Ouroboros Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 1. Provides me a place where I can express my atheist views.2. Provides me the opportunity to converse with a variety of intelligent people, in an atmosphere free of religious oppression. 3. Has most assuredly taught me the value of respecting people's opinons. 4. Has given me the tools necessary to sharpen my skills in debating Xians (and others). 5. Has been the conduit to my discovering powerful atheist literature/web sites I hadn't known before. All in all, this site has been the lifesaver I needed after I abandoned the "B.S.S. Xianity". [b.S.S. - Bullshit Ship] You forgot one important part: 6. Where I can slam, flame and cuz freely against religious people, and the other members support you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 You forgot one important part: 6. Where I can slam, flame and cuz freely against religious people, and the other members support you! Too true, too true! Thanks for the reminder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I'm posting here today for two reasons. #1. To REVIVE this thread and put it back on "Page 1". Why? See next: #2. To remind some people WHY we come here, and highlight the many benefits of a site such as this. We lost a dear friend the other day. No, she didn't die, she just...left. It was so anti-climatic and sad. But it got me to thinking about this thread again. About WHY we come here, and WHY do we stay, or leave? I know why I stay. I know why some of you others remain. But, why do some leave? Not that anyone HAS to stay. No one even has to register or post. But it just seems to me that those who have been leaving lately, have been doing so "in a huff" of some sort. And I THINK that may be due to having "no defined reason for being here". I think that MAYBE if your personal life is in disarray, AND all you've come here for is catharsis, then you run the risk of becoming angry and burnt out. Then disgusted with the entire process. Maybe even blaming this site and the people here for creating "drama" in your life. I'm no expert, but I think I'm close to the target. I bring this up NOT to judge anyone, but to encourage those remaining to examine themselves and figure out WHY you come here. Find a purpose for being here. Don't just "rant" and "vent" and flail away madly at shadows and personal demons. I personally don't believe it's healthy. You'll only wear yourself out. I should know. I did that bit at first. It was exhausting. But then I re-tooled my mind and found a purpose for being here. To LEARN and CONTRIBUTE. To be in COMMUNITY with like-minded people. So much better than being the raving lunatic I started out as. I don't know. I'm not saying that you CAN'T vent and rant. But I believe that eventually, if that's ALL you're about, if you can't or won't grow beyond THIS level of development, then pretty soon you too will become a casualty of "too much drama". Think about it. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indoctrinated Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 I don't know how long I'll stay. So far I like it here very much. I like the honesty and straightforwardness and intelligence. It has enabled me to just say "out loud" and admit to myself that I'm not sure I want to be a Christian anymore. That means I can start to move on from that place and explore what I do want. Also, because I told my husband that I had joined this site, it has become a starting point for us being able to talk more freely together about the whole subject. And surprise, surprise, we are both actually more or less in the same place. This is how I got here: I was feeling down so I re-visited this site (I have her book!). http://www.marlenewinell.com/ I saw an invitation from a "Doubting John" to this site: http://www.theologyweb.com/index.php? From searching on that site for ex-christians I found a link to this site. This site is infinitely better! "The Lord works in mysterious ways!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Broke Free Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Perhaps my reasons for posting here may seem trivial to many, but my main purpose here is purely social. Yes, I do enjoy reading thought provoking posts, but I am already secure in my non-belief and don’t need this site for that purpose. I have been posting here for 2.5 years and have made many “online” friends. During that time numerous people have come and gone. Many of those who leave angry were involved in debates in the Debate Forum and became offended at what someone else said. I just don’t understand that mindset at all. It reminds me of what it was like when I was a Christian. I HAD to have the last word. I HAD to come away from the conversation a winner! I don’t give a shit what others think of me anymore? It just seems so Christian. As far as I am concerned, anyone who lets a bunch of squiggly lines on a computer monitor control how they feel needs to do some more self-reflection. The world is full of people who disagree with you. If you can’t deal with it over a computer, you are never going to be happy in the “real world.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy-tiger Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 It gives me an insight into the Fundamentalist mind and how it works...If the ones we get here are any indication, they don't. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I just thought I should add that my main reason for coming here when I first joined was to find out why others left "TEH GR8 LARD"... Thanks to what I found out, I very quickly went from an Agnostic to an Atheist. (and where Christianity is concerned, a Strong Atheist) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead_hobbit Posted August 21, 2005 Share Posted August 21, 2005 Originally, this site scared me off. Numerous times. People were just too angry here then. (Think : The old circumcision flame wars...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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