# Calling All Atheists and Interested Parties **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 26, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575 "2006-12-26T01:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/21 "2006-12-26T01:55:49Z")
[QUOTE=pseudotriton ruber ruber] I agree with this 100%. The phrasing is perfect, the punctuation is flawless, the parallel structure is beyond reproach. What a fantastic post this was! Just gorgeous, pure genius. I dont know how he does it, time after time, post after post, getting it exactly right. I’m in utter awe. [/QUOTE] In the other thread you replied to me that: [QUOTE=pseudotriton ruber ruber] This site promotes a subtle (and not-so-subtle) pro-religious and specifically pro-Chirstian bias, which is the single most heinous act of hypocrisy for a site claiming to be about fighting ignorance. [/QUOTE] Nice tap dancing there, you can not jump from “this site” and now say that one moderator is the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/22 "2006-12-26T01:56:12Z")
Liberal Christian > [@](#): > > Do you feel that your views are oppressed here on the Dope? Not by moderators. Some with jerkish behavior attempt to, but that comes with the territory. (See _reviling, persecution_ in **Concordance** ) 😃 > [@](#): > > Does it seem that policy is weighted against you, and that the moderators go out of their way to chastize you, especially with regard to your interactions with [Atheists]? Never. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/23 "2006-12-26T02:00:44Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] from [http://www.answers.com/dedicated&r=67](http://www.answers.com/dedicated&r=67) I believe you design this thread for a particular use, to prove \*\*PRR \*\* wrong. You might want to apologize for the ‘fuck you’ as I proved you incorrect in about 5 seconds of using an online dictionary. Jim [/QUOTE] Your belief has fuck-all to do with how things actually are. And your cite has fuck-all to do with this statement – > [@](#): > > Of course this poll is dedicated to pseudotriton ruber ruber, so why not say so? Of course, if you had said that **you believe** that the poll was dedicated **to proving him wrong,** rather than **to him** , your cite would apply, but you would still have your head up your ass. I am interested in the results of the poll, wherever they lead. Again, I invite you to win the million. Just prove that you can read my mind. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/24 "2006-12-26T02:02:17Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Your belief has fuck-all to do with how things actually are. And your cite has fuck-all to do with this statement --Of course, if you had said that **you believe** that the poll was dedicated **to proving him wrong,** rather than **to him** , your cite would apply, but you would still have your head up your ass. I am interested in the results of the poll, wherever they lead. Again, I invite you to win the million. Just prove that you can read my mind. [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/25 "2006-12-26T02:03:57Z")
Non-specific-theist, raised very liberal Catholic: No, no, and hell no. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/26 "2006-12-26T02:04:59Z")
Hard atheist. No. I feel that some of the other resident atheists can be. . . dicky about things. As dicky as fundamentalist Christians, and even if I agree with them there’s still a place for decorum and respect for others. Being an ass never convinced anyone of anything. You can’t reason yourself out of a corner that you didn’t reason yourself into, but in the end religion is not about reason and these debates never end well. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/27 "2006-12-26T02:05:22Z")
[QUOTE=pseudotriton ruber ruber] I agree with this 100%. The phrasing is perfect, the punctuation is flawless, the parallel structure is beyond reproach. What a fantastic post this was! Just gorgeous, pure genius. I dont know how he does it, time after time, post after post, getting it exactly right. I’m in utter awe. [/QUOTE] Oh Christ, get a room already. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/28 "2006-12-26T02:07:41Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Brilliant! Come back when you grow up, girl. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/29 "2006-12-26T02:10:17Z")
Mainly agnostic. No³. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/30 "2006-12-26T02:10:56Z")
Atheist here. Not only is this place just fine for atheists, it can apparantly serve as matchmaker for assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/31 "2006-12-26T02:12:51Z")
I’m free of religion and have never noticed a bias towards theism from the mods here. That said, and as abbrasive as PRR has been lately, he does have a point. The default setting in Europe / The Americas is ‘Christianity’ and Christians do get a free pass on their (what some regard as silly) belief. That’s not very strange, considering that the whole fabric of our culture is founded in religeous belief in YHVH and his son. If I remember my McLuhan correctly, he argues that the merging of the Latin alphabet (very few symbols, which made it ideal for the printing press and moving type) and Christianity was what made Europe the cradle of the renaissance. Monotheism, especially Christianity, has rewarded initiative and curiosity, in a way other contemporary religions didn’t manage. So, even if I, personally, am free of religion, I realize that religion is a big factor in my living the life I do, and being able to question theism. Staunch atheists, that claim that all religion is evil, have a bad grasp of history. They’re being contrary just because. It’s not very attractive. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/32 "2006-12-26T02:13:52Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Brilliant! Come back when you grow up, girl. [/QUOTE] You started a thread to prove \*\*PRR \*\* wrong. I actually think you are right that he is wrong. My first post indicated as much. However you are now nitpicking over > [@](#): > > Of course this poll is dedicated to **pseudotriton ruber ruber** , so why not say so? You are insulting me like an immature teenager would and you wonder about my manhood apparently. Why don’t you try some intellectual honesty and include the fact that **PRR’s** claims inspired you to start this poll in the pit? Which is of course what I basically meant by “dedicated to”. I guess I am obligated to curse you out and insult you now, but I do not feel like falling to your level. Jim (BTW: If you did not want a little grief for this thread, maybe you should have started this in IMHO instead) ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/33 "2006-12-26T02:16:07Z")
This board seems reasonably “heathen-friendly”. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/34 "2006-12-26T02:16:17Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Oh Christ, get a room already. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] Oh, Christ, get a sense of humor already. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/35 "2006-12-26T02:16:28Z")
Wouldn’t hold my breath for an apology, Jim. Some folks consider that merely having a thread in the Pit is sufficient reason on its own for foul-mouthing anyone who questions them. :rolleyes: To take the OP at face value, however: \*\*I am an atheist. \*\*Raised Anglican, and even ‘Confirmed’ in my teens. However, as an adult I started looking at my religion from a purely rational viewpoint and found that for me, it didn’t hold up under scrutiny any more than Santa and the Easter bunny did. I can quite happily accept that other people don’t feel that way, and honestly rather envy them the comfort that belief in Divine Justice and an afterlife brings. But it’s not something I believe in. \*\*I’ve never encountered any hostility or unfairness towards atheists/atheism from any moderator, nor have I ever noticed it occurring in any thread I’ve read. \*\*If I had, I would certainly support those who are complaining about it now, much as I don’t personally care for them. If I have any complaints about moderator behaviour, it’s that they give people who don’t _‘play nice’_ far too many chances to redeem themselves. A few more suspensions wouldn’t go astray. (And while I think your rudeness is out of line, **Contrapuntal** , I’m not talking about you here or singling anyone out - it’s a general opinion.) FWIW, I find hardline atheists and hardline fundamentalists equally obnoxious. Neither group defends their viewpoint with any rationality, though both claim to have all the facts to support themselves. It’s my personal view that one group is as ignorant as the other. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/36 "2006-12-26T02:21:48Z")
Well, it’s my view that religion is so irrational, being based entirely in the supernatural, i.e. outside reality, that no other defense of atheism is necessary. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/37 "2006-12-26T02:23:38Z")
Lapsed Congregationalist/now atheist: What **Guin** said – “No, no, and hell no.” This is a fine place to show one’s nontheistic colors. Any atheist around here feeling oppressed is probably getting brickbats for being an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/38 "2006-12-26T02:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny] Well, it’s my view that religion is so irrational, being based entirely in the supernatural, i.e. outside reality, that no other defense of atheism is necessary. [/QUOTE] Uh, that wasn’t the question. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/39 "2006-12-26T02:27:52Z")
[QUOTE=GIGObuster] In the other thread you replied to me that: Nice tap dancing there, you can not jump from “this site” and now say that one moderator is the problem. [/QUOTE] Both could be true, and both are true. There is a large, general pervasive flaw in the design of the SD site, in that it is dedicated (thanks, Jim!) to fighting ignorance but is selectively tolerant of Xian ignorance, and permits Xians to spout nonsense and then slink away from discussing it in a manner simply not allowed for other purveyors of isuperstitious views. I don’t know what can be done about this, other than to hope that Cecil can be appealed to, and the burden of proof be made to be shared equally by all. There is also a specific problem in **Tom** ’s confusion of his role as GD Mod, where he’s supposed to be defusing problems, preventing personal attacks, warning violators of Forum tone, etc. in an unbiased manner, and his role as GD participant where he’s free to go apeshit on anyone he chooses, within (so to speak) moderation. May I have the next dance? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575/40 "2006-12-26T02:31:10Z")
Agnostic, leaning towards atheist. What are you, kidding, **Contrapuntal**? **Hell, no!** This place feels like home for non-believers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-atheists-and-interested-parties/385575.md?page=3)