So, why are we here .. on this forum?

[Whateverist]

What's our mission? Sometimes it seems that some of us feel we are standing watch on a wall to keep the ignorant from over-running us. Some of us like to mix it up, to get over on someone we've decided isn't quite human enough or deserving enough of our respect. If that was my reason it would feel kind of icky. That just isn't the way I want to regard my fellow man and I'm not looking for situations where I can go all dark-side like that.

Personally, I'm always looking for commonality with a theist. Hell if I had reason enough to want to believe in god, from my base position of agnosticism, I could do that. I know I don't know if any deity exists or not. (The truth is I just can't make sense of such a thing.) But if I wanted to believe, if I grew up believing and liked it .. I think I could justify that.

I think lots of atheists over-identify with science. I've chatted with some who seemed to think some ideas were just more 'scientific' to believe than others. (If there isn't a fallacy named for arguments based on that, there should be.) There is a "nothing but" attitude toward anything which can't be tested and backed up with evidence. I don't share it. Evidence? Yeah, as if none of us would ever act on a hunch without it.

Now there are a lot of characters I've come to like and appreciate here. Getting to know you a little, I have some idea how you come to feel and act as you do. I had a benign brush with religion. Easy come, easy go. Some of you didn't get off so easy. If the people charged with my well being when I was young had raped my mind with their religious beliefs, maybe even gotten me to proselytize others .. I would be livid. If folks who've been through that can't use a site like this to process that experience, that would be unfortunate.

Nonetheless I don't think we should celebrate displacing our anger onto strangers as a value to be embraced. It is more like something unfortunate but also unavoidable we have to accept and live with. Let those who need to blow off some steam. But lets not make that what we're about.

[Jackalope]

Why I first came here is not the same as why I remain here. I'd prefer to focus on the latter, as it's more relevant to your topic.

I don't post nearly as much as I used to - though I still spend quite a bit of time here, reading and taking in new information, from atheists and theists alike. I don't much care what someone's beliefs are, I'm more interested in how those beliefs are justified (or not). My motivation is to challenge my own beliefs and to keep myself honest.

[Minimalist]

I enjoy pissing on the theist's parade.

[KichigaiNeko]

I think that (like theists) we cremate those "beliefs" that have no rationale and unfortunately the messenger takes it personally..... like theists we hate the message but love the messenger...



whom we can also cremate at a latter date - Just kidding



















maybe

[Cato]

This is my response to the OP's kumbaya bullshit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1xqI_4btnc

[rexbeccarox]

On the last forum I was involved in, I met a couple of lifelong friends, and a friend-turned-boyfriend who broke my heart just under a year ago. My motivation here is probably more simply to make friends with like-minded people, and it would be great if those friends turned out to be close.

It's fun, though, to pick apart arguments and test my knowledge. I don't post much, but I read a lot.

Interesting topic.

[Dragonetti]

I am here to find like mind people, and to make new friends.

I am tired of being surround by people whom despise me due to difference in ideology.

[Kayenneh]

I came here because I was bored.


Now I'm entertained daily

[Fruity]

I'll be honest.

I'm here to feel normal in a place where others "get it". When I first got here it didn't even cross my mind that I would be doing so much reading in the forums or that I would end up being friends with some. It's really cool to find people who share similar thoughts and interests while being extremely different in other things (like where they live). I log on at times because I feel like joining in an interesting discussion, but sometimes I just do it to mingle with other atheists who happen to share some common interests and others who happen to be totally bizarre and awesome to me. I am fond of this "place". I'm probably not normal here either, but what I have noticed is that most people here aren't either

If my day went fine and easy, I discuss.
If my day was hectic and I'm restless, I blabber. It's fun. Plus... some people here walk straight into it and if it can give me some good laughs, I'll be very thankful for that at their expense.

[paulpablo]

What's our mission? Sometimes it seems that some of us feel we are standing watch on a wall to keep the ignorant from over-running us. Some of us like to mix it up, to get over on someone we've decided isn't quite human enough or deserving enough of our respect. If that was my reason it would feel kind of icky. That just isn't the way I want to regard my fellow man and I'm not looking for situations where I can go all dark-side like that.

Personally, I'm always looking for commonality with a theist. Hell if I had reason enough to want to believe in god, from my base position of agnosticism, I could do that. I know I don't know if any deity exists or not. (The truth is I just can't make sense of such a thing.) But if I wanted to believe, if I grew up believing and liked it .. I think I could justify that.

I think lots of atheists over-identify with science. I've chatted with some who seemed to think some ideas were just more 'scientific' to believe than others. (If there isn't a fallacy named for arguments based on that, there should be.) There is a "nothing but" attitude toward anything which can't be tested and backed up with evidence. I don't share it. Evidence? Yeah, as if none of us would ever act on a hunch without it.

Now there are a lot of characters I've come to like and appreciate here. Getting to know you a little, I have some idea how you come to feel and act as you do. I had a benign brush with religion. Easy come, easy go. Some of you didn't get off so easy. If the people charged with my well being when I was young had raped my mind with their religious beliefs, maybe even gotten me to proselytize others .. I would be livid. If folks who've been through that can't use a site like this to process that experience, that would be unfortunate.

Nonetheless I don't think we should celebrate displacing our anger onto strangers as a value to be embraced. It is more like something unfortunate but also unavoidable we have to accept and live with. Let those who need to blow off some steam. But lets not make that what we're about.

I just like to argue with muslims about the things i disagree with about their religion, but at a safe distance. If I did this in my local area I would probably get branded as a racist and get stabbed or something similar.

Stuff like that doesn't happen too much now but riots have happened here, I've seen pakistani muslims attack white people, black people and non muslim indians.

It's strange how it's a religion of peace yet the house just down the road from me has a huge muslim flag on their house with a picture of a huge sharp sword next to the arabic writing.

I don't argue with them based on anger or anything though, just logic I like to think.

I'm really not here to argue with any christians, I haven't taken that religion seriously in about 15 years or so since I was around the age of 12 or something.