A place for progressive atheists.
After some back-and-forth on “Is anyone with BC an atheist besides me?” about whether or not political comments should be allowed, I decided to start a new thread. To make way of thinking, the current political situation is inextricably linked with religion, since the Republican Party actively pushes for mandated religious positions and insist that that is a Christian nation. So mostly, this is here for people who’d like to talk about their BC experience without fending off talk of prayers and having faith, but also a place where political commentary isn’t prohibited.
Comments
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ok thanks.
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Wander, DH and I frequently talk about how the lines of separation of church and state are getting blurrier and blurrier. I heard on NPR yesterday that Tenn has added IN GOD WE TRUST to their license plates. I frequently get pissed that in NC (and probably other states) we have a school voucher program so that taxpayers help pay for private and parochial schools. I am happy to pay for public education and feel like it is our responsibility but if you want your kid to go to any school other than public, YOU should pay for it, not taxpayers. DH is a CPA and he gets nuts about all the tax advantages churches/ministers have. Thanks for letting me gripe!
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I'll re-post my link to a good political protest link: http://instagram.com/tinypricksproject/
An artist decided to make a record of the Trump presidency by embroidering his words on antique linens, Women around the country and the world have been sending them in to her as well. They are cheeky, beautiful, ironic, and sad. The antique linens' innocence and beauty juxtaposed against the crude and ugly words and thoughts of the President... She was going for 2020 crowdsourced pieces and has gone beyond that now. You have till Nov 3 to submit them. Eventually they will become part of a museum somewhere.
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Yoga, I live in Tennessee and I absolutely hate that I’m required to have a license plate that references God. And we just elected a governor who is actively trying to shunt more money to private schools. Like you, I have no objection to people paying to send the children to private schools. But I shouldn’t have to pay for it. And churches are basically social clubs. I’m fine with people choosing to give their money to them. But they should not be tax exempt.
Ananda - That’s a great project! It makes me wish I could needlepoint!
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thanks for the new thread! While I meant what I said in the atheist thread, the areas in which I agree with conservatives (religious and non) are few
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Dogmom - I used to find more common ground with old-school conservatives. But not anymore. It just seems like the Republican Party has become so radically attached to the horrible values of Trump. The misogyny, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, anti-environmentalism, and anti-science stands. It’s baffling to me that anyone who has thought through and rejected religion could countenance anything the right isn’t doing. I wish the divide was not so great, but I don’t see anything encouraging happening to lead the Republican Party to more compassion
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Thanks for the thread Wander! THIS place feels like home.
As far as finding common ground with Conservatives, my Dad is conservative, but increasingly becoming more Trumpian. It used to be that there was a clear line between conservatives and Trumpians and now thanks to Fox News the line is getting blurry and my Dad is falling for it. Not to mention he's trying to push me into christianity. I have so far managed to blow it off while making it clear it's not a topic of discussion, but I have a feeling it will come to a head eventually, hopefully without too much damage. I am going to die probably before him and I'd really like to go out on good terms and with some respect of my father. I've always been his favorite and we are extremely close, I just wish he would understand that I've been a non-believer for all of those years and getting more and more athiest and more and more angry at people like him as the years go by.
As for the rest of the GOP, they should have deep, deep shame for what they're doing, but are incapable of it. I hope I live long enough to see the chickens come home to roost.
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wanderweg- my parents are old school conservatives and we agree on the environment and population numbers. And also on public education. But he voted for trump. My mom did not. She has dementia but even she knew he was an asshat.
Lauren - I hope you and your father can at least find a peaceful and congenial place in agreeing to disagree. That’s where I am with my dad
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My dad was also a Republican but got warped in his later years by Fox propaganda. When I was a kid he was fiscally conservative but reasonably socially liberal. He wasn't racist then, raised his daughters to believe they could do anything (and was so proud of me when I got a Ph.D.), and taught me to take care of the environment. It hurt to watch him become more hard right, and we just never talked about politics. We also stopped talking religion because after a lifetime of atheism, he was suddenly a regular church-goer. He developed Alzheimer's and one odd blessing in it was that he became a much more gentle accepting soul. I'm grateful we were able to maintain a good relationship until he died.
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The irony is the base is so shame-based they can't feel shame. Too horrible. No healthy defense so projection is the policy. (See: bad, nasty, stupid, lyin', croocked, shifty.... etc).
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Aw man, I love this thread so much. I wonder if it would be best to hide from active topics? Not sure about the rules around here.
Anyway, yes Santa, projection is absolutely the name of their game. Anything the orange butt plug accuses anyone else of you can be sure he's up to his combover in. Hypocrisy knows no bounds with these fools.
I can usually find common ground and empathize but with the cultists I just can't. Like I get the right to own guns and certainly don't want that right repealed but I absolutely don't get the fight against common sense restrictions. Don't sell guns to known abusers, don't sell military grade weapons to the mentally ill, mandated licensing and insurance... I even understand a little bit of their argument but it's not enough. It's dick-swinging swagger vs. the good of all. Get your relevance from something else beside your gun (and your dick while you're at it). Yeah I know I know, good luck with that..
ETA: I see it doesn’t show up in active topics. Very smart, wander.
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Lauren, the mod have already stepped in and hidden this thread from active topics for fear of offending anyone's delicate sensibilities. Which is fine,I suppose, but unfortunate for other progressive atheists who might want a thread like this.,
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Actually the other 2 were split and locked years ago, during last election. Neither showon active now.
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Greetings, friends. This is a safe place for me to read, think, and get therapy from the mess out there. I probably won't post much, but many of the viewpoints expressed here will probably match mine. I think that members of this community find threads all kinds of ways---I've managed to find several home threads for myself.
Wrenn--I'm jealous that you never have to hear about religion attached to politics! So many good things to appreciate about Canada!
Why this new thread makes sense to me: I fear that the same political base that is religious is also not good at critical thinking. Logically, if they WERE analytical thinkers, they wouldn't be religious. Worse critical thinking = more gullible. If I can sell you a virgin birth, I bet you'll also buy the Brooklyn Bridge, and elect a brainless reality TV star as "president."
In the more socialist-leaning, progressive nations (Scandinavian countries, for instance), there's a large % of people who aren't religious, who do believe in science research, human-caused climate change, evolution, etc., and their societies watch out for the neediest (socialized medicine, etc.), and also lead in ecology and conservation measures. Historically, those countries have been much more homogeneous (socioeconomically, culturally, racially, etc.) than the USA, so that's one difference, of course.
2007: 33% of Americans believed that the Bible is literally true:
https://news.gallup.com/poll/27682/onethird-americans-believe-bible-literally-true.aspx
2017: 24% of Americans believed that the Bible is literally true:
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spookiesmom - in my opinion, we’re all grownups and ought to have easy access to all threads and make up our own minds about whether or not they suit us. I don’t like the religious ones, so I just don’t go to them. But not my decision, so I am not going to waste time getting bent out of shape about how the mods choose to run this site.
Hiking - That’s good to hear that people might find there way here if they need it. We just got back from Iceland where church attendance really isn’t even a thing and the overwhelming majority of younger people are ot religious at all. It was refreshing. I’m encouraged by the stat showing a decrease in people believing the Bibleistobe taken literally. It’s a start!.
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Yes, people should be mature enough to bypass threads they don't agree with, but I also understand the reality of people under the spell of faith and know that they would get their knickers in a twist and make the mods' life miserable with their complaints. On the other hand, athiests seem to be an acceptable minority to discriminate against. Whatever. I like that we can hang out and laugh at them without being bothered, lol. (That was horrible, Lauren)
I haven't been on Twitter (I've been preparing to start the book - YAY!), so I'm not sure what state the dumpster fire is in today, but I imagine it's the same if not bigger and trashier than yesterday. Sometimes you just have to take a break.
Speaking of the book, I'm going to make the hero an athiest.
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Good point Lauren - it does feel like a very safe place to talk without interference. I kind of feel like the current shit show is similar to a soap opera - you can be away from it for a bit and the same old story is still going when you return.
In local news, a TN city council person made racist and homophobic comments to applause and laughter at a city council meeting at a neighboring county. So I will be at the next city council meet8ng with a group who is all going wearing red to protest
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My husband noticed something very interesting. Just for funsies, check out Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign web site. (Not that I'm asking you to consider her for your vote [yes, I have an opinion, but that's not important here], but just for observation and comparison.) Browse around, consider what she projects as being important, see what you have the opportunity to learn about her.
Now check out Trump's 2020 campaign web site.
Yeah, that's the stark difference. One page - "Give me money. I have thumbs." That's his campaign. *facepalm*
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Watching the World Series game tonight and it occurred to me that I've muted the National Anthem for every game. I used to cry every time I heard it (some weird thing I do - probably Betsy Ross in another life
) but now I just choose not to listen because this country pisses me off and embarrasses me to no end right now. Sad. In other news, I've been working on starting to work on the book and haven't had time to be worried about BC, although I think the new meds are causing fatigue because I've been sleeping ridiculous hours. Hopefully, those effects will subside soon. I have a cardiologist appointment (suspected enlarged heart) on Thursday which could answer some questions as well.
Have fun at your meeting, wander! Good for you for going and raising a little hell. Sounds like they deserve it.
Checked out the pages, Miriandra - DJTs page has fundraising front and center as well as his nazi rallies - works out great because MAGAts can't read and just want to be taken advantage of. He sure knows his audience.
People say you can't judge or hate people because you disagree with them politically. I say, of course I can. When we disagree on whether or not gays can have rights, my tax dollars should pay for Javanka's fucking anniversary party, immigrants should be caged with their babies ripped from their arms, and so on, we're talking about moral differences and yes, I can judge and hate you just fine if you are devoid of morals. This isn't about the policy differences of old, this is a battle for the soul (if there was such a thing) of our country. Fuckers.
Happy Saturday!!! (Go Nationals!)
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Oh I found this thread by accident! I don't think it should be hidden like some dirty secret. Maybe mods should hide the "prayers" threads as well, as they offend my sensibilities
No, actually they don't, I believe in freedom of expression and tolerance, but I feel not being heard by the intolerant and loudest voice is dangerous. As a middle of the road liberal, I find my side is becoming increasingly intolerant, too. I'm from Canada and even here I find that having a conversation with someone who doesn't subscribe to their side's Groupthink is difficult. Shame really, we complain about bubbles and we push ourselves more into them. 0 -
Welcome ErenTo. Wow, you're signature is crazy! You've been through so much - hope you are feeling and doing well now.
Yes, it is a shame we're becoming so divided. I am more middle left as well (not that you'd know if from my posts,
) on most things, but the hot button issues are SO hot, that it's hard to get past those to what we can agree on. I couldn't deal with the news today, but my sister filled me in on the moron's latest embarrassing, dangerous, disrespectful, inflammatory shenanigans of the day. What an absolute asshole. And his asshole base is going to eat it up. Repulsive.
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Oh Lauren, I so agree. I DO judge the Trump loonies. And I don’t apologize for that.
Eren, welcome! I just hate that peoplehave to stumble on this thread, but the mods have the control. I used to be a middle of the road liberal, but Trump and the current US administration have radicalized me.
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Thank you for starting this tread. I'm pretty pissed the mods hid it. That they seem to think atheism and progressive thinking is somehow offensive. That viewpoint is offensive to me and if you're reading this, mods, then you should be ashamed of your hypocrisy.
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I've found "hidden" threads on this site, by searching for particular words. Also, I've sometimes looked up a member because I liked her voice and viewpoints, and would notice her "recent posts;" that's another way I've found kind of 'underground' threads.
On the general atheist thread (which doesn't have 'progressive' attached to its name), there has been some trolling. A community member with lots of strong religious beliefs popped onto that thread, started confrontational and critical attacks, and the moderators blocked her. So, having this conversation be a little bit hidden might protect our ability to converse freely without being attacked.
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Lauren, thank you, yes it was a crazy and eventful year. So far I am doing well, thank you!
I think I can live with hidden, though I think it's pathetic that it's come to that, but given the divisions and intolerance, if it stays visible under Active Topics, it will probably get shut down altogether.
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How’s this for crazy...
Trump went to the World Series game last night and was booed and the crowd started chanting “lock him up!” As much as I love that it happened and as much as I cannot stand him and what he’s done to this country, I can’t watch the videos because I’m so embarrassed for him. I was watching the actual game and they cut out quickly and never showed him again haha. I heard some boos but not the chant.
Unfortunately I think the Astros are going to win thereby setting up a snarky tweet if he hasn’t already done it.
Passed a church sign today: Faith makes things possible not easy
Sigh. Faith in myself makes things possible. Not an imaginary sky daddy.
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Corruption is legal in America - awesome yet depressing short video about how government works. Not new, but still somewhat shocking to see it in real terms.
Why poor whites shout Trump Trump Trump - long article but super interesting. From slavery to present day of how the rich control the poor. Sad but true.
I said P*******t Trump yesterday for the first time ever. I felt sick to my stomach. It was so gross to say the words out loud.
I'm on week 3 of Kisqali and I think I can feel the neck nodes shrinking. I don't want to get too excited since I don't think the histology of my cancer will allow K to work longterm, but I'll take whatever good news I can get.
I'm working on the book trying to make my hero an athiest in 1930s-40s deep South. I don't know that I want to attack such a controversial subject in what will ultimately be a romantic mystery, so still trying to figure that out. Actually, I have 3 books I'm working on - 2 prequel novellas and then the main novel. In one of the novellas the heroine becomes a dominatrix and punishes a white-haired senator (who calls her Mother) because he likes boys but hides it and changes the diapers and bottle feeds a successful businessman with a bad toupee. Pretty sure I can work those in.
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I’m so glad to have found this thread again!! I didn’t realize it has become hidden. While I understand why the Mods made that decision, it cramps my ass! Christians feel entitled to impose their values on us and at some level feel it is their responsibility. If an atheist were to go onto the Christian/prayer threads and attack, holy hell would break out. I am so fed up with others thinking they know what is “best” for me, whether it’s my lack of religious belief, being very liberal, or decisions I have made about my healthcare. I have felt judged in all these areas and while I certainly have strong feelings about others beliefs and life decisions, I keep my opinions to myself.....not my damned business. Interestingly enough, I have felt judged by others, including bc pts, for my decision to not take AI’s. It’s an informed decision and my right to make it. Thanks for letting me vent and for starting this thread
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Yogatyme...I hear you. Vent away.
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