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55 1

DON'T BE AN ATH-HOLE.

I finally realized what this place was.

It may call itself Agnostic.com but is much more appropriately Antagonistic.com

Based on the sheer nature of the top level topics and the posts, the only purpose of this site seems to me that it is (predominantly) for bashing and ridiculing people of faith and what they believe in.

If you are looking for relationships then it has to start with compromise and understanding of others including mutual respect despite ideological differences. If you cannot achieve that in everyday life with regular people you certainly are not going to be able to do that with someone that is a potential life mate even if you share belief systems.

I share belief systems with probably 90 percent of you and I find the balance of you (not all of you, but many) completely offensive and obnoxious.

I understand that many of you probably have recently changed belief. And the shock and revelation of becoming an agnostic or an atheist is a drastic one. But acceptance of this way of life is not tied to ridiculing other people and what they believe in. We have enough problems with being accepted as agnostics or atheists without going on an offensive.

Would you people really be proud of the antagonistic, ad hominem content you are posting if it got out to your real life friends and family or your coworkers? Does this sort of nastiness truly advance our acceptance by others? What you are engaging in only confirms their hatred of and bias against us. We provide them ammunition.

That is the test I always use for any content I post online as a writer with a social media following.

What you are all experiencing is collective deindividuation.

[en.m.wikipedia.org]

You should think very carefully before jumping on bandwagons which attack or ridicule the religions of others. And how this behavior destroys your individual conscience and wellbeing.

How about we try some topics that are not tied to attacking and ridiculing people of faith and their icons and tenets? And their organizations? Or do we not have enough interesting subjects to talk about here? One would think with the supposed intellectual density of the membership here we’d have plenty of things to talk about here that do not involve ridicule, disgust or hatred of others.

DON'T BE AN ATH-HOLE.

jperlow 7 Apr 2
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55 comments (26 - 50)

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5

Are you kidding me? Look what the Christians are trying to do to this country. Deny people rights based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. They try to teach creationism As a legitimate scientific theory. They try to insert their god in laws in our government buildings and in our schools. Religion deserves to be ridiculed. You have the right to religion in this country and we have the right to ridicule that religion.

It really has nothing to do with "right" to do anything. Freedom of expression is a right under our constitution. That doesn't mean we SHOULD ridicule people in a retaliatory fashion. There's a lot of things we have the right to say and do. Does not mean we SHOULD engage in them. You've got the right to parade down the street in a Nazi outfit. Still not a great idea.

@jperlow it’s not a retaliatory to point out that a belief is stupid and void of any fact especially when they are trying to teach these ignorant beliefs in schools or pass laws based on these beliefs. They put their god on our money and on our pledge. And then berated my stepdaughter in front of the entire class for not standing and saying the pledge. So don’t tell me I shouldn’t engage them and tell them how stupid their beliefs are. I had to go down there the the high school and raise all kid of hell with the principal and the teacher. In the end they both apologized to her. You have to get in these people’s faces or they will walk all over you and your kids. So to hell with their feelings. If their beliefs are stupid I’m going to tell them. They won’t hesitate to tell you or your child that you are going to hell for not believing in their skydaddy. Or tell you that you need Jesus. So pardon me if I’m sick of them pushing their religious bullshit and I do a little pushing back. You can feel sorry for them I don’t.

5

Dude! We are venting. So many have to pretend, avoid or walk on egg shells just to get along with friends or family. Here it is safe to vent. We do not hate the theist. We hate the theism. The evangelizing. The knocking at the door, interrupting ones anti theist haven with pamphlets, Gideon's bible, and halleluhahs. It isn't the atheists who call for beheadings, burning at the stake, pogroms. We need a place to yell "In NO god do we trust!". There is a plethora of topics on this site, and one of them is bashing theism. So I leave now to bash fort with.

5

If l have said anything to offend you, all l can say is l don't really care. I find religions and their effect on humanity has been incredibly offensive, dangerous, and destructive. I have known people of faith who walk the walk and keep their beliefs to themselves.
Those are not the people l see getting hammered on this site. If the humor is offensive to you, you might consider another site, because l don't believe that will be changing.

fuck yes, constantly for well over 2000 years

5

If l have said anything to offend you, all l can say is l don't really care. I find religions and their effect on humanity has been incredibly offensive, dangerous, and destructive. I have known people of faith who walk the walk and keep their beliefs to themselves.
Those are not the people l see getting hammered on this site. If the humor is offensive to you, you might consider another site, because l don't believe that will be changing.

4

I try not to bash anyone's beliefs or make them out to be a fool for believing in a diety. If religion works for them then great, I'm glad they have found solace in something even if I don't agree with what they find solace in. After all not believing is a form of belief in itself. it's just an opinion and like buttholes, everyone has one. Just don't try to force your belief system on me, I may see that as an attack and counter it.

4

This site is called "Agnostic.com" - get it? When we wish to discuss topics such as what we had for lunch we post the photo on Facebook or send a twittish twit-like message. Here we wish to share views with those harrassed and hounded by the god botherers of the world. How would you like to be harrassed and hounded into expressing a belief in fairies, pixies and Santa Claus? You would vent you spleen at the people doing so, and make jokes about their gullilibity, wouldn't you. Go on. Be honest about it. (After all, it's the Christian thing to do.)
Here we can discuss morality, without the constraints of a supreme, vengeful being promising retribution. For example, is it immoral to have sex before marriage, or even worse, to fornicate without any intention of being married? When should one use a condom. Attitudes to homosexual relationships. ..... the list is endless.
And, of course, we love humour, and being agnostic do not get worked up up when religion is the object of humour.
Enjoy the freedom of expression found here, my friend, and search more deeply.

4

"If you are looking for relationships then it has to start with compromise and..."
I don't compromise. I spent my life compromising and all it did for me was put me in unhealthy, unhappy situations. I am who I am and I worked very hard to get here. I am good with who I am and I will not settle for anyone who doesn't accept me for that, as I accept others for who they are.

Most societal ills can be tied to religion. Religion is about control. Religious people, in my opinion, are delusional and do not live in reality. Do logical, thinking, reasoning people believe the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are real? How is their deity any different.

You want some different topice? Try posting about something different, instead of spreading and spouting that which you are deriding.

We find what we seek. Sometimes it's because we create it.

And I have created. So let's see what happens.

That's true creationism, mate !

4

Thanks for your unsolicited opinion. Do you feel better about yourself now?

JimG Level 8 Apr 2, 2018

Aren’t all opinions unsolicited?

4

I heartily applaud your thoughtful observations, as I too, have noticed the many ( though far from ALL ), posts that are more geared towards discord. Without knowing personal histories though, I suspect some are well justified.
There are many other thoughtful folks here too, besides you, that give valuable input on a regular basis.
There will always be some haters in any group, justified or not.
We can learn from much of what is here - even if it doesn't align with who we are. Give it a try ...

I’ll stick around for the people like you @evergreen

3

JPerlow might have a legitimate beef. Non-believers make up 20-30% of the population and GROWING rapidly! 🙂 According to Pew, we may be one of the fastest growing segments of the population. That said, there's some truth to jperlow's comments.
If Nonbelievers are shaping the future...do we really want to use our collective power to be reactionary?...to treat others as we've been treated? OR with our cumulative power, do we want to make things different going forward. Personally, I want things different.

@SpikeTalon hahaha. that is the nicest compliment, my friend. Two thoughts come to mind. 1. you obviously carry this tolerance in your heart too and its reflected in my words. I think the strength going forward comes from a meeting of the minds and not from any one individual and 2. ach! what was 2? lol that's just one reason why I could never be President. 😉 have a good day...if I'm not already, I will follow you. You are worthwhile community.

3

🙂 looks like this time, you put your foot in it, jperlow. 🙂 Antagonistic.com is a great short name, btw. I like it. Look, so many of us have come from rough situations. It's pretty appropriate to need to vent. Eventually, most people will find common ground. You are one of us, one of this community. I hope you'll find a way to adapt. There's a ton of support and curious minds and people who just need a safe place to be who they are. If you're personally offended by a comment, don't hold it in. We'll all feel that way at some time or another...these people certainly did...do you see anyone holding back? 🙂 lol

I will give the place the benefit of the doubt and populate my block and follow list accordingly.

3

This is our community.

3

Dude !!! this is for agnostics .. If you don't like it there is a delete button .. As we would not go to a religious site to pull your chord you should not be here .. lmfao .. Truly incredible ignorance - one love

2

If you do not like 90 percent of the comments that are here, feel free to leave at any time.

It sounds like you are the one your titty caught in the wringer. Stop being an asshole.

JK

JK666 Level 7 Apr 5, 2018
2

If you read the comments on Youtube videos about politics, religion, social issues, philosophy etc. you will know that a large number are critical, confrontational and abusive. A lot of electronic communication is needlessly combative and disrespectful. I'm new here but his website doesn't seem to me to be more-than-ordinarily antagonistic. In fact, I'm pleasantly surprised that there seems to be no religious trolling. Maybe the mods kick 'em off.

2

Blowing off steam about living in a world where we are massively overwhelmed by the religious - is a great safety valve. Allowing us to function with some civility in the Real World.

We are 2 to 3 percent of the population. The rest believe. I think you'll find any group that has to put up with that much negativity ("We need to save your soul" is just one simple example) everywhere else in the world has a right to do a little shit posting where all of us can appreciate it.

That being said - we do a lot of other things - and I've found this group to be overwhelmingly supportive of people with all differences. Which is a marked departure from places like FB.

Physical Disability/Mental Health Issues/People in the LGBTQ community/Folks with Autism Spectrum disorders. It's pretty damn wonderful.

Check out some of the Groups. That's where you'll see just how kind Atheists can be.

RavenCT I am pretty sure we're more like 20-30% of the population and GROWING! 🙂 There's some truth to jperlow's comments. If we are the future...do we really want to treat others as we've been treated. OR with our cumulative power, do we want to make things different going forward. Personally, I want to see change.

@crazycurlz No we aren't anywhere near that large a group. 7% is one number for World Wide Atheists and if you look at America the numbers are smaller - an estimated 2 to 3 % of the population.

As I said - I may make comments here - but here? No religious folk. That's the point.
We can air grievances etc... without fear of reprisal. A safe space for us.

I'm very tolerant in the real world.

@RavenCT good point, because I agree, we need to be able to vent here with one another. and your point is that this is just how we are in this safe spot? I can see that.

@RavenCT OH! I attached the PEW study on nonbelievers...up to 22% in this study BUT you're right atheists are around 2%!!! Didn't realize that.

@crazycurlz Also a huge percentage of that number is Asian. As in China/Japan.

@RavenCT probably due to buddhism? (Just speculating) Man, perspective is a bitch. lol

2

Most of what I post here was originally on my Facebook page where I am connected to friends, family, co-workers, supervisors. I'm just as opinionated here as there.

I not only post anti-religious items on this site but a lot of pictures of cats, dogs, LGBTQ related stuff, mental health related stuff, and the list goes on.

I've had many deep, thoughtful conversations since joining this site. Way more conversations than I've ever had in my real life. You must not be looking very hard if you only see derisive posts as the core of this site.

2

With any website, message board, or group you're likely to always have a certain percentage base that bashes others outside of that group. I don't find bashing religion or individuals particularly advantageous in life, so instead I steer my attention to the more intellectually stimulating conversations. Don't like the bashing or ad hominem attacks? Don't take place in those discussions.

I believe it was Mike Mentzer that essentially said, "trying to argue with the irrational, is in and of itself, irrational." Or maybe that was Dr House... Lol.

Anyways, I agree with a lot of what you say.

MrHIT Level 5 Apr 2, 2018
2

I do call out the ridiculous beliefs of religion. I do feel it is necessary to do so in order to help others to understand that it is acceptable to question their beliefs and also to normalize agnosticism and atheism.
I do not like snappy memes that make fun of religion without any background or context. These I believe to be counterproductive. It is productive to inspire thought in the correct context to show that a perfect god that does not prohibit slavery in his book can not be perfect.
It is very important that while we do point out fallacies in religion that it is pointed at irrational beliefs and never at the believer. If I am guilty of such ridicule please let me know.

@seeker55 precisely.

@Seeker55 Trolls are out today, figures after Easter.

@Seeker55 It is quite easy to call someone's religious beliefs ridiculous when they are. A woman should keep her mouth shut in church because she is too stupid and must ask her husband even though she may have better comprehension than he.
Religious teachings have it that the earth is only 6 thousand years old. Many believe in magic prayers that will heal their children and refuse medical care that will save their children's lives, instead they bury their children. Yep I have no problem with it. I will not call them stupid, I will help them to question their beliefs that are harmful. No problem. I was one of those radicals and know what it is like.

@buzz13 I do not understand your comment. Are you saying that I am a troll and if so please point out how.

@DavidLaDeau Look at the post again it was not directed to you.

@Seeker55 I agree with you completely. Many make decisions and have opinions based on ignorance. It is my goal only to help people to be informed and to help them to think rationally. Then it is up to them to investigate further and to come to their own conclusions.
"Your stupid" is not loving or productive.

2

Thank you for such an insight, as a new member,i respect everyone's view and ideas. Everyone has its own opinion or comments I have learned a lot from this platform and stll enjoying listening and reading from both side of the fence. No judgement nor opinion do i have on this matter but a understanding of the issue from both sides. The Yin and Yang of this group

Rosh Level 7 Apr 2, 2018
2

Most of the groups on here aren't about religion at all. I don't always post about religion. Perhaps because it was Easter yesterday, you saw a lot of jokes on jesus. I did post a few. It was only in good fun. I apologize if you're offended.

I'm offended that you had to apologise to someone who was offended over a few jokes !!!!

@SimonMorgan1 Lol. Oh well. I never mean to offend anyone on here.

None taken, but it’s very important to be mindful of how others perceive you.

While I appreciate your sentiment, I don’t think an apology is warranted.

Humor is a part of being human, and all humor is going to be offensive to someone if they choose it to be. You can’t live your life for that someone. You have to be you, to be happy.

If someone chooses to be offended by something, it is their issue not yours.

I have read several of your posts, and understand that with what you have had to put up with in your life, that you may be sensitive to offending others. However, someone being a dick and saying hateful things is way different than posting some sarcastic jokes. You didn’t post them to be mean, you posted them because from your experience, the ridiculousness of it all makes you chuckle (as well as me, I might add). I have never seen a post from you that was mean spirited. So I say again, if someone chooses to be offended that is their issue not yours.

Besides, Easter was on freaking April Fools day! How can you pass that shit up?!?!

@Doug_in_Colorado I agree. He is level blue after all. I forgot which level that is?

@jperlow Your perceptions are your problem, not mine. I don't give a flying rat's ass how you perceive me.

@KKGator Is there a group for pansies? Should we start one? Lol. I'm only kidding.

1

Atheist Inquisition?
Jihad?
I know, Crusade?

Maybe some Conversion Therapy?
Pray the Gay Away?

When nonsensical bullshit has real-world consequences, it deserves to be mocked into oblivion.

It's ok to punch Nazis, and it's fine to ridicule idiots.

Block Away! ???

1

I don't like it either. It's not who I am, and it's not what I like to see in the world. I feel sad and frustrated when I see it. But I bite my tongue, and put myself in the other's shoes.

I'm not in charge; I don't make the rules.
More importantly, I don't like people telling me how to behave--so I don't do it to others.

Fact of life: marginalized groups vent in their safe spaces. Would you tell people to pipe down, if they were:

  • in a forum for blacks, dissing whites?
  • in a forum for sexually abused women, dissing men?
  • in a forum for people with disability, dissing able-bodied folk?
  • in a forum for LGBTQ+, dissing cis-het folk?

Whether or not it's fair, whether or not it's warranted, whether or not it's strictly mentally/emotionally "healthy", people vent. Most of the time, it's harmless and helps them cope--especially in dedicated spaces, surrounded by supportive people of similar experience.

I don't like to see anyone crap on anyone else, for any reason. I wish they wouldn't. I wish people were more compassionate and kind. But who the hell am I, and who cares what I want?

I don't like to see "angry", "argumentative" atheists give atheists a bad name (not here; this is our space so I'm not worried about "public perception" )--just like I don't like to see pushy, arrogant vegans give vegans a bad name...or smug, elitist liberals...etc. et al. But at the same time, who is responsible for the tendency to conflate and failure to discriminate the actions of individuals from the ethos of a group?

Additionally, I have been here a while and seen a lot of responses from people, like me and you, who are lassez-faire about belief and would never dream of insulting people for their faith. These people are (generally) not generating a steady stream of meme-y posts about what they like and respect about religion(s). They are (generally) not initiating discussions about the value of religion(s) that attract a lot of sympathetic responses. But throw up a post like this one, and they will come out of the woodwork.

I could be the queen of these people: I led hymns and played violin for a church--as a closeted atheist--for three years, eagerly gleaning everything of value from the teachings that I possibly could; I study scriptures from around the world, regularly, as a beloved hobby. I love religion--i just don't buy into it.

I could be the queen of not being mean.

But I could also be the queen of letting people be mean--because my name isn't "Karma"; it's not my job to correct people.

So I'm with you--in spirit, not in practice. I'm going to lead by example instead. (Not that anyone's paying attention.)

Excellent response. This community needs more people like you.

I understand marginalization beyond agnosticism though. As a formerly morbidly obese person I know what it is to be despised. But that is a different situation. And as a secular/agnostic Jew I have always felt marginalized, but I never felt the need to attack gentiles. I know it does happen though.

@jperlow Careful--you'll make my head swell! 😉

1

I have been attacked here for my posts by those who either misinterpeted or simply didn't agree and wanted me to agree with their disagreement! I really don't care what someone writes unless they get nasty. Then I may get nasty back or use scarcasm that oftimes floats right over their heads. That's on them,and I'll leave them to it. Personally I try to post what I want others to be aware of and to read something I didn't know. I want to thank this place and the posters here for letting me be me and to have a chance to hear you and what you're saying. Thanks everyone!

1

So do you or would you if you believed in a God and any theistic religion find it offensive if in my discussions with you, I said that you believe in mythology and magic if you hold a religious belief and I myself have no belief in invisible magic guy or gal in the sky nor anything supernatural? Curious because I do not believe stating the truth, being authentic in communication is in anyway disrespectful or offensive. In fact the opposite is I believe true. If in communicating with other people you do not clearly, honestly and authentically express your beliefs you are disrespecting them by engagine in a dishonest dialogue.

It would entirely depend on the context of the situation. How you described it would be fine, on a theoretical basis given that if I WAS a person of faith, I would be able to respond to that rationally.

However, I am a fellow agnostic observing other agnostics act derisively and disrespectful. So that is different.

@jperlow The point I was trying to make and I think I did a poor job is that when I make those kind of comment I am told I am being disrespectful to people of faith all the time. I call bullshit on that. I respect their right to have their beliefs but it is not disrespectful for a person like me to say that their beliefs are down right silly. They believe in make believe, it is mythology at best. I find it frustrating when people say my simply stating the reality of the situation is being disrespectful. Facts are facts, yes evolution is true, yes the big bang is true, no it is not possible that a god created the universe nor that a god came to earth in human form, that is just make believe and it is not disrespectful to state that as a fact.

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