Depends on continent and country. Here in the Nordics, being Atheist is not extraordinary(*). Although you might raise a few eyebrows if your style is too aggressive. But that boils more down to manners than the non-belief and rejection of religion.
(*) Although, in the muslim subcultures, rejecting their god is a big no-no.
Based on one thread with less two dozen posts, that seems like snap judgment to arrive at. It doesnāt do to take oneself too seriously all the time either. However there are many threads discussing the things you mention, and taking debate seriously.
Youāre right, Sheldon. Snap-judgements are not appropriate here. Iāll search for the threads that might be more up my alley. And itās ALWAYS good to keep oneās self-seriousness in check 
Jim
Thank you, I hope you stay, and have some interesting debates.
Well said. And duly noted. Itās interesting, Iām finding, for an atheist like me seeking others to connect with on this matter, that ācommunity of like-minded atheistsā is a hideous contradiction in terms. Take out the word āatheist,ā and the phrase applies to āchurchgoersā or āChristians.ā
So yeah. Guilty as charged. But Iāll learn. Iām just a longtime atheist who is sick of always having to keep it to myself. Itās a tricky thing.
Hi, CyberLNā¦ my post below was actually in response to your post earlier. Like I said, Iām still figuring out the site protocols and technology.
But, sincerely, thank you. You throwing some cold water in my face is exactly what Iām seeking on this site.
As for me, Iād hate that. Iām comfortable alone, in the company of myself, but Iād get bored in the company of a parroting clone of myself.
Well you need keep nothing to yourself here. This is a public debate forum, and as long as people post within the rules of the forum, they may express themselves freely. Though of course others may respond and subject those posts and any claims assertions ideas or beliefs contained in them, to critical scrutiny.
The moderators here perform a thankless task, and do it with impressively prodigious patience, I have found them to be fair, and impartial when deciding whether posts add to the overall debate at hand, and obey the rules of the forum. Quick to help, and slow to punish, the moderators here treat posters like adults, and give a degree of latitude accordingly. I have stayed here for those reasons mainly, but also because the debate forum here is primarily concerned with fostering honest debate, and specifically forbids vapid preaching and proselytising.
Youāve come to the right place then.
Edited to add: if you ever have something to say/share/ask/rant that you donāt want subjected to theist comment, post it in the room here called Atheist Hub.
I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO BREAK THIS DOWN. Everyone around this place would love to have another rational-minded atheist join in the discussions and share their thoughts and observations. At the same time, if you imagine for a moment that those thoughts and observations are going to be free from the same skepticism and logical inquiry used when evaluating the claims of the theists, youāre just mistaken.
My best suggestion to you is that you learn how to use the quote function. You do this by left-clicking your cursor and sliding it over text. A quote box will appear. Quote any text you find particularly offensive and feel free to discuss it.
What does it take to fit in? It certainly takes a sense of humor and an ability to laugh at oneās self on occasion.
I have a more serious question for you. What do you think it is that makes Atheists, āLike Minded.ā
Atheism is an agreement on one thing, non-belief in god or gods. The flavors of atheism that go beyond that are amazingly varied. What is this āLike Mindednessā you speak of?
I think Jimbo and Cognostic have both made good points. Here is my take;
I heard a comment recently before I came to this forum, āAtheists have been fighting bullshit their entire livesā and I tended to agree with it, but then the problem is āWhat is bullshit, how do you define it?ā Well you donāt, because the problem is the definition comes from oneās own personal experience, same as āWhat is truth, what is moral, what is love, etcā. There seems to be very little shared definition amongst some humans even though we are supposedly āall the sameā, and the tendency to just breakdown into a hate filled slap fight of āIām right and youāre wrongā makes me sad, not wanting to see or be a part of it anymore.
What Jimbo is looking for is something I am also looking for. Shared beliefs, group mentality, strength in numbers, general agreement, and above all, not being personally hurt or put down from what someone else said. A place to belong, where you feel appreciated and at home. And what Cognostic is basically saying is dream on, and as much as I donāt like it I have to admit theyāre right, because youāre most likely not going to find a scenario like that unless you forcefully build one around you like many people do.
I have to admit that my first thoughts about this site when I started looking through some of the posts is that it seemed a bit pompous, like a fight between those trying to prove who is smarter than who. And then I said to myself, āOh great, even the Atheists are fighting amongst each other.ā which is the same thing Iāve seen on other forums. But then I realized itās all about perspective, and exactly what are you trying to get out of something.
Do you know what it really takes to fit in(survive) not only here but in life in general? The ability to be numb, to realize there is no reachable solution, that much of the conversation is basically just trading air and only there to kill time. To not look or expect something where you are never going to find it. I think Cognostic put it well in point #3 in the first post. Although maybe a bit harsh and certainly not how I want it to exist, the key points being āmove onā or ācompletely ignoreā. Be a āratā when itās for your own good.
Hi @Emptysavior I hope you stay and that you find the comfort from religious abuse that you are looking for. I am very sorry you believe that the conversations here is ābasically just trading airā (from my perspective a wildly inaccurate assessment but a pretty nifty turn of phrase).
I came to this forum at a low point in my life and like @Jimbo got off on the wrong foot through a faulty assumption. Fortunately before I dug a deeper hole for myself @Tin-Man pointed out my faulty assumption. This Forum was exactly what I needed when I needed it most.
I couldnāt really tell from your post what āsolutionā you are looking for or why its so important to find. The idea that to survive you must go through life numb - that is sad and I hope that you find a way to reconnect with your feelings.
Canuk, thank you for the name check. I would only change āgetting off on the wrong footā to āhaving my head handed to me.ā But like you, I quickly, if not immediately, realized that was why I came here in the first place: to find a forum where I could examine all the ideas that have curdled into something dogmatic, because of what Iāve described as the utter loneliness that goes with being an atheist (but I still think that, about the loneliness business. When I tell friends or whomever, who are 98% secular, that Iāve gotten off the fence completely, glances are definitely shot my way. Just hearing the word āatheistā is enough to get the knickers of the 98-percenters in a twist. So I feel I have to keep my mouth shut, even when the topic is relevant to the conversation. Not mentally healthy, to feel you have to keep something so foundational in a human life completely under wraps).
But look at me, reverting to defending the indefensible Fact is, Iām SO glad to be with yāall, so glad for the complete honesty with which you deal with all site members. Iāve always said that becoming/being an atheist, even with the hard glances, is incredibly liberating (a fence is a very uncomfortable place to sit), and now I can say being an atheist in an honest, intelligent forum like this is doubly liberating.
Some of the regulars here have pointed out that location matters I live in Canada and find that hardly anyone I know goes to church or expresses any religious beliefs. To be fair though I am not one for prophesizing and hence never bother to ask and since I donāt ask I donāt feel the need to convince.
Because I was born into the mormon religion the missionaries occasionally drop by to ask if there is anything they can do for me. I sometimes set them a task like shovelling snow or weeding the garden. It seems the least I can do - I think they might believe it gives them brownie points in heaven which makes me giggle. They have given up asking if they could talk to me about church - I always just say, āno thanksā.
My point is simply this; The best place to meet someone is where theyāre at. If you do that you can almost always have a rewarding conversation and who knows you might even be less lonely. Or you can check into atheist bowling leagues or book club.
BTW @Jimbo What is a Sam Harris - style new atheist? Is he like an Atheist prophet starting up a separate sect of Atheism? I realize that their are some serious Brainiacās on this forum but Iām not one of them. I confine my reading to Science Fiction although lately Iāve strayed into fantasy and am working my way through the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett, who I think might be an atheist. In which case I might refer to myself as an old Terry Pratchett style atheist. (Old in the sense that Iām old, really old whereas Terry is dead.) But wouldnāt I look silly if Terry Pratchett was a pen name and that he was really the Arch Bishop of Morpork? Cheers
Hold on, yāall! Iāve since withdrawn all those comments. You need to check out my newer material.
Generally speaking, āBullshit is that shit which just does not match up with reality.ā To be honest, if most atheists are like me, we let about 60 to 70 percent of the bullshit slide. We hear it everywhere, TV commercials, people on the street, dinner parties, get-togethers, dates, and more. Honestly, we do not have the time or energy to run about the world confronting all the bullshit. That gives it the appearance of looking more erratic and random. We donāt confront every āGod bless you.ā We donāt speak up every time we hear the name āJesus.ā We donāt bring up rational explanations every time someone shouts āMiracle.ā But inside we are shaking our heads at the lack of critical thinking and intellectual honesty of those surrounding us. Bullshit is that which does not comport with reality. And this happens to be true even when our own sense of reality is a bit off. Generally speaking, we have the good sense to recognize this when it is pointed out and alter our views.
Now, with this said, I want to point out very clearlyā¦ (NONE OF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH ATHEISM) Atheism is non-belief in God or gods, for whatever reason. What I have stated above is SKEPTICISM! Most atheists, who seem to have a sense of what they are talking about, seem to be skeptics. It is not āAtheismā you are looking for but āSKEPTICISM.ā I suggest you read āSocratesā or look into the Empiricism of Hume. You may find what you are looking for there. With an understanding of skepticism, you will be able to spot another skeptic instantly. With that said, not all atheists are skeptics. The ones that are not, are generally easy to spot. Not all skeptics are atheists, however, any skeptic who is not an atheist is not applying skepticism to his or her religious indoctrination.
What you want to look into is āSkepticism.ā
My best guess is that you see it this way because you, as of yet, do not comprehend logical discourse. It is very common for these conversations, between atheists, to lead to insights that were previously unconsidered. At the same time, I must admit that we tend to be an opinionated lot. Some of our opinions may be set in stone, whether or not they appear completely rational. Such may be the state of being human. Nevertheless. if you are going to have any chance at all of altering an opinion through debate, the only way you are going to possibly do that is through logically valid and sound argumentation. The only way you are going to come up with logically valid and sound arguments is by understanding what constitutes facts and evidence and how those can be used to support an idea. Now, all of this may sound pedantic to you. I get it. But I assure you that hanging around this place and picking up on just a little of this will be life-altering.
I really want to emphasize thisā¦ YOU ARE NOT BECOMING AN ATHEIST. There is nothing to become. You have been carrying around a box of Christian beliefs on your back for who knows how many years. All you have done is set that box down and walk away. There is nothing to become. If you have become anything at all, you have become a human being who no longer believes in magic, superstition, things that go bump in the night, flying sky beings, or universe-creating deities. The point of this is that Atheism is not a thing. It is not another belief system. It is not a belief that there are no gods. We have no leaders, we have no rituals, we have no dogma. I want to go back to my previous post. What most of us seem to rely on is āskepticismā or āscientific inquiry.ā There is no ābelief systemā over here. When a theist asserts that his or her god exists, we simply ask, āHow do you know that?ā The burden of proof is on the theist. And if the god exists, we have to wonder, āWhy would I worship it?ā Very legitimate questions that have not yet been responded to effectively.
How do we know what an effective response would be? Letās go back to my original post. We recognize bullshit because it does not comport with reality. When a Christian tells me that their god exists beyond time and space, I know that a thing that exists for no time and no space is the same thing that does not exist. Existence is temporal. When they tell me I believe something came from nothing, I wonder how nothing exists. What do they mean by nothing and how could something come from it? Why would I think like that? (Again, this is basic skepticism, (NOT ATHEISM)). I am an atheist by skepticism. I think most on the site are similar. I also think you will enhance your understanding of atheism my learning something about skepticism.
This is really just semantics. It is much too complicated to say āI used to believe in [god], but now I no longer believe in magic, superstition, etc.ā every time someone needs to explain his/her views on religion. We need a short-hand label for this. And āI became an atheistā, in the sense āI used to be a theist, now I donāt believe anymore, so now I am an atheistā is in my opinion a sensible abbreviation. āIām no longer a theistā is ambiguous - it can mean that you are an atheist, or that you have other beliefs, like animism (yet, animism includes belief in supernatural shit) or that you align with a non-theist religion. āI donāt believe in supernatural shit anymoreā is also ambiguous, as it can be understood to mean āI believe in God, but I donāt believe in magicā (which is contradictory).
Iām not claiming that āI became an atheistā is unambiguous or without problems, but I think it is a useful and pragmatic short hand notation for describing the transition from the state of believing in god(s) etc. to the state of not believing in god(s).
