I do not think it is too far a stretch of a conclusion that agnosticism and/or Atheism are generally aligned with Liberal thought. While not an enthusiast of labels, I will hold that thought for now for the purpose of explaining my point to come.
Over the past few weeks, the amount of "Conservative", "Right wing" and implied fascist posts on Agnostic/com has grown astonishingly. I have found myself doing double takes and WTFs on numerous occasions. On many of these posts are words and phrases that imply the existence of a "god". Huh.
While we should remain open to contradicting thoughts and views, and not be exclusionary, this sudden appearance of MAGAheads and science deniers seems more than a coincidence. Have we been the subject of an insurgency ?
(promise I am not paranoid)
signed Longtime Member.
14
Enjoy being online again!
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16 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I've noticed a couple of rather vile comments from someone I had not seen before. I almost responded but my better sense was to keep on walking or scrolling as the case maybe.
That said I'd not really seen your screen name much before either. I'm in the red part of my state so this site has been a comfort.
The far right nutters can not be swayed or reasoned with, my twin especially.
silverotter11
Level 9
Sep 6, 2023
7
Even though I ignore or block the few hateful posters on this site, I am saddened that they are here, posting away. Even if they don't get any reaction out of us, they are still posted publicly on the site for anyone to see, and to associate with agnostic thought, which paints us in a bad light.
It's one of the reasons I don't tell any of my actual friends and acquaintances about this site. That would only confirm their bias that agnostic/atheist people are evil, which is what I try so hard to prove that we are just as loving and caring (if not more) as people of other faiths.
Julie808
Level 8
Sep 6, 2023
6
Ryo1:
Always value your peace more than other people's opinions. 
Atheists are generally fact-based, as are liberals.
BitFlipper
Level 8
Sep 5, 2023
10
Atheists, Agnostics and Theists are all religious literalists. Anyone who wants to remain fact based must realize that Homo sapiens is a species that has learned to use symbolic thinking and symbolic language to its evolutionary advantage. And “symbolic” is the opposite of “literal”.
Religious figuratism is fact based. Symbols are not lies. Symbols are an efficient means of communication. When symbols are taken literally, they are no longer symbolic but simply counter-factual.
@skado You provide insight that I enjoy - even if it sort of makes my head hurt.
I do appreciate the feedback! 
@skado I don't agree with your use of the term "religious literalists". And symbols don't exist, they represent things they are not things.
@BitFlipper
You could tell me why you don’t agree with my use of “religious literalist”, or not, as you please. But symbols self-evidently do exist. These words we are using are symbols, and these words clearly exist. But of course they have a very different nature from the things they represent. The word “rock” has a very different nature from an actual rock, but they both exist.
@skado Not believing in gods other people have made up and not believing religion exists are two different things. I can recognize that religion exists without believing in any gods.
@skado belief in symbols over real things is a characteristic of religious people. Religionists spend their lives manipulating symbols, caring about symbols, reacting to symbols. Do as you wish.
@ChestRockfield
How would you describe the thing you’re talking about when you use the word “god”?
@BitFlipper
I think I know what you’re talking about. Some “conservative-minded” people, for example, seem to care more about the flag than the country it stands for. They invest so much value in the flag that they lose site of the actual country it represents.
For comparison’s sake, we could call them political literalists. The rest of us, who understand that the flag is not a country, but a symbol of a country, could be called political figuratists.
But of course, not all religious people are literalists, just as not all political people are literalists.
All humans use symbols. Some respond to those symbols as if they were the actual object they represent. Others realize that the symbol is just a convenient placeholder for the real thing, which may, in fact, bear little resemblance to the symbol.
@skado
It's not the entirety of the universe, that's for sure. I think it's pretty dumb to use a less precise word than a word we already have when referencing something.
Aside from that, I don't really have a definition myself because I don't believe in any of the nonsense anyone has ever spouted about god, so it seems pointless to waste time defining a thing I don't believe in. I also don't have personal or specific definitions of unicorns, leprechauns, angels, etc.
Maybe your conclusion about the religion-conservativeness relationship applies to the US, I don't know, but most conservatives in Europe are probably atheists. For example, only a third of the populations of France, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium believe in any sort of religion.
If we are talking about the same guy, @1patriot, his views are more like 'alt-right', which should be distinguished from 'conservative' in traditional terms. He seems full of rage, hate and contempt.
I don't know what he is trying to achieve here. Everyday, he posts loads of stuff, but no one ever pays any attention to them, so his posts never lead to any discussions. I notice that he is also on Slug,com where conservatives mingle. There, he also posts loads of stuff but hardly gets any responses from other members, i.e. genuine conservatives don't appreciate his views.
You mention 'insergency'. Kinda daring of him to join Agnostic.com, don't you think? It's like trying to storm the Capitol single-handedly, isn't it? 
Ryo1
Level 8
Sep 5, 2023
7
Actually Christian philosophy is much more closely aligned to Liberal philosophy.
Atheists (or Agnostics) may or may not be Liberal. Not believing in a God is unrelated to any other belief.
Alienbeing
Level 8
Sep 5, 2023
2
The original Christian philosophy was the essence of Liberalism. The so-called Christian Right of modern times is a complete inversion of Christian principles for purely political purposes.
Yes, this is happening. I have seen new names and idiotic conservative posts. Another thing that has returned is a conservative post that you cannot post in. When you click on it you are not allowed to comment. Banned I suppose coz it pops up that the group is not available. We had that before and it is returning. People barking in the wind and preaching to the choir. Their group is not for you to post in.
DenoPenno
Level 9
Sep 5, 2023
8
They won't allow comments because they can't handle being corrected.
I have had many go-rounds with alt-right trolls, made many good arguments, articulated the facts, exposed falsehoods, shredded conspiracy theories, and, to the best of my knowledge, have changed no minds. Going forward, my policy will be not to comment on their posts, and only add supportive replies or tags to others who may have decided to take them on. If I engage them directly at all I'll try and keep it really brief and make deadly use of sarcasm, snark, and ridicule. Still working on that. Wish me luck!
Flyingsaucesir
Level 8
Sep 5, 2023
14
Yes, you are correct. Rabid right-wingers, being rabid, refuse to have their minds changed in the light of countervailing facts and opinions.
@anglophone Much like you.
@Alienbeing
Much like just about everybody.
@skado Some people are more flexible than others.
Putin is desperate to reinstall Trump and is deploying an extremely extensive campaign as in 2016. Data from Manafort and Cambridge Analytica were used to target people and may well have put Trump in. All of these new posters should be suspected as being members of a Moscow troll farm or brainwashed useful idiots, until proven otherwise. But it's better to just block them outright. They will not engage honorably/honestly. It is your time you are wasting looking at that shit.
racocn8
Level 9
Sep 5, 2023
13
Wish I could give you double points for that comment. 
There is one extra prolific poster, but not that he has gotten to level 5, I think he will realize that it is not so easy to progress. He does junk up the site though. there are a few others, but most just post in the general categories and not the groups so there is little we can do about it.
The best advice has already been given, ignore and do not comment, do not feed the trolls.
glennlab
Level 10
Sep 5, 2023
13
I have been here quite awhile and when NOBODY replies they go away...they may try to post even more provocative (read: stupid) stuff for a bit, but the real secret to making them vanish is, DO NOT REPLY!!!!!! PERIOD. (plus, you know it is pointless from the get-go!)
I personally am going to get a better grip on myself re: these asshats.
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Sep 4, 2023
14
I agree. One of the benefits of blocking to me is that I'm not tempted to jump into one of their ridiculous posts. Let them whither in a vacuum.
The knuckleheads have a need to make themselves feel important. I have no time for such defectives.
See also @Buttercup's comment.
anglophone
Level 9
Sep 4, 2023
9
Who cares who you think you have "time for"?
@Alienbeing I do, along with the six others who have liked his post.
@Betty I have no time for the cognitive and emotional defective that goes by the handle @Alienbeing.
@anglophone Neither do I, and I'm not at all surprised that @Alienbeing was the one to make that snotty remark.
@anglophone A question was asked, so I thought I would be kind and answer it. Update...there are now 8 others who have liked your post.
@Betty ((Hugs))
@Fit50something @anglophone
I so much do not have time for @alienbeing I can't even see whatever dumb shit he said. 
@anglophone You are getting more and more popular as we go. 
@anglophone You revert to your tired old "I have no time", yet you continuously make comments on same. As usual what you have no time for is facts.
I heard some talk about some Slug members coming here because apparently their site was not resuscitated like ours was. ??
skado
Level 9
Sep 4, 2023
8
That could be the case.
@Marionville
I just checked, and Slug is up and running. Apparently it was Slug’s previous incarnation as IDW that was allowed to expire, and some people got notices to check out Agnostic as an alternative. A solution that (thankfully) not all were interested in.
@skado We should be grateful for small mercies!
Ryo1:
I believe that Slug and Agnostic are run by the same admin. If the admin was encouraging the Slug members to join Agnostic, that's kinda wicked.
@Ryo1
Yes, they were created by the same person, but I think the reason he created IDW/Slug was because Agnostic leaned so far left. I think he was originally hoping it would be a place where everyone could participate. So he made Slug and it went even farther to the right, so I think he sorta gave up, or got interested in other projects.
Maybe he still hopes Agnostic could be more tolerant of those who think differently.
Trolls, there are some nutcase attention seekers that want to shock. They are noisy, not numerous.
Buttercup
Level 8
Sep 4, 2023
6
They’re rather sad in their persistence!
I have not noticed this more than usual. Seems the wrong wing posts have always been here. Or maybe I just ignore them more. There is no reason to even acknowledge some of the posts at all. Maybe they just need to vent. Maybe, some are designed to generate more posts. It works for other social media sites.
Shaggy2018
Level 7
Sep 4, 2023
7
There has definitely been an increase…I have noticed and already mentioned it.
You may be right, however I would just ignore those ignoramuses.
Jolanta
Level 9
Sep 4, 2023
11
Yes…starve them of argument or reply and they just end up talking to themselves …
Enjoy being online again!
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