Guest Muna Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I get the impression that athiests are the vast majority here and that anyone who still believes in a diety is less than welcome. Anyone else feel that way?
RedPillAddict Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 No. There are many people here that are not Atheists who get just as much respect as Atheists. People tend to judge on character more than belief around here. After leaving a religion based on assumptions and imaginary friends, do you not expect the people here to question your beliefs? Don't automatically assume you are being attacked. You have to understand that many here left Christianity because they found the whole God/Diety thing to be silly.
lemon Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Muna, Not challenging or judging you, but I am curious about one thing. What is it that led you to become a deist? Or more specifically, why do you believe in god? This would be the first time I spoke with someone other than a christian about this. Hope you are not offended by the question.
SWIM Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I get the impression that atheists are the vast majority here and that anyone who still believes in a deity is less than welcome. Anyone else feel that way? Why do you say that? I don't see this at all, though there does seem to be a majority of atheists, still most of them only seem to want validation before they believe anything, is that wrong? Just because we have no proof does not mean we don't think, and theorize, speculate and just plain daydream. You seem to think like you have encountered a vast hall of locked doors, this is not so, many of use still ponder the great beyond. Embracing things though, at least for me is reserved for proof. Speculation is a part of our imagination and makes life fun. Does it matter what the group at large believes, or day-dreams on? Less then welcome you say? I don't see it.
Thurisaz Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 No. There are many people here that are not Atheists who get just as much respect as Atheists.People tend to judge on character more than belief around here. Not much to add to this As I see it, a large part of it all depends on whether people here have the suspicion that a believer might want to (re-)convert anyone. After you've met morontheist #456,224 in this place preaching the same old bullshit, I'm not surprised that you'll eventually get skeptical about all religion. But if you show that you're more than "my faith this my faith that", if you show that there's still a working brain (and a sense of ethics and respect) within you... you can be very fine in here. Quite a few people are proof to that... including the crazed Germanic barbarian writing this post
♦ nivek ♦ Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I'm Webmaster Dave's floor sweeper and I simply don't give a shit about gods. Nor do I think less of folks who do until their particular practice(s) start to invade my space here in office, or while I'm using laptop while using the office library's facilities... THEN I get pissed off, or close to it. Otherwise feel welcome to use the House of Dave and enjoy this cool little community. k, barf cleaned daily, floors swept nightly, FL
Kelli Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I'm quite fine and I believe some weird shit. I freely admit I believe weird shit. And by and large I have no proof or evidence for any of the weird shit I believe, but I don't care, because I believe in my Weird Shit because I want to and no one else but me is obligated to believe in my Weird Shit. In fact, I'm not even obligated to believe in My Weird Shit, but I do because, because. I dunno. Just because. Because it makes me feel better. And that's all that counts, and I don't care what anyone else thinks about it.
pitchu Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I get the impression that athiests are the vast majority here and that anyone who still believes in a diety is less than welcome. Anyone else feel that way? Muna, you may not understand that there's a difference between someone who believes in a deity and someone who issues an implied challenge to an atheist. The latter is what you did in your other thread, which is why you got responses that made you feel unwelcome. You may think you were merely musing over why one would "throw out the baby with the bath water" in becoming an atheist instantly upon rejecting christianity, but what you actually did was set up a straw man, thereby furtively indicting the atheists here. If you had asked, "How many here instantly became atheists upon rejecting christianity?" you might have come away pleasantly surprised and richly informed instead of feeling unwelcome.
fallenleaf Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I am a non-theist in just about every sense of the word. And, personally, I see no reason to posit the existence of a God; regardless of whether or not that God is deist, theist, or any other -ist. Having left the Christian faith, and never having been that fond of the idea of a God, I didn't bother trying to pick another deity. That said, I recognize the need some people have for a spiritual connection with the world around them. And I think that is their option. Naturally, I don't think they're correct in their view... and they don't think I am correct in mine. So it goes. :happy_old:
Amethyst Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I am an atheist for the purpose of discussion, though I usually just say I'm "not religious" when asked. I personally don't care if people want to believe in a god. What I care about is if they let their religious beliefs negatively impact the rest of society. For example, those who want to brainwash public school kids in science classes. That is not a good thing, IMO. Live and let live is my motto. I did not instantly become an athiest, there was a year or so where I held Pagan beliefs and realized it was just the same song, different tune. I've also researched Buddhism and I don't think it's for me. I respect people with other beliefs as long as they don't push their beliefs onto others.
Mythra Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 Muna, you may not understand that there's a difference between someone who believes in a deity and someone who issues an implied challenge to an atheist. Yeah. I think pitchu pretty well nailed it here with this post. Take Heimdall, for instance. He is a deist. And I've never seen a single post here challenging him on his deism. Because, for one thing, he doesn't bring it to the forefront as an issue. And we respect him just based on the wealth of information he provides and the depth of his knowledge.
Guest Muna Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I tried to explain in my other thread my thought process and what I was trying to understand, but I still got flamed. So I worded my question in a way that unintentionally caused offense. I then explained why I meant no offense and tried to clarify, but I got attacked anyway. I was certainly not trying to attack anyone's belief or lack thereof and I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone to believe in a god. I'm just trying to understand other people.
SWIM Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I tried to explain in my other thread my thought process and what I was trying to understand, but I still got flamed. So I worded my question in a way that unintentionally caused offense. I then explained why I meant no offense and tried to clarify, but I got attacked anyway. I was certainly not trying to attack anyone's belief or lack thereof and I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone to believe in a god. I'm just trying to understand other people. From what I read, only one person mildly flamed you. Don't judge us all because of one person. There isn't an ex-c cookie cutter out there stamping us out, this is a very diverse crowd.
Mythra Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I tried to explain in my other thread my thought process and what I was trying to understand, but I still got flamed. So I worded my question in a way that unintentionally caused offense. I then explained why I meant no offense and tried to clarify, but I got attacked anyway. I was certainly not trying to attack anyone's belief or lack thereof and I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone to believe in a god. I'm just trying to understand other people. Damn, Muna. You keep using the word "attacked". Perhaps you have a misunderstanding about this place. This isn't like the real world, where religion (or lack of religion) is a sacred cow that should not be challenged - or even discussed. Nothing is off limits here. We kick each other's ideas around on a regular basis. YOU WEREN'T ATTACKED. If we found you to be dislikeable, we would have just ignored you. If you want to tell us how atheism is utter bullshit based on a completely closed mind, that your way is better, go ahead. "Attack" back. Unless of course, your ideas are groundless. And if they are, you should just go on whining about being the victim in this vicious attack.
Ouroboros Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I get the impression that athiests are the vast majority here and that anyone who still believes in a diety is less than welcome. Anyone else feel that way? I hope not. That's not the purpose of the site. I think it's quite common for ex-Christians to become atheists, so that's why you see such a large number of them here. At the point where you begin to be skeptic to Christianity, you also start to question all religions and be critical to any kind of supernatural claim. It isn't a default result of deconversion, but yet, it is very common.
Rev R Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 To be perfectly honest, I do feel a little strange around here sometimes. It's probably warranted because I never was a Christian so I don't have the deconversion experience in common with the folks around here. But I'd rather be an outsider in a group of intelligent and good people than hang out with a bunch of idiots.
Thackerie Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 To be perfectly honest, I do feel a little strange around here sometimes. It's probably warranted because I never was a Christian so I don't have the deconversion experience in common with the folks around here. But I'd rather be an outsider in a group of intelligent and good people than hang out with a bunch of idiots. Me too, and for the same reason. I sort of, half-heartedly, briefly, tried to be a christian of the inoffensive, mainstream (United Methodist) variety in my teen years but could never actually bring myself to believe in any of it. But, I was always interested in religion (or, more to the point, how it influences cultures and why people believe what they claim to believe) and I took a course on the History of the Bible during my freshman year at college. After that, there was no going back to even being a christian-in-name-only. (Subsequently, for a while, I tried to imagine that there is some sort of nebulous god-thingy looking out for us anyway, but I never really saw any evidence for that either and now I'm getting along just fine without any god at all.) The point is, I was never a fundy, I was never abused by any church and I don't get hassled by anyone about my non-belief. So, I probably don't have a lot in common with many of the regulars here and don't post a lot (except sometimes when a snarky comment is called for and I just can't resist. ) But, that's OK; it doesn't bother me that I don't get into long back-and-forth conversations because I understand that this is primarily a recovery site for ex-christians (not something purely for my entertainment) and there's not a lot I can offer in this regard. Still, I am a frequent lurker and enjoy reading the discussions here. I've learned a lot. And, beyond the educational value, there's also the inspiration factor because it makes me feel good to read about people being able to escape from fundyism and reclaim their lives. IMO, ex-christians are awesome! BTW, I have never seen any one here being "attacked" or put down simply for being a theist or deist. I suspect it's a case of "seek and ye shall find" (i.e., "in the eye of the beholder").
RedPillAddict Posted November 10, 2007 Posted November 10, 2007 I tried to explain in my other thread my thought process and what I was trying to understand, but I still got flamed. So I worded my question in a way that unintentionally caused offense. I then explained why I meant no offense and tried to clarify, but I got attacked anyway. I was certainly not trying to attack anyone's belief or lack thereof and I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone to believe in a god. I'm just trying to understand other people. Like I said, people tend to get judged by their character, not their beliefs, around here. So far, all you have done is complain about being "attacked", which isn't even happening. You have 14 posts here so far, and they have consisted of about 2 questions and 12 complaining about how you are being attacked, which again, isn't even happening. So, if you want to gain any respect around here, stop whining. <-- not an attack, advise. I can't think of any group of people who enjoys having somebody around that is constantly whining.
Aqua Kitty Posted November 11, 2007 Posted November 11, 2007 I get the impression that athiests are the vast majority here and that anyone who still believes in a diety is less than welcome. Anyone else feel that way? Hi Muna, Here's my 2 cents for what they're worth. I don't believe in the Christian god or Jesus. Therefore, to Christians, I am an atheist. But have I ruled out the existence of any other type of god or gods in the universe? No. Although I have to admit that I probably would rule out any kind of supernatural deity. I think that if there is a supreme being(s) of any sort that they are part of the natural world as opposed to some supernatural realm.
Guest vanesa Posted November 11, 2007 Posted November 11, 2007 To be honest, this is an online forum. It's a social club like anything else, and simply because the majority of people here are atheists or whatever they claim they are doesn't mean that they don't have a pecking order. It's like that on all forums. For example, people here and on other forums are promoted to Moderator, Vice Moderator, Head Honcho, King Kahuna, etc. based mostly on how well the top brass likes them. THere's no way in hell someone like me is going to become anything more than someone posting here because I won't kiss any site administration's butt enough, not just this site but anywhere else. I'm not saying this as name calling, that's how the real world works. I'm not trying to be insulting, but it's just the way things are. The vast majority of organizations are run like social clubs, and the same goes for the "alternative" media. I've been booted off sites for thinking on my own and not kissing moderator ass 24-7-52. For the record, online chats are a poor source of information. Half of the shit online is just that, shit. I can go into more detail here but I won't. DOn't think that you're alone in that feeling though. That's been reality for me my whole life, and I simply don't give a damn if I fit into someone's tea party.
SWIM Posted November 11, 2007 Posted November 11, 2007 To be honest, this is an online forum. It's a social club like anything else, and simply because the majority of people here are atheists or whatever they claim they are doesn't mean that they don't have a pecking order. It's like that on all forums. For example, people here and on other forums are promoted to Moderator, Vice Moderator, Head Honcho, King Kahuna, etc. based mostly on how well the top brass likes them. THere's no way in hell someone like me is going to become anything more than someone posting here because I won't kiss any site administration's butt enough, not just this site but anywhere else. I'm not saying this as name calling, that's how the real world works. I'm not trying to be insulting, but it's just the way things are. The vast majority of organizations are run like social clubs, and the same goes for the "alternative" media. I've been booted off sites for thinking on my own and not kissing moderator ass 24-7-52. For the record, online chats are a poor source of information. Half of the shit online is just that, shit. I can go into more detail here but I won't. DOn't think that you're alone in that feeling though. That's been reality for me my whole life, and I simply don't give a damn if I fit into someone's tea party. I don't fully agree with this. I run a very popular board myself, and some of my mods I don't even really like very much. They were promoted for logical reasons, time on the board (more able to police spam) and cool-headedness, (not readily willing to flame). And involvement. If they post a lot, they are more familiar with the subject. One mod I have is even a muslum (non-religious board, I don't post the name of it here, not giving xtians a "target" to use against me). So, no it's not always a social club, in fact even here, without naming names, I have heard mods disagreeing openly with admins or super-mods. I will agree that it DOES APPEAR like a social club on boards at times, and on some boards that may be true, but I don't see it here.
Guest vanesa Posted November 11, 2007 Posted November 11, 2007 Well, that's what I've seen on every forum. It's just the nature of them to be social cliques. Maybe you do promote on the basis of knowledge on your boards, maybe you don't. I don't know. I think that blogs, forums, etc. are just like the mainstream media; it's all about popularity. It doesn't matter who's running the site, it's all about how well you're liked. That's just how most people think. Not everyone does, but that's the rule. DO I care? No.
Japedo Posted November 11, 2007 Posted November 11, 2007 To be honest, this is an online forum. It's a social club like anything else, and simply because the majority of people here are atheists or whatever they claim they are doesn't mean that they don't have a pecking order. It's like that on all forums. For example, people here and on other forums are promoted to Moderator, Vice Moderator, Head Honcho, King Kahuna, etc. based mostly on how well the top brass likes them. THere's no way in hell someone like me is going to become anything more than someone posting here because I won't kiss any site administration's butt enough, not just this site but anywhere else. I'm not saying this as name calling, that's how the real world works. I'm not trying to be insulting, but it's just the way things are. The vast majority of organizations are run like social clubs, and the same goes for the "alternative" media. I've been booted off sites for thinking on my own and not kissing moderator ass 24-7-52. For the record, online chats are a poor source of information. Half of the shit online is just that, shit. I can go into more detail here but I won't. DOn't think that you're alone in that feeling though. That's been reality for me my whole life, and I simply don't give a damn if I fit into someone's tea party. Vanesa, I believe you're making unfounded claims here. Ex-C is the least Clique type of broads I've been on. While yes there are some of us who socialize, it is by and large a support group. There is no wielding of power here, this is one of the most freedom based boards I've ever had the pleasure of being on. People are treated according to how they treat others here. I believe people are given mod powers due to the fact they've earned it. To label Dave as one that needs his ass kissed is offensive and the furthest thing from the truth. The Mods (who there are very few) have mutual respect from every level of people here from newbies, to old timers, From Christians to atheists.. They aren't egomaniacs that boot for no reason. In fact, I think I can count on one hand here the amount of people banished from this place and it was for good reason. I also think only Skip and Dave are capable of banning, I could be wrong on that tho..? Very few here kiss anyones ass, nor have I ever ran into a mod or owner here that thought they needed their ring kissed or ego stroked, that is a blatant false accusation you've made. Perhaps if you want to be a mod you should just ask how to go about being one instead of just assuming you're required to kiss ass, maybe it's your knee jerking that prevents you from becoming a mod elsewhere. I believe you're seriously broad brushing here and you're also far off base.
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