Comment

Comment by Neece on July 31, 2008 at 7:19pm

Thanks Jason! Your input is much appreciated. I forgot the testimonials section, thanks for reminding me!

Comment by Jason on July 31, 2008 at 7:15pm

Starting to take shape, i love it! Comments here seem very good, especially the "recommended reading" and "testimonials"....when i first started this journey, i couldn't get my hands on enough books.....problem was i didn't know the "good" from the "bad" I have read the "major ones" by Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris as well as many others. I would have to say one of my favorites for information and "ease" of reading was Atheist Universe by David Mills......anyway, now i'm rambling................good luck!

Comment by Neece on July 31, 2008 at 3:36pm

Thanks Jared.
Your help would be much appreciated!

Comment by Jared Smith on July 31, 2008 at 3:35pm

I know that when I left my faith, I went on a reading spree. It might be helpful to post a links section and a "recommended reading" tab. I would be glad to help out with this part if you'd like. I'm a fiend for books.

Laura's advice is fantastic. Do what she said.

Comment by Neece on July 31, 2008 at 3:24pm

Laura, you're AWESOME! Thank you so much for this! Thank you for your two cents, they are worth a lot.

Comment by Laura on July 31, 2008 at 3:05pm

Fruitloop, here are a few suggestions coming from someone who is a former believer.

- A history as well as a science section or component would be helpful. Most people who are leaving a faith, ESPECIALLY if it's a fundamentalist faith of some sort, are constantly on the lookout for new information. Often, what they've been taught about history or science has had some kind of spiritual bias, if not an outright bent, and that can be a challenge when you leave a faith... it's like moving to a new country and not knowing much about the culture.

Speaking of culture, those who are "recovering believers" need a place for themselves. Yes, they consider themselves nonbelievers now, but they might not 'connect' with those who have been nonbelievers all their lives. A "testimonials" section would be helpful, so that people can say "oh, I'm not the only one. Whew."

I'd also suggest a support forum of some kind. Seriously. I myself was lucky in that nobody's in any way persecuted me or dropped me like a hot potato for leaving my faith; others aren't so lucky, and they need folks to turn to when the parents get mad, or the spouse flies off the handle, or the best friend says "don't call me again". It can be scary, striking out on your own, when it's a very new thing.


That's just my 0.02..... best of luck. I'll be keeping my eye on this.

P.S.... I don't think anything can 'take anything away' from Atheist Nexus. One more page that supports atheists, agnostics and freethinkers just means one more great page on the net we can visit and learn from and be encouraged by.