If I needed a leader, I wouldn't be an atheist.

What would Jesus do?

Yet it's not a belief. Right.

How is that possible??

Atheist group fires its leadership for making them look like bigger douchebags than they really are

So when are the religious people going to fire God for being a misogynistic genocidal psychopath? That guy really makes them look like bigger douchebags than they really are.

God is the biggest biatch of them all, when you take the longview.

Why am I reminded of that South Park episode where Cartman wakes up in the future and two Atheist groups are trying to kill each other?

Vash's Apprentice: Yet it's not a belief. Right.

Any organization has personal drama. A chess club isn't based around a belief, but that doesn't mean everyone gets along just fine and no one acts out of turn.

Stupid. The same rules of good manners should apply to atheists and everyone else, not just fundies: DON'T BE A DICK.

Yeah, well, for reference, what would it take for his followers to oust this guy?

A 'Don't Be A Douchebag Intervention'? Is that like a douchecork?

What in the holy ever-loving fark happened to the inverted pyramid style of journalism? That article is seriously f*cking annoying.

gameshowhost: //even though he's just a character in a story, i believe in him so much.

Jesus, as the modern world considers him, was just a character in a book.

I like this headline! I love it in fact! It is American Thought in a nutshell. Abrasive, antagonistic, and damning! There is no middle ground, or room for anyone to compromise or understand. I'd bet the same type of religious douche that says something like 'You can't judge one christian by the thousands of pedophiles and people willing to stomp all over your freedom to promote their belief' wrote it. I like how it lacks the grace, just like most people involved in any kind of discussion with differing opinions, to say something like 'See, all groups have fringe element dick-holes in them' and instead goes on to make a broad sweeping generalization.

Just like watching political talk. Both sides taking a hard stance in favor of an ideal and not a fact, despite so many similarities between each side of the debate. Politicians are all crooked, they are all out to better themselves and those who own them. There is no good side, yet both sides will stand firm on their belief in a group of flawed men no matter how many times they throw their own under the bus as they pursue their own interests. Which is why they like such drastic polarization between sides. Heaven forbid everyone got moderate for a minute and thought something like 'Hey...us common folks on both the left and the right have so much more in common with each other, than we ever would with these self-seeking politicians who face nothing like the average person in their real life.'

And that's why I love this headline because it encourages divisive thoughts between groups as opposed to both sides being able to say 'Hey...whaddya know? Both groups have bad apples in them, and most likely some good too, even though I don't hold to theeir belief system.

Carry on people, you're helping perpetuate the system that best fits the saying 'people will get the government they deserve'

Sybarite: And here I picked atheism to avoid going to meetings.

To be fair, if the usual 8% or so of Florida's 19-million citizens, or about 1.5 million, are atheists, and only 135 were confused enough to join this "organization", then I'm pretty sure you're still okay. :)

cbackous: Vash's Apprentice: Yet it's not a belief. Right.

You are correct. It's not a belief, just like not collecting stamps isn't a hobby.

Hey! I've been not collecting stamps since I was a kid. Don't you dare insinuate that it isn't a real hobby just because you think not collecting stamps is silly.

Having a group on atheism is like having a group about not believing in some kid's invisible friend. What's the point?

If people want to answer the question of "How are we here?" with "By a God who sent us here, hides, and will send us to Hell for eternity if we don't believe in Him.", let them.

So an atheist is one who believes God doesn't exist, right?

rudemix: I like this headline! I love it in fact! It is American Thought in a nutshell. Abrasive, antagonistic, and damning! There is no middle ground, or room for anyone to compromise or understand. I'd bet the same type of religious douche that says something like 'You can't judge one christian by the thousands of pedophiles and people willing to stomp all over your freedom to promote their belief' wrote it. I like how it lacks the grace, just like most people involved in any kind of discussion with differing opinions, to say something like 'See, all groups have fringe element dick-holes in them' and instead goes on to make a broad sweeping generalization.

Just like watching political talk. Both sides taking a hard stance in favor of an ideal and not a fact, despite so many similarities between each side of the debate. Politicians are all crooked, they are all out to better themselves and those who own them. There is no good side, yet both sides will stand firm on their belief in a group of flawed men no matter how many times they throw their own under the bus as they pursue their own interests. Which is why they like such drastic polarization between sides. Heaven forbid everyone got moderate for a minute and thought something like 'Hey...us common folks on both the left and the right have so much more in common with each other, than we ever would with these self-seeking politicians who face nothing like the average person in their real life.'

And that's why I love this headline because it encourages divisive thoughts between groups as opposed to both sides being able to say 'Hey...whaddya know? Both groups have bad apples in them, and most likely some good too, even though I don't hold to theeir belief system.

Carry on people, you're helping perpetuate the system that best fits the saying 'people will get the government they deserve'

You sound fat.

StoneColdAtheist :
Sybarite: And here I picked atheism to avoid going to meetings.

To be fair, if the usual 8% or so of Florida's 19-million citizens, or about 1.5 million, are atheists, and only 135 were confused enough to join this "organization", then I'm pretty sure you're still okay. :)

Yeah, some people are just "hard-wired" to flock together. Pretty sure there was a New Scientist article comparing that "hard-wiring" to a certain kind of brain damage.... can't remember. Meh

dustygrimp: So an atheist is one who believes God doesn't exist, right?

Oooooooooh, what a clever trap! Let's see if anyone falls for it!

/moran

rudemix: I like this headline! I love it in fact! It is American Thought in a nutshell. Abrasive, antagonistic, and damning! There is no middle ground, or room for anyone to compromise or understand. I'd bet the same type of religious douche that says something like 'You can't judge one christian by the thousands of pedophiles and people willing to stomp all over your freedom to promote their belief' wrote it. I like how it lacks the grace, just like most people involved in any kind of discussion with differing opinions, to say something like 'See, all groups have fringe element dick-holes in them' and instead goes on to make a broad sweeping generalization.

Just like watching political talk. Both sides taking a hard stance in favor of an ideal and not a fact, despite so many similarities between each side of the debate. Politicians are all crooked, they are all out to better themselves and those who own them. There is no good side, yet both sides will stand firm on their belief in a group of flawed men no matter how many times they throw their own under the bus as they pursue their own interests. Which is why they like such drastic polarization between sides. Heaven forbid everyone got moderate for a minute and thought something like 'Hey...us common folks on both the left and the right have so much more in common with each other, than we ever would with these self-seeking politicians who face nothing like the average person in their real life.'

And that's why I love this headline because it encourages divisive thoughts between groups as opposed to both sides being able to say 'Hey...whaddya know? Both groups have bad apples in them, and most likely some good too, even though I don't hold to theeir belief system.

Carry on people, you're helping perpetuate the system that best fits the saying 'people will get the government they deserve'

So are you going to just copy and paste this into pretty much every thread on politics, cops, economics, and well, just about anything else?

From reading the article I gather Kieffer, the group's president, was filching from the common purse to support his pill habit. Which has nothing to do with atheism: ask most pill-heads and they'll say they believe in God, like most Americans (who are known for gullibility).

Why is it so hard for people to wrap thier head around the idea that a bunch of people that do not believe in the same thing, can sit around and talk about it?

david1963: From reading the article I gather Kieffer, the group's president, was filching from the common purse to support his pill habit. Which has nothing to do with atheism: ask most pill-heads and they'll say they believe in God, like most Americans (who are known for gullibility).

Do you really think that "most" Americans believe in god? I'd be surprised to find out that that was the case. In terms of religion, I think I grew up in a pretty typical way. We celebrated Christian holidays with trees, presents, eggs and so on. We went to church for special occasions. Sometimes we went to church for comfort when something bad happened. None of those things has anything to do with believing in god, though. I'm pretty sure that most of the people I know in my age range grew up similarly in that regard. Obviously it could be that I gravitate toward similarly-minded people, but I really think that most of my friends don't know or care if there is a god. Is that atypical?

henryhill: Why is it so hard for people to wrap thier head around the idea that a bunch of people that do not believe in the same thing, can sit around and talk about it?

Oh sweet Jesus. I learned this lesson well when I went to Star Wars Celebration and heard hordes of nerds trying to pretend that the prequels never happened.

An atheist group meeting...the whole concept conjures up the most amusing mental images. A bunch of people sitting on folding chairs drinking coffee or punch, listening to a guest speaker talk about what he doesn't believe in. Afterwards they all break up into small groups to share personal experiences of how disbelief has allowed them to turn their lives around. Then of course there are the inevitable atheist faction splits. Is there an atheist reformation in the future? Will we someday see protestant atheists? Facetious, I know, but that is just how my mind works.

I also can't read this without thinking of "Bitter Atheist Amputee Guy", because he was another great one for alienating his fellow atheists. Not by misappropriation, as is the case here, but more just because he was coming to the table with so much mental baggage that he could not function in a socially amicable fashion. In other words, he was a dick.

Skwishmitten: dustygrimp: So an atheist is one who believes God doesn't exist, right?

Oooooooooh, what a clever trap! Let's see if anyone falls for it!

/moran

Actually, I'm an atheist. I believe in the non-existence of God. If you contend so hard that your atheism is not a belief then you are way too concerned with the image of being an atheist and that makes you a douche.

/"Oooh, look how erudite I am... I don't believe in anything!"
//Farking worse than hipsters.

FTFA:"He said any spending of $1,000 or more is scrutinized by a financial oversight committee and approved by the board of directors."

you can do a hell of a lot of damage to an organization's balance sheet $50 and $100 at a time.

Ishkur: cbackous: You are correct. It's not a belief, just like not collecting stamps isn't a hobby.

I've never seen non-stamp collectors so militant and vocal about stamp collecting.

Except these stamp collectors are the ones having a prayer before every public meeting, saying you can't but liquor on Sunday and coming to your door every weekend to witness to you about the joys of stamp collecting.

Beeblebrox: Except these stamp collectors are the ones having a prayer before every public meeting, saying you can't but liquor on Sunday and coming to your door every weekend to witness to you about the joys of stamp collecting.

I haven't had any sort of religious solicitation (in the form of knocking on my door) in a very long time. I also live on a street that is a mile long, lined with dozens of homes and easily accessible from a thoroughfare. It'd be the first place I'd go if I wanted to sell something door to door. I guess I figured people don't peddle religion that way anymore.

dustygrimp: If you contend so hard that your atheism is not a belief then you are way too concerned with the image of being an atheist and that makes you a douche.

Or you could be preempting one of the most common rebuttals from believers, but whatever you think is probably right because I'm so angsty and hipsterish.

/oh yeah, it's not a 'belief' if it is an opinion based on lack of evidence. It is a 'null state'.

I wish I could remember the originator, but I read a quote once on one of these Fark threads that said:

"It's not that I don't believe in God, I do. I merely want to see Him destroyed."

I'm paraphrasing that of course, but it was hilarious, and whenever someone confronts me on my atheism, I pull that one out.

Thanks to OP, whoever you are!

dustygrimp: So an atheist is one who believes God doesn't exist, right?

I wouldn't limit us to that. Some of us enjoy eating live infants, too.

Skwishmitten: /oh yeah, it's not a 'belief' if it is an opinion based on lack of evidence. It is a 'null state'.

Well that's just silly. You can't define a belief by what constitutes it. You can only define a belief based on how it influences thoughts, words and actions.

I think you are confusing "beliefs" and "ideas." Beliefs are fairly concrete; you'd have to provide some evidence to get a person to change their beliefs. Ideas, on the other hand, are malleable. Just an open-ended conversation is enough to provoke people to change their ideas.

The problem, of course, is when people turn every idea into a belief.

/oblig

jiaxiaobo: I wouldn't limit us to that. Some of us enjoy eating live infants, too.

Who doesn't?

What would a typical meeting sound like?

"Okay, RESOLVED, we don't believe in God."
"All in favor?"
"Aye" x number of attendees
"Great. Let's eat!"