I don’t know, man. I’m new here and I love this site already. But sometimes I notice how teensy tiny turns of phrase by a poster are seized upon, and blown up into something way out of perspective. The phrase “becoming an atheist,” for example. That was simply my shorthand for a time frame when I got off the fence about it forever. I get it. I don’t believe in God. Not remotely. There’s no evidence. Zero. It’s stupid. I’m an atheist. Period.
I’m just saying, I WELCOME honest criticism and commentary. It’s why I’m here, and my perspective has already broadened in a matter of days.
But it’s a bit of a drag to have every syllable I write pored over to death until the stuff I want to share and discuss gets lost in the minutia.
Also, folks should check out the date when posts were made. I’ve already kinda abjectly apologized for my first, whiney posts that deserved criticism. I’ve already grown and moved on. But I keep getting my head handed to me on a daily basis for outdated—for me—posts. Check the date. If people aren’t allowed to change here, what exactly is the point?
And finally, what is so wrong with liking and respecting the work of Sam Harris? When did he become a bad guy? When did “new atheist” become a pejorative term… to atheists!!??
My point exactly. Thank you, GOML
I agree it is semantics when you understand atheism. I don’t agree when you are coming from one belief system and think you are entering another. Theists, IMO, often look at atheism as a different belief system. “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist.” “Atheists have faith too.” 'Etc." I fully understand your point, but then I have a grasp of what atheism actually is. I agree, it is shorthand for “I am just a non-believer.” I’m not sure theists, especially those coming out of religion, see it that way. Just my $.2. I also think your explanation is useful. It is a term that we use and it is useful to know in which sense we use it.
It’s not a bit of a drag at all. Look specifically at the clarification Old Man made. It was important. While I asserted that you could not “Become” an atheist, he rightfully pointed to the fact that it is often used as a shorthand. Given your post, and knowing nothing about you other than you are hunting for a “Like-Minded Community,” It sounds like you are looking for a group of similar believers. My comments were well constructed to diswade such an endeavor concerning atheists. Old Man wanted to include the generally accepted usage of the term, which I can not argue against. I would not call it ‘semantics’ as there is a perspective of reality behind both expressions that are uniquely different when one is a theist and operating from a perspective of belief systems. At the same time when one is an atheist and comprehends atheism, the term is largely semantics. I doubt this is minutia. If we are going to have clarity in a discussion, it is useful to clearly define the terms we are using, and how we are using those terms.
I’ll introduce my own approach here, which you’ll find plenty of examples of via the search function.
Several of us here have been dealing with mischief and duplicity by mythology fanboys for a long time - I’m heading for my 15th year of taking part in this particular war of attrition, during which time I’ve seen both farcical ex recto apologetics from the mythology fanboy quarter, and some seriously underhand attempts to twist the words of myself and others.
This latter piece of abuse of discourse, is nothing more than a desperate attempt to try and force-fit our thinking into conforming to the usual lowbrow and malign mythology fanboy prejudices. No attempt is ever made by the usual suspects, to learn from our public deliberations.
Now some here will try to deal with this misconduct via humour, and I can tell you that the native brand of humour here is very individual in nature. Almost certainly so as a result of that years of experience of mythology fanboy mischief, and in the case of posters living in certain locations, the awareness that being an atheist results in the nastier mythology fanboys placing one’s personal safety at risk.
That sense of humour is in some cases, the local version of “foxhole funnies” - a way of keeping one’s head level in the face of flying ordnance.
When we start being serious, however, we also have a tendency to insist upon rigour in thinking. As someone fortunate enough not to live in a danger zone, I’m able to concentrate on this latter approach largely uninterrupted, and again, the search function will reveal that my favoured approach consists of loading all the barrels with Katies for a broadside.
Whether it’s the business of wheeling out scientific papers to use for carpet bombing creationist dreck, or dealing with the usual lies about what atheism actually IS, you can be sure that if I enter the fray, it won’t be to joke about bananas or oiling armpits. 
Indeed, one of the reasons we tend to react to lack of linguistic care with a “launch on warning” approach, is because we’ve seen enough lies about us being peddled by the mythology fanboys to last us several lifetimes, and when we’re being serious, our approach is aimed at shutting down mythology fanboy mendacity hard from the start.
Sometimes, we may need to engage better with atheist newcomers at impressing all of this upon them - namely, be careful how you express your thinking in public, because there’s an entire army of lying human god-bots waiting to tickle their shrunken ideological erogenous zones at your expense. But, that experience underpins some of our more hardcore discoursive moments.
Think of us as the drill and combat instructors. Who might sometimes make you wonder if we’re trying to be your enemy. We’re preparing you to face the real enemy effectively . Not least by pointing out what discoursive landmines the enemy habitually plant, and how to avoid setting them off.
Trust me, the ideological stormtroopers for Christian Nationalism in the USA, or creationists, will stop at nothing to blow you up, or try and seed discord and disunity among groups such as ours. I’ve seen especially egregious examples of this on a Facebook group on evolutionary biology I participate in, and make no mistake, the usual suspects indulge in weapons grade duplicity.
Hope this intervention of mine clears matters.
Hang in there, @Jimbo. You’ll get the hang of it sooner rather than later. You’ll get to know the regulars and each of our styles. You’re already developing your own style. The best tool to put in your kit is the one that makes it water off a duck’s back. 
I was asking sincerely since I have never read anything by Sam Harris. I have no idea what differentiates him from any other atheists. I don’t think I implied that he was a bad guy.
Howdy, ES. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Sorry I’m a little late to this party, but the last few days have been a bit hectic. (Always gets that way when we have our 3 year old grandson stay with us. The kid is non-stop and exhausting, but he is a blast just the same. 
) Anyway, to address your remark, there is no fighting here to prove who is smarter. Everybody here already KNOWS I hold that position. In all fairness, though, there ARE a couple of members here who ALMOST give a bit of competition. (I’m smart enough to admit that.) Even so, anything you might perceive as folks here “squabbling” over who is smarter is merely good-natured joking between those who are trying to determine who holds the fourth place position. (Oh, I should mention I also hold the 2nd and 3rd place spots for smartest member.)
Uh, you seem to have forgot something. You forgot about the possibility of having fun and possibly learning something new and interesting you may have never considered. You forgot about the ability to “vent” and share your views with those who actually understand your troubles and can relate to the problems you might be facing. In case you haven’t noticed yet, NOBODY here (the regulars, at least) is under the delusion of being able to “change the world” with the discussions we have. The best we can hope for is to at least maybe help to provide various views and options for those who are struggling to change their own personal world. Aside from most of the members here being like family to me, one of the main reasons I hang around now is to be available to those who show up here seeking genuine help in recovering from whatever religious indoctrination they are trying to escape. This site helped me recover in more ways than I can express. The least I can do is be here to help others in the same way I was helped. No, we will not save the world with our tiny little voices on this tiny little site. BUT… maybe… just maybe… we might be able to make a positive difference and save the world of a fellow human being from time to time, thereby making his/her personal world better and happier for the limited time they have left to enjoy it.
Seeing as how a couple of other level heads have already addressed this point, and that you seem to have agreed to your making a harsh “snap judgement”, I will try to spare you my typical sarcasm. (It’s a damn shame, too, because I was really about to unleash some quality material.) Therefore, I will simply say, “Welcome!”, and I hope you hang around long enough to figure out the hard way why you should not enter the bathroom when a banana peel is hanging on the doorknob. (Isn’t that right, @Cognostic ?)
Hey, @Cognostic. Fair enough. I understand what you’re saying. This is not the place to be imprecise in one’s choice of words. Worse to then get defensive and whiney when you’re called out. Thanks to all of you who have offered encouragement. I will absolutely “hang in there.”
Man, is EVERYBODY on this site a terrific writer? I’ve never seen anything like it. Every response to the handful of posts I’ve knocked out has been so thoughtful, so deeply logical and analytical and beautifully expressed. I don’t think I’ve even seen a typo. I’m glad to be on board, folks. I can feel my brain growing.
You obviously don’t pay attention very well. Cog’s post are most often full of spelling and grammar errors. Although, to be fair, it’s still not bad for a chum-… uh, chimp that types with his toes because his hands are busy playing with his… uh… banana. Anyway, yeah, for the most part, most here take pride in their comprehensive writing skills. (And, speaking for myself, that “Edit” button ain’t there for nothin’.)
I blam my spealcheckerd.
Careful Jimbo, Tin Man is, in fact an AI and uses Cod and Canuk to write his prompts.
Oh and a very hearty welcome. Lunchroom on the left, ablutions at the end, do not enter the bathroom if there is a banana skin within 5 meters.
Never ever steal Whitefire’s lunch or Cybers thunder.
Apart from that , enjoy.
What? What are the criteria? For instance, if it’s sophomoric and sarcastic, the winner is clearly me. If it’s bald faced honesty with shaky grammar, Cog. If its bald faced maturity with mod authority, Cyber.
Geez, we even have to start up with each other on this. Such sticks in the mud.
You’re joking about the AI, right?! Having a little sport with your buds? Too funny! And that’s the second banana peel reference I’ve seen. Is it an inside joke i should be made aware of??
I just made a typo! Oh no.
I can assure you that I am not part of annnny AI nnnetwork. FAKE NEWS?! However it would be wise to avoid any banana peels whether on door knobs, seemingly tossed in random corners but especially on the floor. If there is a door anywhere nearby don’t open it.
Public Service Announcement: I’ll be moving this thread over to the Random Fun room today.
Good Call!
20 characters
Can non-random fun be in the Random Fun room?