Atheists in the Okanagan.

[Healthyskeptic]

Hi.
I'm a new member here in the forum.
I'm an Atheist. I welcome all other Atheists to say 'hi' and maybe we can join each other for a coffee or beer sometime. I'd like to meet up with other Atheists or Agnostics, you ex-Christians, Humanists, Skeptics, Free-thinkers, etc.

It's nice to know you have a community of likeminded people to chat with.

We have the Internet and sometimes it's nice to imagine that could live in a world where we are a majority. Here in the wee Okanagan, we are not! Norway has 37% believers, 39% Atheists and 23% "I don't know's" (Agnostics). No one there is made to feel weird for not following their countries predominant religion. Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to be a Atheist in Saudi Arabia? Here, you might just get shunned. There, you get a death sentence.

Anyway, YOU are not alone. There might be 30 to 40% of us who are ex-whatever's but we just stay silent to appease parents, grandparents, in-laws, etc.

WELCOME!

[Healthyskeptic]

When did you realize you were an Atheist?

My deconversion story. I travelled worldwide in my 20's. I met many Buddhists, for example, and learned about their beliefs and the alleged bio of Buddha.I met and dated Muslims. I met Sihks and asked about their religion. A fascinating blend of some ideas from Islam and some from Hinduism. (One God to worship but also concepts of reincarnation and one's karma) I met nice Jewish boys and asked about their faith. They answered that they recognized it as their nationality but rejected the supernatural claims. The one thing I noticed was the faithful were the the people who simply didn't want to question what they had learned and they were all engaging in circular logic to 'prove' their claims. I came out as an Atheist then even though I really had doubted it all along since age 8 or 9. I gave up the tooth fairy, Santa, the Easter Bunny and all other magical figures around that time.

[Even Steven]

Here, you might just get shunned.

The only way to get shunned here for being an atheist is to actively approach people and talk about it to the point of annoyance. Outside of that, nobody really give a hoot. There`s no Christian brigade out there shaming atheists for their believes. Atheists who claim they`re being prosecuted for their believes are just vegan-like *bleep* who can`t shut up about it just like Mormons do for knocking and doors and asking you want to talk about their friend Big J.

- How do you know if somebody is an atheist?
- They'll tell you 5 seconds into conversation.

PS: Been an atheist ever since I got pubic hair. Never been shunned once for it in Okanagan. Perhaps because I don't talk about it to strangers.

[Healthyskeptic]

I have yet to encounter any atheist who blabs about their irreligious lifestyle to anyone within seconds or even days of meeting a new person.I've yet to see Atheists with pamphlets at my doorstep. I've never encountered one or two downtown handing out pamphlets or asking pedestrians nearby about their belief system. Nor have I seen sneaky Atheists put their literature in library books,doctors magazines, etc.

Hmm. I think thou dost protest to the wrong group of individuals.

[Farmmaa]

I've never been shunned nor do I hide it or stay silent.
Doing so would seem to suggest that I am embarrassed by the title. I'm not...I am actually very secure with and proud of my beliefs.
I do not try to hide it from my family. One side are all atheist as well and the Christian side has always known our views.
It's a non-issue 99% of the time.

I happen to know a lot of atheists - not because I try to associate with like minded people - simply because there are a lot of us out there.
I don't meet, like or hang out with people based on their religious affiliation, or lack thereof.

I have been 'pitied' by religious folks who tend to think I'm lost and misguided...doomed to unhappiness forever.
Fair enough, I in turn, feel incredibly sorry for them as well.

I have been an atheist, or at least a complete non-believer for as long as I can remember....back to when I was a fairly young child.
I can't recall a time when I ever did not think that everything I heard in church or Sunday school about god, Jesus and religion was utter nonsense.

It's natural really. We are all born atheists after all.
Children are not born believing in a higher power...other than their parents.
Some of us were just lucky enough not to have been indoctrinated and brainwashed all our lives.

[Healthyskeptic]

We are all atheists about most of the gods humanity has ever believed in.Some of us go one God further.~Richard Dawkins.

[JayByrd]

Within this forum, it's the people of faith who are shunned. You dare not speak out against gays, blacks, or women, but it's open season on Christians.

And in the Okanagan Valley, you'll probably run into more people who worship their trucks or celebrities or themselves, than people of faith.

Welcome aboard, HealthySkeptic.

[Farmmaa]

Within this forum, it's the people of faith who are shunned. You dare not speak out against gays, blacks, or women, but it's open season on Christians.
.

Yes, right...poor persecuted Christians.

FYI - Comparing religion to race, gender or sexual orientation is ridiculous.
People choose to believe in and participate in religion - they are not born that way.

I don't recall ever being given a choice when it came to which gender or race I wanted to be when I was born.

[cliffy1]

Yes, right...poor persecuted Christians.

FYI - Comparing religion to race, gender or sexual orientation is ridiculous.
People choose to believe in and participate in religion - they are not born that way.

I don't recall ever being given a choice when it came to which gender or race I wanted to be when I was born.

Yes, I think many christians feel persecuted. not because people go out of their way to harass them but because if you state your opinion and it differs from theirs, they take it as an attack on their beliefs. They go on about their beliefs and get upset when you do. I find that really sad.

What many don't realize is that if they had been born in a non-christian country, more than likely they would be a true believer in the religion they were born into.

[JayByrd]

Yes, right...poor persecuted Christians.

FYI - Comparing religion to race, gender or sexual orientation is ridiculous.
People choose to believe in and participate in religion - they are not born that way.

I don't recall ever being given a choice when it came to which gender or race I wanted to be when I was born.[/quote]


The only comparison is that one has an equal right to be any of those things and be free from ridicule for it. Do you still think that's ridiculous? And I said Christians are shunned within this forum, not persecuted in general. For *you* to make that comparison is also ridiculous. I think we can all agree that Christians are not typically mistreated in a meaninful way in this country. And no, I don't consider being belittled on a message board to be meaningful.

[OREZ]

On this topic^^^ and since it's an atheist thread, I've got an honest question:

I've often wondered why some atheists (some, definitely not all) feel so compelled to seek out online discussions which people of faith are trying to have, only to try and harass and provoke the participants, often side-tracking the discussion altogether. I believe many atheists are simply not interested in having discussions about faith because they think it's a waste of time, many even going to some effort to avoid it but there is a small contingent who actively pursue it.

Why? Is it because Richard Dawkins told atheists to publicly mock and ridicule believers? Does that really seem like a reasonable thing to do? Anyway, it's the internet and it's easy and even comfortable for some to mock and ridicule any group they choose, unlike doing it in person which is what I think of when I hear "publicly mock and ridicule" How effective is it and what point does it make or is it just for entertainment? It would seem to do a great disservice to atheists who are not at all comfortable with this approach and I believe that they make up the vast majority.

I can't even imagine why I would want to seek out atheist blogs, You Tube channels and message boards to "mock and ridicule"

[Healthyskeptic]

www.fstdt.com is the website Fundies Say The Darndest Things.

You can see that the harassment and discourteous tone goes the other way as well.

Dawkins reads mean tweets. Find it on YouTube. They aren't just mean some are just scary words from maniacs.

[OREZ]

I hope that's not supposed to be an answer to my question. Because it isn't.

What are you saying? Annoying religious wingnuts can do it so we can too? Aren't you supposed to be against that sort of thing?

[Healthyskeptic]

No, I'm saying some people on either side can be *bleep*.

[Farmmaa]

On this topic^^^ and since it's an atheist thread, I've got an honest question:

I've often wondered why some atheists (some, definitely not all) feel so compelled to seek out online discussions which people of faith are trying to have, only to try and harass and provoke the participants, often side-tracking the discussion altogether. I believe many atheists are simply not interested in having discussions about faith because they think it's a waste of time, many even going to some effort to avoid it but there is a small contingent who actively pursue it.

Why? Is it because Richard Dawkins told atheists to publicly mock and ridicule believers? Does that really seem like a reasonable thing to do? Anyway, it's the internet and it's easy and even comfortable for some to mock and ridicule any group they choose, unlike doing it in person which is what I think of when I hear "publicly mock and ridicule" How effective is it and what point does it make or is it just for entertainment? It would seem to do a great disservice to atheists who are not at all comfortable with this approach and I believe that they make up the vast majority.

I can't even imagine why I would want to seek out atheist blogs, You Tube channels and message boards to "mock and ridicule"

I can't imagine that I would ever want to seek out religious blogs, channels or message boards to 'mock and ridicule' anyone either.

I also do not see atheists here mocking and ridiculing anyone.

I don't follow Richard Dawkins, or anyone else for that matter, so I had no idea he said that and no idea why he would.

What Christians need to try to realize is that mocking and ridiculing what we believe to be absolutely ridiculous and far fetched fairy tales and story books is NOT the same as ridiculing someone for believing them.