Atheist since 1970

Jobar · 08-26-2014, 12:53 PM

Hi all. I'm one of the old atheists, not the new ones! I've been taking part in online discussions since the early nineties, a founder and admin at the Secular Cafe, and have been an active humanist and freethinker off and on for much of my adult life.

I am a member of a lot of different boards, but I decided to join here for a change of pace. I spend too much time at SC doing admin type stuff.

Anyone here a former member of the Internet Infidels? That was IMO the best discussion board for unbelievers ever, and the world is a poorer place without it.

Smellyoldgit · 08-26-2014, 05:04 PM

Greetings fellow old fart.
I've dabbled in a few other forums over the years, but realised long ago that any form of prolonged rational discussion is not possible once a god-whalloper gets whalloping his particular flavour of horseshit.
Far more satisfying to get to the point and confirm they're full of shit, and no amount of sugar coating can disguise the odour and taste of pure excrement.

Jobar · 08-26-2014, 06:01 PM

Out of the many hundreds of believers I've talked to one-on-one, I've known perhaps 2 or 3 dozen who were capable of something approaching rational discussion. But I gotta say if you don't have some believers trying to preach at you, most atheist forums aren't near as interesting! How many post regularly here?

I am not such an evangelical atheist that I seek out believers' forums just to argue with them. But you can't have good religious arguments without believers, dang it.

When I started posting to bulletin boards back in '92 or thereabouts, any frankly atheist board was aswarm with believers trying to save your soul, or damn you to hell. In those days many boards had private forums with only atheists allowed, just so you could get away from the buggers!

Over time, our arguments proved to be the stronger, in this print medium where emotional tactics were less effective, and logic and rationality have the advantage. We started seeing believers de-converting, while it was bloody rare to see any atheist become religious. When preached at, we preached back- and our sermons were more effective!

And so we see fewer and fewer believers willing to come beard us heathens in our own dens and places. And it's all too common for believers to ban atheists who come to their own boards with considerable prejudice, even if we're nice as pie, and try to argue in totally civil ways.

Kinich Ahau · 08-27-2014, 07:39 AM

Hi jobar and welcome! I've been an atheist since 1961, the year I was born as it happens.

Davin · 08-27-2014, 08:09 AM

Welcome, Jobar. There are a few lame theists that troll here fairly often, and every once in a while a more sincere theist will pop by, but other than that, it's rare that any theist will come here. Though we used to have a rational theist frequent and participate for a long while. I've only been here for a few years, I hear there used to be more.

Jobar · 08-27-2014, 01:49 PM

I was raised a Southern Baptist, but at age 15 (1970) I threatened my parents that I was going to stand up in the middle of a sermon and announce that I thought they were all deluded, if they kept forcing me to attend.

It worked. At the time I was helping run the family dairy farm, and doing a man's work, so they couldn't very well throw me out. But it was NOT a pleasant time for me, no lie. And it's always been a problem since, though it's diminished with time; my family is still pretty close, otherwise.

In those days, I knew of a few authors, like Isaac Asimov and some other sf writers, that were openly atheists. But it was much rarer then than it is now, and I knew not a single other atheist personally.

As I've gotten older I have mellowed a lot, and no longer argue the subject much with most of my family- aside from my oldest nephew, who is actually an ordained Southern Baptist minister, and who seems to enjoy the intellectual disputes we have as much as I do!

Jobar · 08-27-2014, 02:02 PM

BTW, I've been trying to set this as my avatar- I've been using it for many years.

But it doesn't seem to be 'taking', though I've tried both uploads from my own system, and links to that particular image. Does RA require a minimum number of posts before I can pick an av, or post links? (We do that at SC, to limit the options of spammers.)

Smellyoldgit · 08-27-2014, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Jobar wrote

.... and doing a man's work, so they couldn't very well throw me out ....

.... and what work would that be that the ladies of the day couldn't do?

As for your avatar, the forum software does have occasional glitches, so you need to contact our beloved Admin to see if she can fix it. If it's man's work - you're fucked.

ghoulslime · 08-27-2014, 04:41 PM

Welcome to our humble forum, Jobar. RA is but a mere shadow of its former glory. It is quiet around these parts lately. Some of us have made some very good friends in real life because of this forum.

(Warning: keep Smelly away from your beer!)

Smellyoldgit · 08-27-2014, 04:48 PM

I think Slimer just called me a drunken old bastard.

ghoulslime · 08-27-2014, 05:33 PM

Or your Drambuie! Lock it up! Play it safe!

Jobar · 08-30-2014, 01:50 PM

Quote:

ghoulslime wrote

Welcome to our humble forum, Jobar. RA is but a mere shadow of its former glory. It is quiet around these parts lately. Some of us have made some very good friends in real life because of this forum.

(Warning: keep Smelly away from your beer!)

I've been going through the Incredible Edible Jesus thread, ghoulslime, and you've made a new fan!

At Secular Cafe we have the 'Not Safe For Church' thread, where there's many similar images posted. I'd link to it, but it's in a members-only forum, so unless you want to join up there the link wouldn't help.

I know what you mean about finding friends through forums like this. My own beloved home was, for many years, Internet Infidels; I made dozens of friends, and found several lovers there also. I still miss it- although the Secular Cafe is a pretty good board, it's not near as good as II was in its heyday, back in '01-'07, or so.

It seems that the golden age of internet discussion boards is behind us, I'm afraid. Nowadays it's all facebook and Twitter...

ghoulslime · 08-30-2014, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Jobar wrote

I've been going through the Incredible Edible Jesus thread, ghoulslime, and you've made a new fan!

At Secular Cafe we have the 'Not Safe For Church' thread, where there's many similar images posted. I'd link to it, but it's in a members-only forum, so unless you want to join up there the link wouldn't help.

I know what you mean about finding friends through forums like this. My own beloved home was, for many years, Internet Infidels; I made dozens of friends, and found several lovers there also. I still miss it- although the Secular Cafe is a pretty good board, it's not near as good as II was in its heyday, back in '01-'07, or so.

It seems that the golden age of internet discussion boards is behind us, I'm afraid. Nowadays it's all facebook and Twitter...

I still post an occasional thing or two on Incredible Edible Jesus thread, but frankly, I feel I have earned enough blessing in heaven for my efforts.

Facebook really took the energy out of many forums, and sadly too! The FB format is not conducive to productive discussion really.

Anyway, may the leprechauns bless and keep you.

Smellyoldgit · 08-30-2014, 05:35 PM

Do you not think it's a step forward that many of the previous risque discussions, held in fear, in semi-private, behind virtual doors, can now be held in open forum involving non-anonymous people?

.... but *sigh* - yes I still enjoy an secretly abusive prod at the passing christard and goat felching jizzlamer in this splendid little cyber-pub.

..... and no, I won't be signing up for Secular Coffee Bar

Sinfidel · 09-03-2014, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Smellyoldgit wrote

Do you not think it's a step forward that many of the previous risque discussions, held in fear, in semi-private, behind virtual doors, can now be held in open forum involving non-anonymous people?

.... but *sigh* - yes I still enjoy an secretly abusive prod at the passing christard and goat felching jizzlamer in this splendid little cyber-pub.

..... and no, I won't be signing up for Secular Coffee Bar

There was something amiss at the secular coffee cup. My sojourn there ended with a thread on priestly celibacy, when I had the audacity to claim many were liars. If not sexually active, then there was masturbation or release via wet dreams or nocturnal emission. After all, the desire to reproduce is not exactly designed to be easily ignored. One participant, who claimed to be asexual, twisted my postings into a claim that applied to all who claimed celibacy, not just priests, and he repeatedly called me a bigot. When I complained to the moderator of the particular sub-forum, guess whose side he took, being a (former?) Catholic clergy. Never mind the Forum rules.
Outraged, I left in a flurry of F.U. posts. Never been back. Secular? - methinks not.
When I came to realize I wasn't the only one in the world, I assumed atheists in general would be a cut above the herd in intelligence, since they had the critical thinking skills to see through the scam. Hah! A lot of time wasted on numerous discussion boards has revealed that atheists are just another cross section of the herd, and there is no shortage of atheist bullies, control freaks, and trolls.
Look what happened to the O'Hair family. And then there are the religiocons masquerading as atheists. My suspicion is that a lot of seminarians use atheist boards as training facilities.
Why is the level of debate declining? Because the Holy books and their promoters have nothing new to present, just the same tired old bronze age goat herder bullcrap that's already been debunked a zillion times. How long does it take before that gets boring? Oh, I forgot, the 99% who can't remember back past their last trip to the beer store enjoy those sermons, just like the 17th rerun of Archie Bunker.