# "Don't discuss why religion is bad or problems in black churches in a thread called 'black atheism'" **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 20, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486 "2012-05-20T02:40:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/41 "2012-05-21T15:24:39Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Go back and read the posts I moderated. Neither one said anything about the nature of religion, _per se_, in the black community. Condescending Robot opened with a boilerplate “\*of course, religion is bad, m’kay” \*statement, then segued into a rant against black pastors as parasites. So it is ok so say that all pastors are parasites we just can say that **black** pastors are parasites? Or did the mods just give Der Trihs a pass, again. > [@Interesting article on Black Atheism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-article-on-black-atheism/622293/46): > > That pretty much describes religious leaders in general. You hand them money in return for nothing, and the reverends/priests/preachers/whatever spend much of it on themselves and on bigger, shiner churches/temples. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/42 "2012-05-21T15:40:07Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > I have seen no actual argument presented to dispute my view of the situation; no one has provided me a reason to even consider a different viewpoint beyond saying “I/We don’t like the Mod’s action.” Ummm, maybe that would have happened if you didn’t forbid people from debating it. In general, I don’t see how anyone could think that a group’s view towards religion has no bearing on how its religious leaders act. I don’t think it would be a stretch for someone to argue that the more monolithic the support for any groups’ leaders, the more likely it is for those leaders to engage in excess and not be called out for it by the group - regardless of the nature of the group, but perhaps even moreso in some instances. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/43 "2012-05-21T15:45:10Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Thanks for the reminder. I keep forgetting the Second Rule of SMDB Club (as adapted from the Official Rules of Playing the Race Card)…the right people can say nigger; the wrong ones can’t. What a clear annunciation of an inability to understand context! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/44 "2012-05-21T19:31:13Z")
Having read through that thread, and read through this thread, I am in complete agreement with **tomndebb**. **Condescending Robot** ’s assault on black preachers did not show any connection to the issue of the black community’s attitude toward atheism. It was simply an excuse to call black pastors “loathsome parasite[s]”, “absolutely disgusting”, and “the most immoral people I’ve ever met.” **Qin Shi Huangdi** joined in with a non-sequitur about the biggest problem with black churches being excusing criminals and gang members. Neither of which has any bearing on the religiousness of the black community, or how atheists are treated with respect to atheists in other communities, etc. [QUOTE=Darth Panda] In general, I don’t see how anyone could think that a group’s view towards religion has no bearing on how its religious leaders act. I don’t think it would be a stretch for someone to argue that the more monolithic the support for any groups’ leaders, the more likely it is for those leaders to engage in excess and not be called out for it by the group - regardless of the nature of the group, but perhaps even moreso in some instances. [/QUOTE] That is certainly a valid argument, but I am still a bit at a loss as to how that fits the discussion of the community’s attitude toward black atheists. Nevertheless, if someone had actually made that argument, it might have been allowable in the discussion. But nobody made that argument. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/45 "2012-05-21T23:47:46Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Ummm, maybe that would have happened if you didn’t forbid people from debating it. The only things that were forbidden were the hijacks that ranted on about “parasite” pastors and odd claims that the churches supported criminals. If anyone, (including Condescending Robot or Qin), want to discuss the ways in which the churches of the black communities act in some way to suppress, (or, less plausibly, promote), atheism, that would be well in line with the topic of atheism in the black community. I have already noted in more than one post the way in which their specific posts were off topic. I did not claim that black churches were off topic, only the specific attacks by CR and Qin that had nothing to do with atheism in the black community. ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/46 "2012-05-22T06:05:29Z")
Your continued insistence that atheism, as a topic of discussion, has no connection whatsoever to religion, as a topic of discussion, can only be described as incredibly bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/47 "2012-05-22T14:22:20Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > So it is ok so say that all pastors are parasites we just can say that **black** pastors are parasites? > > Or did the mods just give Der Trihs a pass, again. You must be new. \*\* Der Trihs\*\* has, for some reason, a blanket pass on threadshitting and trolling in politics and religion. He does it constantly, and never gets flack for it (that I have seen, though I can no longer see his posts for reasons we shan’t go into). **resume lurk mode** ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/48 "2012-05-22T15:06:39Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > Your continued insistence that atheism, as a topic of discussion, has no connection whatsoever to religion, as a topic of discussion, can only be described as incredibly bizarre. What is bizarre is your persistent claim that I have made statements that appear nowhere in my posts. You and Qin were given Mod notes to stop attacking black churches with off-the-wall attacks on pastors and unsupported claims that the churches or pastors supported criminals while totally ignoring the issue of atheism. Of course, black churches are connected with the community’s views toward atheism. You, however, never made any such connection, simply launching an out-of-left-field attack on the persona of the pastors for being greedy. Had you actually drawn some connection between the black churches and the views of the community toward atheism, you would not have been included in the Mod note. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/49 "2012-05-22T19:14:12Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > Your continued insistence that atheism, as a topic of discussion, has no connection whatsoever to religion, as a topic of discussion, can only be described as incredibly bizarre. Your interpretation is completely bizarre. Nowhere did **tomndebb** say or imply that. His instruction was that a comment “black pastors are evil” was an off topic hijack in a thread meant to discuss black atheism. If you had somehow made it tie in to the point, by, say, the following argument, things might have been different. “It’s because black preachers are particularly loathsome, detestible creatures. They are far more likely to rail on the evils of atheists, run down atheism or lack of belief, or otherwise push the need for community solidarity to equal christianity and common faith, than white preachers.” Blah blah blah.\* ## At least then, the argument might have been on topic. But you didn’t make that argument. - I don’t claim this is true. Hypothetical argument only. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486/50 "2012-05-23T01:18:32Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > That’s ridiculous on its face. +1 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-discuss-why-religion-is-bad-or-problems-in-black-churches-in-a-thread-called-black-atheism/622486.md?page=2)