Because the admins have allowed it...and even though we all came here to escape this nonsense, the nut jobs continue to follow us to a space that was supposed to be for non-believers only. No place is safe from their idiosy.

@Free_2B_Me
FB moronic mentality!!!

@Free_2B_Me
Why do you think it was supposed to be for non-believers only, when the person who built it says otherwise?

@skado No everyone can join, however I would think that fanatics would get upset here.

@Jolanta
Why not let them decide for themselves? I’m betting they are as varied in their responses as individuals of any other group.

@skado This isn't "Christian Mingle"...THAT is a place for believers. Agnostic, Atheist, Freethinkers, Skeptics, etc are all Non-Believers. The name of the site is Agnostic.com...and yes, when it was advertised on Facebook, it said it specifically catered to non-believers. (That's the only reason I joined.) Thanks to what l deem the ol' bait and switch, that's not what is actually here. (Also why l don't participate very frequently.) This was supposed to be an escape from that nonsense, but it's not.

@Free_2B_Me
Yes, it was for those people, but not for them to the exclusion of all others. It was clearly stated in the original info pages. It was never “supposed to be an escape” of any kind. The original, clearly stated purpose was to spread the gospel of non-belief. You can’t do that by preaching to the choir. There may be other sites that are better suited to the escape you are looking for. This site, and other sites that the owner has built are expressly for the purpose of encouraging dialogue.

@skado Unless you're the owner of the site, l don't think you know what the intent was or wasn't. It's still up to interpretation. As it is, we all use the site for different reasons and l came here because it was supposed to be free of religion and those that preach it, NOT so l could try and convince believers not to believe. It's not my job to educate them.

@Free_2B_Me
It is not your job to educate them, but neither is it your job to purge them from the site.

I am definitely not the owner, but I have been here since very nearly the beginning of the site, and have witnessed all of its permutations. The owner has consistently made a distinction between religious believers (who have always been welcomed) and religious proselytizers and trolls (who are not).

The OP of this thread might well turn out to be one of the types who are not welcome here, but this post contains no (zero) evidence of that. She very simply stated her beliefs (not prohibited) and very respectfully asked what we thought (which is actually recommended by the site guidelines).

I do understand that some of our members have been severely traumatized by religious fanatics in the past and can be easily triggered by even the presence of a religious believer, which is unfortunate, but the fact is, believers are not, and never have been, prohibited from joining the site or from participating in discussions, including expressing their beliefs, as long as they behave according to the rules. There are a few who have become long-term members in good standing.

There are mechanisms for flagging misbehavior so that administrators can deal with unruly members, but being rude to them is expressly forbidden. Another remedy that is provided is the blocking feature. It is not within the responsibility or authority of any member to tell another member they don't belong here. When a member does that, they have become the troll themselves.

Below I have excerpted, and in some cases highlighted in bold, some relevant guidelines from the information pages, followed by links to those pages.

The owner really does want to promote mutually respectful dialogue between people who hold different views, and over the years he has made that increasingly clear. He has even constructed a completely separate site to accommodate views that, in spite of his best efforts to the contrary, members here have shown insufficient tolerance of. I have seen no motivation on his part greater than to assist people of conflicting opinions in their efforts to bridge the gap between their worldviews. If I am mistaken in this, you are free to ask him directly, and let me know what he says.

..................

“We are not necessarily an anti-religion website.”

“ 1 Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.

1. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.
2. There is no one right way to live.”

“As we want to ensure that this platform is inclusive and discussions lively yet productive, we would like members to consider the following guidelines.”

“Remember that people come to their own truth differently.

We welcome debate and dissent but personal attacks, persistent trolling and similar abuse will not be tolerated.”

[agnostic.com]

“Q: What is Agnostic.com all about?
A: Agnostic.com is place where wisdom is shared and people meet. We've set up the website to be a community that caters to all types of people.

“Q: What should I do if I see someone being disrespectful to a member or individual instead of ideas?
A: Please go to the member's profile page and click the "flag" icon. We will take appropriate steps. For our policies, click here. If a member is being annoying, you can also just block them by clicking the “ Block” link on their profile page or entering their name here. If you do that, you won’t see any of their posts and they won’t see yours.”

[agnostic.com]

“A note about etiquette

We are doing our best to keep this a safe, troll-free community where people are free to express themselves. As you can imagine, many people in our crowd are passionate about facts, truth, and some even like a good debate.

Our #1 guideline is simple: let’s just keep it truthful and respectful.

On that note, we should tell you that a small percentage of members are probably social justice warriors. Think of it as an opportunity to enlighten them with civility. Please be nice.

[agnostic.com]

.....................

These points are not up for interpretation; they have been clearly spelled out.
I hope this has been helpful.

.

@skado Wow...you clearly have too much time on your hands! I've been here quite awhile too. I'm no newbie. And yes, l can read. As it is, NONE of what l said has anything to do with someone being rude or having bad behavior. My initial comment (which l am completely free to make) was to the question posed by Jolanta in her comment (because she couldn't understand why a religious person would be here either)...you just chose to butt in and make it about you and being right. You can quote/copy and paste all you want all day long, but your droning is falling on my ears the same as when anyone brings up religion. My apologies @Jolanta for your comment getting hijacked!

@Free_2B_Me
Thanks for letting me know how much time I have.
Best wishes.

As a child many of us may have. But also the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny.

But we eventually learn that it’s not real and move forward.

@SeaRay215ex more people should do that with the god concept.

My answer to your repurposed question is a definite, "Yes." Had we reelected the asshole we would see what free reign of a virus can do. There are others out there and they have no concern for our well being. Just because we live in this Universe does not mean it is going to control things so we survive, we have to discover a means to fathom the chaos and survive what comes at us.

@dalefvictor "fathom the chaos?" Chaos is a natural phenomenon, but the reality that we perceive that something is chaotic doesn't mean it is necessarily so. Human perceptions are often unrealistic, and are inspired by fear or ignorance or both, and more. Embrace chaos and it is no longer a detriment to our lives.