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The Internet - Religion Killer

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/16/religion_may_not_survive_the_internet/

i know it's been often discussed, but this article is worth the read. Atheists lose their faith in a variety of ways. 20+ years ago the path to enlightenment was, well, darker. thoughtful and nimble minds were only able to swallow religious mantra for so long before vomiting it back up. but much of that ability depended on just how religious your parents were. should you have found yourself in a fundy household, it's likely that the pressure and indoctrination you experienced were just too much to break away from. resources were limited. like-minded people were too scarce. information was too elusive.

no longer. the internet has aided and abetted countless freethinkers to break free. and it's only going to get better. i'm so very pleased that many more people are able to leave their dusty old religions behind. thank you, internet.

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Permalink Reply by Dustin Roy on January 31, 2013 at 2:35am

"Atheists lose their faith in a variety of ways."

Not all atheists have had faith, including myself.

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Permalink Reply by matthew greenberg on January 31, 2013 at 8:07am

fair enough. i could be wrong but i think that the majority of Atheists grew up in some religion. i've got no evidence to back this up, but it sure seems logical. for those, like you, who grew up as an Atheist i guess this discussion doesn't really apply.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Perlman on January 31, 2013 at 11:20am

I'm with you, Dustin. "Some religion" covers a lot of ground, from fundamentalists for whom religious tales are true and who spend a LOT of time praying and observing...to lukewarm, go-along, pretend-believers like my parents (I know my Dad was a skeptic, but he had nowhere to go). I never really had any faith to lose.

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Permalink Reply by matthew greenberg on January 31, 2013 at 12:22pm

i was using the term "faith" more generically. more like a substitute for "religion". while i personally was never particularly faithful i considered myself a Catholic until i was 14. it came up quite a lot while i was growing up, since my last name was Jewish and kids could be particularly cruel. i often boasted that i wasn't Jewish but Catholic. still i hated church, CCD, and all the rituals/ceremonies and most of what i was "learning" never made any sense to me. so while it wasn't exactly leaving my faith, which i likely never really had, i did leave my religion. if that makes sense.

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on February 9, 2013 at 3:49pm

Alan Perlman, Oh! it isn't only about Abrahamic faiths to which I refer; however, the claim of love, and care, and compassion in the past has resulted in some pretty noteworthy hypocrites and we like to imagine those days have passed into ancient history. NO! Just look at the fuss kicked up by anti-GLBTs and we see persecution continues as strong now as in primitive days ... we just don't burn people at the stake now, there are judgments, accusations, and threats to mental and emotional safety in this very day by those who don't "believe" in homosexuality.

Now, to be true to my claim of wanting to get past religion and on too celebration of atheism, I celebrate the many fine individual qualities and refute the dreadful acting out behaviors of GLBT. They have a right to react any way that works for them.

I just enjoy sitting with GLBT and learning how their lives flourish and hearing their dreams for their futures.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Perlman on February 9, 2013 at 7:12pm

Religious people love to talk a good game, but the behavior is all too often otherwise. Gay/lesbian isn't my issue personally, but it is definitely a humanist issue...and why is it always religious people who want to persecute them?

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on February 9, 2013 at 7:49pm

I understand. Black civil rights issues and GLBT issues are not mine personally, but the underlying principle is mine. In fact, I learned a lot in the 1960s during the civil rights struggle to use with feminist issues. One important thing I learned then was to have a tough skin ... I was called everything you can imagine when teaching black kids and it has been no better with women's issues.

I am too old now to do any of the interesting and exciting things, however, this is a great time of life to read up on historical roots of prejudice and recognize the role religion plays in dehumanizing their members ... not blacks and women, but their own members brainwashed with delusions and denials.

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on February 9, 2013 at 4:15pm

Alan Perlman, thanks for the great resource! I think there is one here that will hold my interest and imagination. meetup.com

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Permalink Reply by Alan Perlman on February 9, 2013 at 7:14pm

You're welcome. Being in a restaurant with a group of two dozen heretics, plus dinner and beer and lots of making fun of religion -- like a rejuvenating breath of oxygen! I went to that group (Vernon Hills IL) for 2-3 years. Very sharp, fun people. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on February 9, 2013 at 7:50pm

I wish I could have been at a neighboring table and laughed with you.

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Permalink Reply by Napoleon Bonaparte on February 9, 2013 at 5:10pm

J'aime l'Internet parce que je peux mettre la merde sur la religion.

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Permalink Reply by Lillie on February 9, 2013 at 7:12pm

I agree that the Internet is having an impact on free thinking not only in the area of religion but also in the area of oppressive governments. No wonder so many of these governments try to ban social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Apparently, these networks were a line of communication during last year's Arab Spring.