden and exotic in the Bible Belt, but no one in, say, New England really gives a shit. Nor most of the East Coast until you get to maybe one of the Virginas. Nor the West Coast. Even in the Rockies there's enough of a hippie/hipster blend in places like Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho where it's uncommon but not rare. The nones are rising.
For me, I was gung-ho about my atheism when I deconverted 16 years ago. But now, as a guy in his late 30s, I'm more apathetic than anything else. I've never really been one for causes, I'm certainly not the kind of person that needs to be a part of a fellowship of any sort. Yeah, sometimes I spar with theists on here, but I'm far more active in the non-religious sections of the forum. There's only so many rounds of the same handful of arguments I can take before I get bored.
Like Brian said, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks provide a platform for like-minded people, so dedicated sites/forums (which take time/money in maintenance and security) are dwindling.
Like Hammy said, most of the time confrontations with theists merely ends with bad feelings on both sides and a lack of anything actually getting done, which is frustrating.
I do think that, culturally in the US at least, it's far less taboo than it used to be. Yeah, it's still forbidden and exotic in the Bible Belt, but no one in, say, New England really gives a shit. Nor most of the East Coast until you get to maybe one of the Virginas. Nor the West Coast. Even in the Rockies there's enough of a hippie/hipster blend in places like Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho where it's uncommon but not rare. The nones are rising.
For me, I was gung-ho about my atheism when I deconverted 16 years ago. But now, as a guy in his late 30s, I'm more apathetic than anything else. I've never really been one for causes, I'm certainly not the kind of person that needs to be a part of a fellowship of any sort. Yeah, sometimes I spar with theists on here, but I'm far more active in the non-religious sections of the forum. There's only so many rounds of the same handful of arguments I can take before I get bored.
"I was thirsty for everything, but blood wasn't my style" - Live, "Voodoo Lady"