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What are the best places for people like us to live?

Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists, Freethinkers, Skeptics are not in many ways like most other people. We have specific needs based on our life orientation.

What are these needs?

What are the best places for us to live, either geographically or in terms of situation, such as big city, college town, rural area, etc

What services & support do we need to survive?

Remiforce 7 Oct 5
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18 comments

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1

I find that staying where I am and being myself are the best things in my life at present, though also finding others to discuss my atheist ways and reasons why I am an Atheist are also great as well.
But then, Australia, thus far, has always been a Secular Nation and will hopefully remain so even though we seemed to 'cursed' with a Happy Clappy, Jesus Chappy and his cohort of religiotards in government at the moment.

2

I've given that some thought, and think that the best place to live would be 'off the grid' somewhere. Perhaps a mountain-top, with 360 degree fields of fire, for at least 2,200 meters out, in every direction.Such a mountain-top redoubt, would have its own electric and water supply, be bulletproof, be encircled by ccv cameras, concertina wire, and a pack of vicious, man-eating Rottweilers. In addition, it would be equipped with AAGMs, ATGMs, and a mix of GPMGs, HMGs, and Barett guns, that could be fired by remote control, from a central monitoring room, deep in an underground bunker. But alas, only Bond villains, politicians, and billionaires could afford such a setting!

Other than that, if you like the company of intelligent people, I could only recommend a University town. They can be noisy (esp. on weekends), and the collegiate set can be infantile. But, at least, the used bookstores are a treasure-trove of un-loved, under-appreciated books!

Your mountain redoubt sounds like a very expensive undertaking & won't protect you from everything, like global warming & annoying calls from ex girlfriends.

I like the college town if you ignore the infantile undergrads. Generally college towns attract more intelligent, open minded people.Before I moved to a place, I would check what universities are in the area.

I have to agree about the used bookstores in university towns. The perfect places to orientate towards

0

People like who?

I was thinking of agnostics, atheists, humanists, freethinkers, skeptics, the people who claim to be on this site, although in some cases I wonder

@Remiforce So a place where segregation of ‘outsiders’ exists, like a gate community?

That could be anywhere. You just need to build a wall!

3

We actually are JUST like other people in the general case. However, because we exist in a majority religious hegemony, it tends to select for particularly independent thinkers and iconoclasts and contrarians and introverts and so forth to become atheists. We're the ones who make it out of the matrix in this particular environment.

Atheism is simply one of several possible side effects of critical thinking / skepticism / rationalism. Critical thinkers need to connect with people who can share their enthusiasms, which are not purely (or even necessarily at all) anti-religious.

Not all atheists are politically or socially liberal, but most probably are, and so the more liberal, egalitarian locales probably are best, all things being equal.

Critical thinkers of every stripe, I think, are most comfortable in more liberal, educated communities where their unorthedox insights will be accepted. I feel sorry for those not in such communities. It is a lonely & often frustrating life

0

Depends on the person. I am from a big city and always lived in big cities (mostly with a couple of short term exceptions). I knew of and visited this archipelago and never imagined living here. My late partner, likewise from big cities, thought otherwise and even though she is no longer alive I am grateful to her for getting me out of Seattle when we did. That wonderful city has been overtaken by the money and corporate mentality. Luckily, this community is really trying hard not to let that happen here (and every summer we get lots of evidence where that will lead).

Many communities have been ruined when the Phillistine yuppie scum moved in. The foreign billionaires are building massive towers that are shading out Central Park. To my mind, the corporate & wealth mindset is a cancer destroying all that's good

@Remiforce It's called growth and people think we need growth to survive. We do not. The big problem is that growth has a cost and sometimes that cost is a loss of one's standard of living.

2

I live in a small farming community in Alabama. This is the best place for me because country people tend to be honest, independent and individualistic, and they respect those traits in others.

If I had grown up in a large city I’d be a different person and would want the social and cultural amenities that cities offer.

I don’t think a persons opinions about religion are all that important—we can live anywhere.

You may be right. Often one can relate on a human one to one level with more sensible religious people.

Sounds good down there. Maybe we'll send a million liberals from NYC to join you. We can spare them

@Remiforce They can pick cotton. Ha ha.

1

Anywhere you want to. If my health and money were not an issue I would live in Kenya for a big part of my time. Neuropathy slows me up and I'm not sure footed these days.

Different strokes for different folks. I hear they have good coffee in Kenya if you don't get robbed in Nairobbi.

Sorry to hear about your health problem. Hope it's stabilized

@Remiforce Nairobi is often referred to as "near robbery." You do have to be careful there and I always wear a money belt and not show phones or cameras, etc. because somebody can run past you and steal them quickly. Other than that it's a nice city.

Care to digress why you'd want to live in Kenya?

@DeafGypsy I liked it there and have in-laws there by marriage. Today I have diabetes and foot problems that would make living there not as easy as it once was. I just live alone at home these days.

2

I think that we do better in the North and in college towns. College towns because people tend to be more educated.

I think college towns are ideal

@OwlinASack I know that there is a University of Adelaide. And the University of Canterbury is in Christchurch, so I'm not sure what you are getting at.

@Stephanie99 There is also Christ Church Canterbury University in Kent in England where I got my degree!

@OwlInASack I meant Northern and Southern United States. The OP is from there.

1

Pretty much anywhere, except in bat shit crazy countries where if you don't follow the state mandated religion you can be jailed or killed. But you wouldn't want to live in those rat holes anyway. Even if you were a believer.

You're most likely to find larger numbers of people who share your views in bigger cities. People who never leave rural areas tend to be sheltered, uneducated and deeply myopic in their understanding of the world as a whole, which is the perfect environment for suspicious beliefs to take root and flourish.

I find what you say to be true. Many people run from oppressive, sanctimonious societies., even believers. Those who have never been exposed to different beliefs & cultures tend to be narrow minded & parochial, & bored with their lives

3

The best places to live for any human is anywhere that freedom to express one’s own views and practise or not practise a religion are enshrined in law. That combined with good education, healthcare, social services, transport links, affordable housing and clean air, seems to be what any of us would consider an ideal environment. That ideal is possible at present in only a few countries...mainly the Scandinavian ones. Being an atheist does not mean we need anything different from the rest of humanity, and I personally would hate to only live in communities where everyone thought the same as me...much too boring!

@OwlInASack Me too!

That's right. It's good to have a few agnostics around for leavening

1

It would be nice if there was a place that nones could say what they think without worrying. Maybe we should have a theme park for nones. Something like the Ark Encounter or Creation Museum.

Depends on your perspective. We have every true natural history museam and most state parks are nature pure and simple.

I say we just use the creation museum and video peoples reactions for YouTube.

That sounds great, but I wonder what a theme park for nones would look like. I can imagine it like a giant science fair with a few special exhibits devoted to the great agnostics & atheists, & freethinkers, humanists, & skeptics like the great philosophers. Message control may be difficult, as this is not simple like a creation park

1

Nones, have almost nothing in common save that one fact, that we have no religion, and therefore there is no one set of needs that fits all. There are a few places perhaps, such as countries who will persecute atheists, where it would not be good to be, but beyond that, given the choice, no two of us would pick the same fruit from the bowl.

True, it depends on individual preferences, as long as we avoid of flee out & out theoracies , but some places are more comfortable & suitable than others. I feel sorry for those of us stuck in hostile or unsuitable environments

4

I don't think I could survive living in the southern United States.

Stenz Level 6 Oct 6, 2019

Living in the south sucks if you are an atheist or a liberal and it really sucks if you're both. I moved to the mountains in Georgia a little more than 6 years ago. I have basically removed myself from society and I like it.

@SonnyBubba I did like Savannah.

There are some places in the south that I hear are decent. I have heard the research triangle around Raleigh, N.C. is not bad. But in many places in the south, you're best to go under deep cover

0

Everywhere, or how else will theists know of that atheists are (theoretically) normal folks?

g

I think if atheists are normal folks, there must be something wrong with them. We are not supposed to be normal

@Remiforce I only meant normal as in not having horns and a tail, eating babies or... Oh wait, that's Jews. Well, atheists too, right?

g

0

I live in Florida and never had an issue.

4

You can live where ever you like, just use some common sense.

1

I don't see a need that is different. Some like seclusion, some like the spot light, most are in between. Some like the countryside, some like the city, most are in between. The only real difference, is the lack of a spiritual scapegoat, and the lack of believing in an afterlife (and even some non believers believe that). All other facets are pretty much the same. Eat, drink, live. Pretty universal.

10

We should be living everywhere.
We have the same needs as everyone else.
If we cannot satisfy them readily, we need to create whatever we need.

We shouldn't be congregating in little pockets in "safe places".
We should be living out loud and demanding our rights be respected.
As well as everyone else's.

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