(December 22, 2013 at 3:33 pm)rasetsu Wrote:(December 22, 2013 at 2:15 pm)Raeven Wrote: Throw a "church" into the mix, and it makes the concept even more obscure.
How does it make "it" more obscure? What does that mean? Or do you mean it makes it harder for what you mean when you say you are an atheist to be understood, and you'd rather avoid that specific misunderstanding? If it's the latter, I don't see how that's any less than what I said. Do you?
Well, I hardly feel like I'm "surrendering some of (my) autonomy and freedom to avoid false persecution," by not wishing to confuse religious folks further by naming a gathering by atheists a "church." I have zero problem standing up to them and do so comfortably and regularly. It isn't for my personal sake that I have a preference to avoid using the word, "church," in reference to atheist gatherings. It's because use of that term has specific meaning to many people -- particularly among the religious. So it gives rise to even more confusion among the religious than already exists. I see no reason to do that.
If it pleases you to think I'm just making things more comfortable for myself, then that's ok. You are certainly entitled to think it. But I don't feel the concept I'm conveying here is so difficult to grasp.
