Atheists: No Monopoly
On Smarts Or Honesty
(unsigned)
From: "bluekalyx"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Sent: August 06, 2001 7:55 PM
Subject: a fellow "atheist" with a big issue
atheism means, literally "without religion". and yet... this page seems to have all the bearings of what one would call a religion. granted, a secular religion, but a relgion none the less. you are taking all the people on this planet who do not identify themselves with one particular faith, and putting a giant banner of "atheist" over our heads. you might argue that you're trying to band together people to fight the powers that be and fight for our freedom of religion, but by putting everyone under one name, you're only making us easier to dismiss. and as a sidenote, i find the belligerant tone of your web page to be reprehensible. you come out swinging at theists. no wonder you have problems engaging in "truthful" and "intelligent" conversations with them.
i have a suggestion for you. you need to accept the following facts:
1.) those of us without religion are a very very tiny minority
2.) it is human nature (animal instinct, none the less) to supress the minority to ensure survival.
3.) the world, despite what we have been taught, has not, is not, and will not ever be minority friendly. america included. realize and accept these facts.
*********
[Free e-mail URL removed] - more style than than a drag queen on friday night.
From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "bluekalyx"
Subject: Re: a fellow "atheist" with a big issue
Date: August 06, 2001 4:32 PM
Why is it that the ones who write to me and try to portray me as being stupid tend to be the ones who don't know how to write?
atheism means, literally "without religion". and yet... this page seems to have all the bearings of what one would call a religion. granted, a secular religion, but a relgion none the less.
Just what is it that makes the lack of religion a religion? I suppose the next thing you're going to try to tell me is that bald is a hair color.
What gives you the privilege to make words mean what you want them to mean when the rest of us go ahead and use their commonly accepted meanings? and what benefit do you derive from doing this?
you are taking all the people on this planet who do not identify themselves with one particular faith, and putting a giant banner of "atheist" over our heads
Think what you want. The definition for atheist that has been commonly accepted by atheists ever since it stopped being a capital crime to discuss atheism is: one who is without any religious faith or one who lacks a god belief for whatever reason.
I don't understand where you get off talking about "one particular faith" when we have clearly stated our definition of atheist.
you might argue that you're trying to band together people to fight the powers that be and fight for our freedom of religion, but by putting everyone under one name, you're only making us easier to dismiss.
Again: Say what you want. We have made our position clear and are not trying to band anybody together to do anything. In fact, even though we produce a magazine and a website with a specific target audience in mind, we don't care how many people read it -- if any.
i find the belligerant tone of your web page to be reprehensible.
It's very easy to sling emotionally charged language such as this: perhaps those who are too lazy to look up the facts might be swayed over to your position (whatever that is). However, that doesn't fly with me. I want you to give some specific examples of what you mean by "belligerant tone."
you come out swinging at theists
I come out swinging at liars -- theist or otherwise.
Again, please demonstrate that it's theists that I "come out swinging at" and that it's nontheists that I do not "come out swinging at."
You won't be able to do this because the truth is that I launch my salvoes at liars (such as yourself) and do not care if they're theists or atheists.
no wonder you have problems engaging in "truthful" and "intelligent" conversations with them.
Again: I have problems engaging in "truthful" conversations with liars (such as yourself) and I have problems engaging in "intelligent" conversations with uneducated or lazy people who cannot even pull off a simple sentence in English (such as yourself).
i have a suggestion for you. you need to accept the following facts: 1.) those of us without religion are a very very tiny minority
The statistics and studies disagree with you. I will continue to go along with the statistics and studies unless and until you give me a strong reason to do otherwise.
2.) it is human nature (animal instinct, none the less) to supress the minority to ensure survival.
I don't see this being the case. Again, you'll have to give me strong reasons to believe that you're telling me the truth, here.
3.) the world, despite what we have been taught, has not, is not, and will not ever be minority friendly. america included.
So, then, even if you're right (and you have not convinced me that you are), does it then become expedient or proper to simply bend over and take it?
Please do not write to our domain again unless you're willing to be more truthful than you've been here.
Have a nice life: as far as we can tell, it's the only one we get.
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Six years of service to
people with no reason to believe
From: "bluekalyx"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Sent: August 06, 2001 8:40 PM
Subject: RE: a fellow "atheist" with a big issue
look, i stopped reading your email once you started insisting over and over and i'm a "liar". now it's apparent that you just have some deep seated emotional problems. from the first words you typed, you were sarcastic and on edge. i'm not even going to try to engage in any form of discourse with you anymore. don't bother responding. i just hope you realize someday that you're only doing yourself and those who associate with you and your page a world of harm. you're just giving the holy rollers and example of "those angry, godless, communist atheists" to point a finger at. i hope you forgive your dad for lying to you all those years, or whomever it was who caused your incredably unpleasent disposition (you do know you don't have to see those bullies in high school anymore, right??) please go choke on some bread or something. remove yourself from the gene pool, you diseased and unfortunate human being.
From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "bluekalyx"
Subject: Re: a fellow "atheist" with a big issue
Date: August 06, 2001 5:12 PM
now it's apparent that you just have some deep seated emotional problems
I asked you not to write to this domain again unless you are willing to be truthful. An Ad Hominem Attack, combined with implied threats of physical violence and other personal attacks, is not my idea of honest argument.
Now I must insist that you stop writing to our domain, period.
We're here to engage in truthful, intelligent discussions. In fact, we can handle your flippers having been placed a little farther apart than most, and we can even handle the cheese having slid off your cracker, that's not really an issue with us; but we do insist on truthfulness and honest in a discussion, as the statement on our front page indicates.
Have a nice life.
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Six years of service to
people with no reason to believe
Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.