i've been thinking about this attitude - of which i am "guilty" when it comes to politics - of turning away from harm or potential harm, & came to the conclusion that this is probably the reason why organised religion got away & is still getting away with the evil they inflict on humanity.

@walklightly I think you're right. Religion has ALWAYS been given ''a pass,'' because the GODLY scream like smashed cats if you so much as THINK a disrespectful thought...let alone utter one! So, because nobody wants to start World War 3, we just shrug our shoulders and let it go.

@LucyLoohoo, succinctly put ?

believers are already here and some are trying to get my account deleted .... making nice with the hell threat and heave bribe crowd is a big mistake ADMINs.....I have not read a single believer posting they are asking for help to rid themselves of fearsome faiths.... being enabled here in faux tolerance is letting the rapist priests and two felony popes run free when every faith victim should be getting our help, not acquiesence with the perpetrators cover story of holiness

I have gone to NA and AA for 3 years now. The groups have helped me a lot. But I had already reached a point in my life where Their belief in a higher power didn't bother me at all. But neither group is push or preaching. I do know that some people left other groups because of pushing the god thing. I think it depends on where someone is at in their life.

I had this problem with adoption support groups for parents. I sought out other parents who had adopted and faith is just eye-ball DEEP in that community. Fortunately, I was more ignored than anything so I just stopped participating.

I'm here because I love playing in your playpen with you.

@rock9361 Have you come here to preach? Proselytize? Babble bible bibble? I'd like to think you might actually learn something.

Yes it's their alleged hell let them worry about knashing of teeth an searing eternal fire that does not kill pain but perpetuates painful punishment for us Atheists as our only religious crime is condemnation of their evil alleged bible gawd Jehobah yhwh Jesua Nasoret ghostholes alleged vaginal virgin Miriam

@GreenAtheist Do all "believers" believe in hell?

@Wildflower some people invent their own religions sort of like a faith buffet eating only certain offerings from the heaven bribes and hell threatening rapist priests

Good riddance to bad boys sexually harassing Atheist Feminist women....and their disgusting rapist priests tell them any crime is "forgiven" by their alleged crucified baby gawd who allegedly died for 33 hours one Palestinian weekend 29 bce

@GreenAtheist Wow, chill! What negativity! How do you know they were both Christian? No one hurt anyone. Just letting folks know that the web admins are doing their job. Now I feel bad for you Larry! I cannot imagine carrying around that kind of anger.

Understated friend Ellida, religion is like a virus and we must strengthen our antibodies to resist infection....our Atheism is the bold compassionate rescue and protection of religious victims BEGINNING WITH OURSELVES shaking loose the hell threats and repudiating the heaven bribes post mortem

@GreenAtheist their venom is innocuous to me, friend Larry...they are just very annoying when they keep trying to find reason in fables and their ignorance is irritating to me, since it’s very hard to be this kind of ignorant on the 21st century, when evidence is everywhere. I love to come here and laugh, have some fun with jokes that are understood and accepted, without the fear of hurting any believer’s feelings. Let’s try to keep the house clean and the virulent people out...that’s my humble opinion.

@GreenAtheist we’re all religious victims in here, no need to remind you that they would hang you in a public place, or shoot you in the face if they could...there’s no compassion in that book, or tribe.

Agree

and there are three levels of agnosticism: hard, soft and apathetic.

agnostic has nothing to do with belief; it means: not knowing of a god existing. an agnostic theist would thereby be someone who, despite not knowing of an existing god, believes in him - exactly the kind of babble people attempt to escape when joining this site.

Some of them are emotionally unstable, for sure. But some are sincere and want to help by giving their views. It depends on what those views are as to whether or not they help me get off the fence. -- The one thing that really has a dramatic effect on me is this: Why, on the otherhand, do atheists get so angry, disgusted, and resentful of those who do believe? The believers are not hurting them. Why do they make a case for conversion from Christianity? It appears to me that many atheists are really almost militant in trying to make believers fools or fooled., and obviously as an enemy. What's it to an athiest if another person believes? That is strange. Very strange.

Except not every one of them is like that.

That ain’t necessarily so, I used to be a believer.

Clarification: nonbeliever might have been a poor word choice. Perhaps I should have stated religious or those of a belief that would draw them here to bash or convert those of dissimilar mind.

Don't let the religious win. I agree with your comment about "not the same old religion bashing. Refuting religion will require ALL our critical AND compassionate faculties

at this point months later I don't care if they join or not. THere are ways to deal with them if they are offensive

at this point months later I don't care if they join or not. THere are ways to deal with them if they are offensive

I find it interesting that you say "conclusions on the lack of a god". I am agnostic; and by agnostic I mean that I still believe and pray at times but I do not "know" that there is a God or many gods. I do not know there is a god like I know 2+2=4. I'm wondering if you or others would find that the word "atheist" would be more likely fitting to someone who has "concluded" that there is no god and that an "agnostic" would be more likely to not claim to know one way or the other.

I block them every time xmas or xian lies arise

They are not all bigots and some of our 'side' ARE bigots.

I think you don’t appreciate my sense of humor

Trolling is bad from either side.

@Mcflewster to be honest I have nothing against trolling. however, I like my trolls to be quiet and we all know that never happens.

@Stevil I respectfully disagree. I think theists, like the cancer they resemble, need to be addressed.

Did you report any of these people?

Don't leave. There are other rooms on here besides "Religion and Spirituality", such as news, music, politics. I, for one, never want to go to La la Land- and walk on "streets of purest gold"; the glare would be hard on the eyes, and the metal would be hard on the boots too. I prefer Nature and green grass.

You have lived a very sheltered life then. I know lots of 'believers' in something, even if it is energy who could care less what I think and never force it on anyone. There are about 10 degrees of theists, most of which are so relaxed they don't follow what the church demands, then you have the rabid, really scary types... whom you simply side-step as you can generally see them coming. Most Catholics could care less about anything religious and just want answers to everything else. Most people now days are simply 'metaphysical' and do not believe in a 'god' per se', but something they cannot understand fully - they are mostly agnostic, yet may still 'claim' to be a believer. The percentage of red-neck cultish zealots is as small as Trump's following of rag tag believers that he is their new messiah character who will make America great again. Most people in this country will 'claim' to be a Christian, yet nary a 10th of them gives a rats ass about practicing it. Word to the wise.

You have lived a very sheltered life then. I know lots of 'believers' in something, even if it is energy who could care less what I think and never force it on anyone. There are about 10 degrees of theists, most of which are so relaxed they don't follow what the church demands, then you have the rabid, really scary types... whom you simply side-step as you can generally see them coming and they are almost ALWAYS - THE BAPTISTS!!! Most Catholics could care less about anything religious and just want answers to everything else. Most people now days are simply 'metaphysical' and do not believe in a 'god' per se', but something they cannot understand fully - they are mostly agnostic, yet may still 'claim' to be a believer. The percentage of red-neck cultish zealots is as small as Trump's following of rag tag believers that he is their new messiah character who will make America great again. Most people in this country will 'claim' to be a Christian, yet nary a 10th of them gives a rats ass about practicing it. Word to the wise.

"as long as they are not using this platform to preach" being the deciding factor, & so far (3 weeks in this community) i have encountered one xtian (his choice of word, not mine) only, & he is preaching.

It sucks that they are preaching at you, I really hate that.

Good point, this place would have a LOT more "arguing" / heated discussion with theists in the mix, believe me.

I think that's cool Cherish -- that you joined groups to learn and be supportive of your son.

Wel, if anyone goes off, the Admin can just eject him/her, right?

@GoldenMean In theory, yes. In practice, they'd probably have to add more admins, it becomes a lot more work to police it. I suppose very strict rules of engagement could be promulgated and the ban-hammer wielded liberally, but it soon starts to involve things like detecting / swatting sock puppets when they try to come back under another handle, etc. I think it will make moderator's jobs harder, not just make it unpleasant for us.

City-data has very strict moderation, no cussing (oddly, crap is an okay word, but not shit, go figure) and prohibits proselytization in the atheism & agnosticism forum. TheThinkingAtheist is far more hands off, more user-regulated (sometimes not all that well). They have a very different feel.

One way C-D maintains civility and order is they don't tolerate much scientific debate for example on the atheism & agnosticism OR the religion and spirituality forums. So as soon as you get into some substantive debate involving evolution, you inevitably find the thread shut down as off-topic because you end up explaining / discussing the science. Over on the science forum you get shut down for religion talk. It's kind of stilted that way.

thank you, this is such a perfectly succinct perspective; where do i sign it? i certainly couldn't have said it better; it resonates with me 100%. just for once not having to feel tense & prepared to be chopped down by the cerebrectomised ones... what an enlivening experience!

Bravo!

Sadly, I've run into a few "knuckle daggers" here.

so far i only encountered one condescending believer.

I have run into a couple of theists that are much less then pleasant including a condescending, atheist mocking, science ridiculing level 7 member of this site.

your comment contains at least 7 (seven) assumptions, so it's gonna be a tad difficult to disentangle your "message" from the mess, but i'll try my damnedest.

1. "no one has any idea why they believe" = false, many believers will tell you that it gives them comfort & a sense of belonging.
2. "..nor the ability to discern what they believe from reality" = how would YOU know?
3. "agnostics...have doubt" = false, i have no knowledge AND no doubt.
4. "humanists a general belief..." = false, humanism is not attached to any "general belief".
5. "we all believe in something" = absolutely false. i believe in nothing.
6. "most non-religionists [never heard that term before] are called atheists" = statistics, please.
7. "afraid that...your assumed ideas..." = how would YOU know?

& there goes your "MESSage".

this website is designed to serve the agnostic community.
if i come across a website that caters to christians (as in: believers in a christian god) i will, as a heathen, be able to muster the selfcontrol & tolerance to steer clear of it.
if, on the other hand, you prefer to engage in lively discussions about the pros & cons of belief or not, i am sure you will find a website on the worldwide web that will accommodate this desire.
agnostics.com is NOT it.

@walklightly Thank you for saving me a great deal of time, I felt obligated to point out a similar list. I would have included for your #2 response that many atheists (like myself) use the scientific method (testable repeatable verifiable based on real world facts i.e. reality) and although not infallible, has provided the best methodology . . . "to discern what they believe from reality"