bornagainathiest Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 From my p.o.v. (as a Christian-eating Lion) this forum has certainly changed over the years. But whatever changes have taken place, I will not be deflected from my purpose in being here. This follows the stated purpose of this forum - to be a resource for those wishing to leave religion (especially Christianity) behind. I serve that purpose by hunting down, killing and eating Christians who enter the Den. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 This site is still valuable for those seeking like minded folks that have experienced leaving Christianity & all that often involves. That was the reason I became active here, but pretty much everything changes & evolves & that includes sites like this. When I became comfortable being an ex-Christian my interest & focus changed to becoming a student of religious & Xian history. I found a lot of valuable leads & references here that led me to a number of religious historians. When I left the Church of Christ I found a support site named ex-church of Christ. I was active there for years while searching for another form of Xianity. That led me to deism & that led me here. A few months ago I became active again over at ex-church of Christ but this time I am attempting to do some educating relative to the history of the bible & Xianity. When I found that site back in 2005 it was very active, but now there are a lot less active members. I'm probably the only non-believer there, but I've discovered there are a number of skeptics that are questioning their beliefs. That has led to some interesting discussions. I suppose everything has a lifespan. In this day & age technology is rapidly changing lots of things, but I think this site is still relevant maybe more than ever since it seems more people are leaving their faith. Technology has just created more options for people. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 I've noticed a few people express concern regarding the level of disagreement & occasional conflict that arises during ongoing discussions. That is just the nature of sites like this. People see things differently. If you are looking for agreement then you probably need to stay away from all forms of social media because conflict is inevitable. I've found a few posters that I've decided to just ignore. I don't engage them because there is no point in doing so. It's there way or the highway, so I decided to take the highway. There are always people like that & I'm sure I need to include myself in that group too because there are some subjects that I'm too passionate about. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daffodil Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 I've noticed a few people express concern regarding the level of disagreement & occasional conflict that arises during ongoing discussions. That is just the nature of sites like this. People see things differently. If you are looking for agreement then you probably need to stay away from all forms of social media because conflict is inevitable. I've found a few posters that I've decided to just ignore. I don't engage them because there is no point in doing so. It's there way or the highway, so I decided to take the highway. There are always people like that & I'm sure I need to include myself in that group too because there are some subjects that I'm too passionate about. I'm not looking for agreement, I'm looking for common decency and respect for those with differing opinions. I'm looking to not be patronized by those who think they're smarter than me. I actually appreciate differing opinions because they help me to refine my views, or even change them completely if convinced to. I will not take part any longer in conversations in which the other party clearly thinks I am below them intellectually or educationally. ETA: Beyond that, I just can't take any more political crap right now - no guns, no conservatives vs. liberals, no abortion debates, no women vs. men, no vegans vs. omnivores, no anything with a VS. in it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinzon Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Politics is a acquired taste. I like this place cause its like a intellectual buffet table. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 One additional thought came to me. When I found this site originally I had a lot of questions about religion in general, Christianity in particular, & my personal faith. This site was very helpful in my search for answers, & I eventually found answers for my questions so I'm not a searcher anymore. In other words I don't need support now. I continue to hang around here now hoping I might help someone find answers for their questions. I imagine a number of people come & go because they found the answers they were seeking too. If that is true then this site is doing what it was designed to do. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted October 22, 2016 Super Moderator Share Posted October 22, 2016 I continue to hang around here now hoping I might help someone find answers for their questions. I imagine a number of people come & go because they found the answers they were seeking too. If that is true then this site is doing what it was designed to do. Bingo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duderonomy Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I've noticed a few people express concern regarding the level of disagreement & occasional conflict that arises during ongoing discussions. That is just the nature of sites like this. People see things differently. If you are looking for agreement then you probably need to stay away from all forms of social media because conflict is inevitable. I've found a few posters that I've decided to just ignore. I don't engage them because there is no point in doing so. It's there way or the highway, so I decided to take the highway. There are always people like that & I'm sure I need to include myself in that group too because there are some subjects that I'm too passionate about. I'm not looking for agreement, I'm looking for common decency and respect for those with differing opinions. I'm looking to not be patronized by those who think they're smarter than me. I actually appreciate differing opinions because they help me to refine my views, or even change them completely if convinced to. I will not take part any longer in conversations in which the other party clearly thinks I am below them intellectually or educationally. ETA: Beyond that, I just can't take any more political crap right now - no guns, no conservatives vs. liberals, no abortion debates, no women vs. men, no vegans vs. omnivores, no anything with a VS. in it! No more Duderonomy vs. Fweethawt either? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybaris Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I think the site helps those who are in the process of deconverting and need a place to vent. After they get over the hump they have less use for it, the novelty wears off and then the site looks like any other site. They become one of the dominate contributors or move on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjn Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I think the constant political "debates" going on detract quite a bit from the real purpose of this site. Sure, I sometimes participate in them, but why are they allover the forums? Why not simply concentrate all that crap to... well, TOT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daffodil Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I've noticed a few people express concern regarding the level of disagreement & occasional conflict that arises during ongoing discussions. That is just the nature of sites like this. People see things differently. If you are looking for agreement then you probably need to stay away from all forms of social media because conflict is inevitable. I've found a few posters that I've decided to just ignore. I don't engage them because there is no point in doing so. It's there way or the highway, so I decided to take the highway. There are always people like that & I'm sure I need to include myself in that group too because there are some subjects that I'm too passionate about. I'm not looking for agreement, I'm looking for common decency and respect for those with differing opinions. I'm looking to not be patronized by those who think they're smarter than me. I actually appreciate differing opinions because they help me to refine my views, or even change them completely if convinced to. I will not take part any longer in conversations in which the other party clearly thinks I am below them intellectually or educationally.ETA: Beyond that, I just can't take any more political crap right now - no guns, no conservatives vs. liberals, no abortion debates, no women vs. men, no vegans vs. omnivores, no anything with a VS. in it! No more Duderonomy vs. Fweethawt either? Nah, I know you guys are just foolin'! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 The political forums are similar to discussions between Xians & atheists, except the combatants are liberal vs conservative; but the results are similar in that they both strongly disagree with each other and their debates accomplish little or nothing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindersRemoved Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 This site was great for me when I first deconverted. I realized that I wasn't alone and there are many ex-c out there just like me. I rarely post, but do pop in 1-2 times a week. I've noticed with the election, the political rhetoric has intensified over the last year. Maybe after the election, things will calm back down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I've been here for over 10 years now. It's always been political. It used to be far more wild west than it is now. It's tame today compared to the days when I first arrived. People were less whiny about it back then too. Sorry, but it's true. Old timers here will back me up on this I'm betting. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ nivek ♦ Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 following Loren's Creed.What exactly is this Loren's Creed? http://bit.ly/Lorens #2 kL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 following Loren's Creed.What exactly is this Loren's Creed? http://bit.ly/Lorens #2 kL I thought that's who you were talking about. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I've noticed a few people express concern regarding the level of disagreement & occasional conflict that arises during ongoing discussions. That is just the nature of sites like this. People see things differently. If you are looking for agreement then you probably need to stay away from all forms of social media because conflict is inevitable. I've found a few posters that I've decided to just ignore. I don't engage them because there is no point in doing so. It's there way or the highway, so I decided to take the highway. There are always people like that & I'm sure I need to include myself in that group too because there are some subjects that I'm too passionate about. I'm not looking for agreement, I'm looking for common decency and respect for those with differing opinions. I'm looking to not be patronized by those who think they're smarter than me. I actually appreciate differing opinions because they help me to refine my views, or even change them completely if convinced to. I will not take part any longer in conversations in which the other party clearly thinks I am below them intellectually or educationally. ETA: Beyond that, I just can't take any more political crap right now - no guns, no conservatives vs. liberals, no abortion debates, no women vs. men, no vegans vs. omnivores, no anything with a VS. in it! No more Duderonomy vs. Fweethawt either? There was never any, "Duderonomy vs. Fweethawt". There was only ever, 'Fwee Speaks & Duderonomy Reacts'. Nothing more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I spend a lot more time these days over on Patheos. Roll to Disbelieve is a good blog community, and Godless in Dixie is as well. The Secular Outpost is good for philosophical discussion, though not all of even quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I found this site about 2002 and have been here ever since, if I remember correctly the forum was changed 2 or 3 times so i've had at least one other username from when I first joined. I remember from the old days names like Reach, Chef, Asimov, MrSpooky, etc. There were a lot of Christians that registered just to debate us or tell us we were going to hell or whatever. It was a lot of fun, and miss those days. I do agree what others have said about the migration of website forums over the last few years to FB, twitter, etc. I don't do social media, there's too much hidden/stealth linking and connecting of those sites/apps between fb, ig, twitter etc to devices, ipad, personal cellphone, email, google, apple, etc. Today, if someone hacks into just one of those, they can get into all of them through the links or connections and know very personal intimate details about you, your family and all your friends. Literally. No thanks i'll pass. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOHO Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Wish I could upvote that one 12 times, Mickey! and I'm a god-dammed IT professional! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 and I'm a god-dammed IT professional! I am an IT professional also. Which is probably why we don't participate in social media bullshit - we actually know the risks. I think the average FB/social media user doesn't realize how vulnerable they have been made over the last 2-3 years by these same companies and their cross-application/website/device data access. Even though they "assure" you your personal data is "private" it is only private until it has been hacked, which has become so routine now that I think people just accept it as a given. That is until their name, home address, children's names ages and photos, etc is posted on a public website hosted in a 3rd world country that has no obligation to remove it, or sold for pennies to anyone who might wish to do them or their family/children harm. Personal data stays public forever now, it doesn't come down just because someone is threatening you... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 I found this site about 2002 and have been here ever since, if I remember correctly the forum was changed 2 or 3 times so i've had at least one other username from when I first joined. I remember from the old days names like Reach, Chef, Asimov, MrSpooky, etc. There were a lot of Christians that registered just to debate us or tell us we were going to hell or whatever. It was a lot of fun, and miss those days. I do agree what others have said about the migration of website forums over the last few years to FB, twitter, etc. I don't do social media, there's too much hidden/stealth linking and connecting of those sites/apps between fb, ig, twitter etc to devices, ipad, personal cellphone, email, google, apple, etc. Today, if someone hacks into just one of those, they can get into all of them through the links or connections and know very personal intimate details about you, your family and all your friends. Literally. No thanks i'll pass. All good points. I fear that people's attention spans are shrinking with each passing year, and multi-paragraph message forums like this one are on the way out. What's the average age on this Forum, 40? 50? I'm 47. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 and I'm a god-dammed IT professional! I am an IT professional also. Which is probably why we don't participate in social media bullshit - we actually know the risks. I think the average FB/social media user doesn't realize how vulnerable they have been made over the last 2-3 years by these same companies and their cross-application/website/device data access. Even though they "assure" you your personal data is "private" it is only private until it has been hacked, which has become so routine now that I think people just accept it as a given. That is until their name, home address, children's names ages and photos, etc is posted on a public website hosted in a 3rd world country that has no obligation to remove it, or sold for pennies to anyone who might wish to do them or their family/children harm. Personal data stays public forever now, it doesn't come down just because someone is threatening you... I don't understand the risks on an intimate level, but I guess I don't care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedouin Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 I found this site about 2002 and have been here ever since, if I remember correctly the forum was changed 2 or 3 times so i've had at least one other username from when I first joined. I remember from the old days names like Reach, Chef, Asimov, MrSpooky, etc. There were a lot of Christians that registered just to debate us or tell us we were going to hell or whatever. It was a lot of fun, and miss those days. I do agree what others have said about the migration of website forums over the last few years to FB, twitter, etc. I don't do social media, there's too much hidden/stealth linking and connecting of those sites/apps between fb, ig, twitter etc to devices, ipad, personal cellphone, email, google, apple, etc. Today, if someone hacks into just one of those, they can get into all of them through the links or connections and know very personal intimate details about you, your family and all your friends. Literally. No thanks i'll pass. Are you suggesting that I leave social media Mike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ nivek ♦ Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 MOHO, I've been at pushing electrons since late 80's. Dell would send a box of parts and their particular diagrams, have me de-solder and rebuild hurt server boards on site. Long long before instant parts replacement became troubleshooting. ****************************Op-Ed: As far as the decline of ExC, I see tides ebb and flow continually through past decade and high side of change. Every Federal election cycle teeth and claws come out, people seem to drop in from nowhere and champion one side or another stirring shit.After whatever happens goes down things tend to slow down some, most of the not-so-religious things are gently flushed to ToT.Folks who go to it expecting things to be calm, pretty and well organized have never seen a dog fight.. Someone always tries to get the last bite on way out..Everyone can find a bit of ExC to find a place to sit and be comfortable.kL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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