Community Profile

Either God wants to abolish evil and cannot, or he can but does not want to.
Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?

--Epicurus (341-270 BCE)

"As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated,
but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice."

--Adolf Hitler, a good example of religious perversion, Munich, April 12, 1922

This is the community for those who consider religion one of the biggest blights on the face of human history. We don't hate the religious, just what religion has done to them (and everyone else). Hate the religion, love the religious.

This community exists to discuss anything and everything free of religious proselytising. That is the primary requirement of this community, though religious persons are welcome here. But over time some other requirements have arisen. These are rules, and must be followed.

Failure to follow these rules will be addressed on a case by case basis, with banning as a last resort. Everyone except obvious trolls will be given at least one warning. The goal here is not confrontation--it's freedom from religion. The Government of the United States was founded on the principle of freedom of religion, freedom of religious belief or non-belief. This community, however, is founded on the principle of freedom from religious belief, so there is no entitlement to proselytize here.


Your Friendly Neighborhood Moderator

Community creator (se what I did there?), maintainer, and moderator: brad


Antitheism General Declarations

We believe religion to be evil, and we wish to see it ended. But we will not commit evil to end it. Two wrongs do not make a right; a good end does not justify evil means.

This means no illegal behavior, criminality, or violation of Law will be tolerated in this community, whether directed at religious or non-religious persons or their property. Nor will advocacy of same.

This community does not have an official "topic". Nothing is "off-topic". There are two main reasons for this:

1. That we may say whatever we like about religion, free of religious influence. This may mean ranting, this may mean statistics, this may mean a book review, this may mean a news story about another religious atrocity. (They do still happen!)

2. That we may post about anything at all free of religious influence. The example that always comes to my mind is that of someone in crisis who needs to discuss it without receiving religious advice, but really that is only a most extreme example. Recently we had a post on UFOs, and it was nice to be able to discuss them scientifically.

So:

This community exists not only to rant about the evil that is religion, or to work out personal issues regarding religion, though one may do so freely here. As the paragraph at top states, the only restriction in this community of content that is legal elsewhere is that no religious proselytizing is allowed.


Antitheism Community Rules, Revised March 30, 2008

1. Proselytizing: No promotion of religion will be allowed in this community, in any way, shape, or form. Religious persons are welcome, as long as they do not proselytize. There are numerous religious communities; this one is meant to be a haven for those who do NOT wish to be inundated with religion any more than we all already are every day.

2. Courtesy: Any topic under the Sun is fair game here, but I do ask that you keep it friendly, even (and perhaps especially) when you disagree. We can be antitheist liberals or conservatives, for example, I have learned. dancewithoutme puts this very well:

For example: do atheists have to believe in evolution? Is it impossible for atheists to be Republican in the year 2008 (or even political at all)? Etc. Etc.

Of course the answer to these questions is a definite "no" because one can decide not to believe for no reason, and the Republican party isn't all-inclusive with religion. And of course the only sure commonality is the rejection of a creator or intangible force that is the cause of existence.

My goal with this community is to focus on what unites us. I ask that you do the same, if you can. I ask that you maintain a modicum of cordiality, politeness, courtesy toward those with whom you may disagree, or take it elsewhere.

Stated more succinctly: insults and personal attacks against other participants in the community can and will get you banned. If you engage in hostilities with another person or persons in this community, whether that person is or those persons are theist or antitheist is irrelevant. You are doing the cause of Reason and the community harm, and you will be dealt with by me.

This includes dealing with the occasional theist who will come here not to troll but out of curiosity. This is a good thing. Every interaction with a theist is an opportunity both to influence his or her view and to make a good impression. Innocent, confused, or otherwise sincerely inquiring theists are welcome here, and I ask that you treat them as such. Abusing them does not promote our cause. Opposition to their beliefs does not justify treating them cruelly or meanly.

3. Deleting: You may delete your own posts, but you may not delete, disable, or screen the comments of others. The only time comments other than your own may go is when a post goes.

4. Trolls: Trolls, those who come to our community to spam us, attack us, or otherwise disrupt the community, will be dealt with by me; if you feel we suffer one, bring that to my attention privately, in case I fail to notice it myself in a timely manner.

As for judging them trolls, I ask that you err on the side of innocence until guilt is proved. If you're not sure, bring them to my attention and I will investigate. That is my job as moderator, not yours. All you have to do is let me know and not engage in hostilities.

Calling someone a troll is considered a personal attack in this community. Why? Doing so is both an allegation of bad behavior and an insult of character. Again: don't engage, report the person to me. If I deem him or her a troll, I will take care of it, don't worry. You are best off not engaging in hostilities.

5. Intellectual Property: Copyrighted works may not be reproduced in their entirety in this community, out of respect for law and the copyright owners, who depend on sales and/or advertising dollars for their continued existence. If posting about an article, select a small part of the article for quotation. You may link to a full Internet article, of course, where it was meant to be read.

6. Posting Friends Only: Please make all posts public, unless you have some political need for secrecy, because we don't know who might be reading furtively, unable to admit his or her free-thinking in a hostile world. A friends-locked post requires membership to read, and membership could be dangerous for some. We owe it to those oppressed persons to make obtaining rational thought as easy as possible, by leaving our posts public for all to see. That said, if you find it risky to post publicly for some reason, it's okay with me. This is a delicate balance and requires a judgment call. I just ask that you not make posts "friends only" unless you feel you must. Anyone who flames our public posts will be dealt with. Thanks in advance.

Short version of this rule: unless you fear political persecution from family, friends, co-workers, or other associates, I ask that you make all posts public.

Entertainment

By subweird:




Truth Studies

http://www.400monkeys.com/God/
http://www.positiveatheism.org
http://ffrf.org/index.php
http://www.theocracywatch.org
http://www.skeptic.com
http://www.atheist-experience.com
http://www.landoverbaptist.org
http://www.bettybowers.com
http://www.xenu.net
No, I'm Not a Christian -- Not Anymore!, by James Buckner
http://www.rationalresponders.com/


Fiction Studies

http://www.12apostlesofthecatholicchurch.com/
http://www.apostles.com
http://bible.cc/
http://www.godhatesfags.com
http://www.scientology.org

Please feel free to recommend sites for inclusion here, in both categories!



Just for the Road, One More Quotation

"Religion is an insult to human dignity.
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things.
But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

--Steven Weinberg