Hello i am an ateheist living in the midst of diehard christians
Offline all of my life i have thought that the whole god and religion thing were a bit flaky, ive always thought it was bogus.. i have tried the god thing a number of times. ive have been to a pentacostal church, which i dont recommend to anyone who doesnt know what they are about... and other churches throughout the years.. and now i am solid in my choice.. i dont just accept things atheits or atheist sites say i do the research for myself and the same goes for what theists say.. that in turn has strenghtend my atheism.. im proud to be an atheist but i cant come right out and wear shrits or express it for fear of serious backlash.. any re advice to a person who wants to be as openly atheist as others are openly christian... i keep my mouth shut cause i dont want to cause problems.. i enjoy this site quite a bit... also is it true that conservatives are trying to amend the government to fit religion? im confused about this as the librals and the right are trying to snuff eachother out it seems... where can i go for HONEST news reporting of FACTS.. ive done alot of research and i would love it if someone kinda helped point me in the right direction..
im glad to be a member of this site\
Chris D.
Chris
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As far as a unbiased news source? No idea.
But as far as being openly atheistic, what kind of backlash do you expect? Friends and family getting pissed off? Former church members hating you for no reason other than you disagree with them? What are we talking about here?
Secularist, Atheist, Skeptic, Freethinker
What town do you live in exactly. I'm in Canada near Toronto. Religion is not a big deal here and I am has open an atheist has you can imagine easy for me [being physiclly large helps] I am even the go-to atheist guest on a local religion based TV show.
Has for an unbiased news source; I'm not sure they exist anymore, but you might try http://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks they slant from the middle road to a bit left. The do spend a lot of time reporting on conservative republicans pushing a religious agenda in their law makeing. So at least on that topic you can be well informed.
Now post early and often.
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LOL! Thank you for making my point! Perfectly I might add! I wish you all the happiness in the world with your new unfound faith! Best regards, A Christian
Welcome to the site and most importantly welcome to the friendship of Atheist and non-believes.
Where are you and what backlash do you expect?
"You see I think drugs have done some good thing for us, I really do. If you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor go home tonight and take all your albums, all you tapes, and all your CD's and burn them. Because those musicians that have made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years... RRRRRRReal fucking high on drugs" Bill Hicks
Welcome.
Unbiased political reporting is probably a contradiction of terms. As far as news facts it goes story by story in most cases. I just question everything and assume some sort of bias or bullshit agenda in anything I read. IF I click on BBC, CNN, Huffington Post or whatever right now I would probably find an equal amount of bullshit mixed with facts. And when you ask someone whee to look , their opinion is probably biased in some respect.
As for atheist activism, there's no rule that says you have to do anything. But if you are like me and many others here you will see the poison of religion and the harm it does. Being a recovered christian I am very bitter towards it for very good reasons.
But I've also had the freedom of not having to worry about losing my job or anything else because of my stance against religion. When it comes to social acceptance I couldn't care less. People know that and are not surprised much by contempt for those who push their fairy tales, hate, and fears on everyone.
And remember you were born an atheist. You shouldn't have to be ashamed of the way you were born. Those who do not accept you are not worth fretting over.
"...but truth is a point of view, and so it is changeable. And to rule by fettering the mind through fear of punishment in another world is just as base as to use force." -Hypatia
You have my sympathies. I grew up in the deep south Bible Belt, parents were very popular southern gospel singers, 10 plus years on TV in Charleston, SC. I grew up in the Baptist church, though my parents played Pentecostal churches. First time I saw someone talking in tongues, I was about 10 and I kept wondering why no one was calling an ambulance for someone who, to me, was obviously having a seizure of some kind.
I'm writing a book on the subject, the working title is None Dare Call it INsanity.
"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings."
Welcome!
I've not even heard of a completely unbiased news source in ages. I don't bother looking, instead I dip into both left and right sources and then do research on anything I find interesting or feel is necessary to know.
The best news sources I've encountered were the CBC and BBC, but neither of them is completely unbiased. Just less biased than Fox or CNN, or any other US news source I've ever read, watched, or listened to.
As far as being openly atheist and prideful of such, that's something you'll need to work on yourself. The more you know, and the better you can defend your position, the more confident you will be. Once you can face down a pair of rabid theists without blinking or losing your cool, whilst refuting everything they say until they enter rage mode and take off, you'll find it isn't so hard.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
well i expect alot. i dont attend church nor do i claim to affiliate with any sort of religion...my inlaws are methodist, catholic, and i think souther baptist.. i live in jonesborough tn the bible belt.. when i have questioned faith after a christian spilled his stuff ive been either talked over, threatened, or insulted... i hate that stuff
Chris
"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings."
As far as unbiased reporting goes, that's a difficult question. You're definitely not asking where can I get an unbiased opinion, as opinions are almost by definition biased. So I understand you want facts. I would try Democracy Now. The program is available online on their website. They do a decent job of covering facts and if ever there's commentating you can simply choose to evaluate the situation for yourself. You could, of course, supplement that with your own research. Other news sources I like include Politico, The Economist, The Guardian, The NYT and the WP, and many BBC programs. Even Al-Jazeera does a decent job covering news that isn't about the mid-east. Just keep your ears open and distinguish between the facts of the story and spin.
Regarding life as an atheist in the Bible Belt, I certainly couldn't relate. I've lived in NYC my whole life. As I see it, your choices are to leave and move somewhere where you can have like-minded friends or stay. If you move, great. But if you choose to stay you can either keep quiet or speak up. You know better than anyone what to expect if you choose to be on the more militant side, or even just outspoken. If you think that's a price worth paying, go for it.
Another option might be to find some like-minded people where you live. It might be a bit of work, but I'm sure you'd be able to find a few people who share your perspective.
Good luck.
Welcome to the board.
I live in the Bible Belt and can sympathize with your situation.
However, I was born and raised in a very strict Catholic family in New Jersey and had heavy religious indoctrination at a young age.
It took me a long time to overcome it.
You'll find alot of like minded people here and should fit right in.
You can go to websites like American Atheists and find where nearby chapters might be near you.
I don't think there is one located in the city that I live in, but I have not searched the sites in a long time. I am pretty much a lone wolf Atheist and do most of my "activism" by sending letters to local leaders, the newspapers, and writing certain churches when they start some political crap. (For instance, I wrote a letter to a certain christian group that was boycotting Planned Parenthood and told them what I thought of some of their actions. I don't deny the freedom to protest, but taking pictures of people going into Planned Parenthood and trying to harass people going in is another matter. Apparently lots of other people complained, because they now protest across the street).
Of course, sites like these allow me to hear arguments from both sides of the coin and debate.
It never hurts to go to your local library and read all the books that you can on any given subject. Unbiased opinions are going to be hard to find, but there is a difference in a bias and sheer propaganda.
Find several news sources and compare them. Which seems more objective than the other.
Anyway, enough out of me. Have fun and post often.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
^^ What Harley said. It's probably a really good idea to hit up the library. If you don't have a great library maybe try amazon. Pick up a copy of Mackie's book, for example. Or an anthology of atheist writing (Chris Hitchens edited an okay one). I would urge you to also read arguments from the other side, for example, The Coherence of God or The Existence of God by Swinburne.
Jeff is right - there is no such thing as entirely unbiased news and it's also extremely difficult to eliminate bias from your own mind when you are thinking a subject over. Human brains are biased in a range of ways, they seek confirmation of things they already believe as opposed to seeking what might be true. There are good books available on the process of unbiased thinking that outline all this.
You need to look at a range of quality news sources and then form your own opinion from there. I tend towards BBC, the Guardian, the Atlantic, there are plenty more. I think you should also get a sense of the nature of fallacious arguments so as to be able to recognise them in the news and in your life. Politicians and public figures endlessly appeal to consequence, appeal to emotion, make unsupported assertions, present false dichotomies and often attempt successfully to say nothing at all.
Very little of what is presented to the public from politicians is based on data. Politicians are generally driven to seek the middle ground, the position that represents the majority of their electorate and this means they take positions they may not believe themselves. Journalists - and I know this from own profession - are taught at university to present all sides of the opinions of interest groups, as if from a distillation of multiple assertions truth might be gleaned. Personally, I think empiricism must be granted primacy in all debates. Empiricism alone gives us a solid basis for reasonable belief about a part of what is true.
Yes - I grew up in the church and I agree with you that the fundamental underpinnings of christianity (and islam) are insult and threat - believers say: 'You are evil, repent by accepting this bizarre dogma or endlessly scream in a fire'. These arguments enshrine 2 of the silliest fallacies of all - ad hominem (you are stupid, proud, evil); which is an attack on the person, not a response to their argument; and an appeal to force, a threat. At street level this combination roughly translates thus: 'Accept my dogma, filthy idiot, or I'll punch you in the face'.
When you consider that these fallacies - original sin and the wages of sin being death - are the underpinnings of christianity and the reason for jesus' blood sacrifice you can see that instead of being based on knowable truth, the christian message is entirely based on fallacy. From the very beginning, the authors of these holy books had no proof of their bald assertions whatever and they depended solely on fallacious insult and threat to build their unsupported and unsupportable case.
Also, if you take Jeff's advice and choose to read Swinburne, make yourself familiar with the meaning of the fallacious appeal to complexity. In this case, Swinburne plugs assertions based on his own interpretation of the function of probability within our universe into the space outside the universe where human knowledge ends. This probability argument is squarely based on a false dichotomy - the proposition that there are only 2 possible candidates responsible for the existence of existence. A humanly conceivable 'mind' equipped with 'force' that 'operates' in a place without matter or time; and 'nothing', a state which has similarly never been observed to exist.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
There is no right way to be you, according to others. You can only be you and only you can judge where being open vs being silent will happen.
I was working at a fast food place long ago. I myself lost my fear of stating my atheism then, but that is just me. I did notice quite quickly however, people did judge me. One day the shift manager locked her key in the office. Everyone including me knew the store manager above her was an asshole and a bully to everyone, who was at home at the time.
Before that event, she treated me like shit. But knowing what wrath she would get if she called him at home, I was determined to get into that office. I managed to climb through the ceiling tile(only because my apartment at the time had the same open ceiling above the tile) I thought that the office walls would be the same and not extend to the roof. Sure enough, I poke through the ceiling and hop over the wall and open the door. At that point every bullshit stereotype she had of me went flying out the window.
The point is that you will never find a perfect situation to come out. What you can do if people object when you do, is tell them that opinions are nothing personal, but you will still like and or love them. Ultimately we cant tell you what to do. But you neither have to be open all the time or silent all the time.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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No wonder you're a wannabe atheist. Who wouldn't be after going to penecostal nutty nut churches.
The lower case for g is not proper unless you are talking about Uncle Frank. G is simply for an infinite reference point unlike my Uncle Frank who lives in the bronx and raised in Sicily.
YOu have given no arguments while you wish to claim the impossible atheist tag (really agnostic). You simply are having an emotional reaction. Kind of like this:
Without logic and reason in use vs emotional tantrums, you are like a ballon with only hot air on a windy day.
Welcome to the forum. And yes, God caused the earthquake in Japan lol.
Respectfully,
Jean Chauvin (Jude 3).
A Rational Christian of Intelligence (rare)with a valid and sound justification for my epistemology and a logical refutation for those with logical fallacies and false worldviews upon their normative of thinking in retrospect to objective normative(s). This is only understood via the imago dei in which we all are.
Respectfully,
Jean Chauvin (Jude 3).
Aww. I thought we'd earned a month break from this asshat. Oh well.
Trollin', Trollin', Trollin' down the river...
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Jul 14th - Jul 18th ..
Dont twist your ankle over the forum's Super Troll. Always keep in mind, his personal perception(s) are irrelevant. It has no value, and in this case no basis in reality :¬
It may not do well to get all tangled up in what others think of you. Ask yourself if you'd rather be at peace. If so be guided in the direction of that goal.
The only possible thing the world needs saving from are those running it.
https://sites.google.com/site/oldseers
Knowledge trumps faith and I'm not a Theist
Lies are nothing more then falsehoods searching for the truth
are caused by subterranean forces then the planet is God, yes/no??
The only possible thing the world needs saving from are those running it.
https://sites.google.com/site/oldseers
Knowledge trumps faith and I'm not a Theist
Lies are nothing more then falsehoods searching for the truth
Welcome!
If you want an unbiased news source that is only biased in the correct way then watch MSNBC! If there was ever an atheist movement or cause in the news they would report on it positively just like how the ACLU defends atheists!
And remember Jesus is myth that is no different than Hercules, Apollo, Mithras, or Horus! Click on the links in my signature for more info and make sure to tell your friends the TRUTH that Jesus never actually lived on earth!
Click here to find out why Christianity is the biggest fairy tale ever created!! www.nobeliefs.com/exist.htm www.JesusNEVERexisted.com
i have a friend who i used to go to church with but im an athiest so whenever i would sit through the boring services i would wonder how any of these people could believe in the bs that was spewing endlessly out of the pasters mouth.