Introduction #2

[Skygnome777]

Greetings,
My name is Alexander and I've read about your organization through meetup.com I've been considering attending one of your meet-ups for months. But I decided it's probably better to get an idea about what you all are about before I attend. I want to meet like minded people and possibly get involved in some volunteer work through an organization that doesn't have obnoxious secondary agendas.

Now for a little about me. I never believed in any gods. The closest I came was a brief new age period when I was younger. I find religion fascinating. But until the religious start providing reasonable evidence for what they believe they need to leave their decisions out of other peoples lives.

I majored in Philosophy in undergrad and have been trying to get into a philosophy graduate program for the past two years. I'm also a walking abridged encyclopedia of religions and cults.(You decide the difference!)
My major philosophical interest lately is the idea of justified belief. 'What aspects must a dilemma have for use to be required to question our assumptions?' is what I'm most interested in lately. But that's a lot of writing to include in an introduction.

I'm also a ridiculous person, who frequently says absurd things for a laugh. That's a good warning to give--otherwise people might think I'm insane in a bad way.

What are the primary interests of your organization? Socializing? Community involvement? Venting about former affiliations? Thoroughly thought provoking social commentary? Making offerings to the invisible spaghetti monster?

Should I show up at one of the Sunday Brunches for my first time or one of the monthly meet-ups?

This is actually my second time attempting to post my introduction. My last attempt was months ago and it was never approved. I asked why in an e-mail but never received a response. The title was "Yo dawgs what's poppin?" I thought it was facetiously disingenuous. Maybe it was taken the wrong way?

-Alexander

[Oy Veder]

Your middle name is not "Martin", is it?

[Skygnome777]

No. I have two middle names, neither of which are Martin. Why do you ask?

John and Bugos are my middle names.
The first being my late biological father's first name, the second being the tragic result of French goldsmiths running from the church to hide in Slovakia for a few generations--which eventually became my mothers maiden name.

My family seems to have a long history of making other religious folks angry. The rule seems to be we change religion every generation, unless someone threatens to kill us unless we change religion. Then we retain that religion for a couple more.
I'm warned that my children will end up converting to Scientology unless someone threatens to kill me directly.

[Stimbo]

My suspicion, based solely upon the fact that these first two posts are rant-free and sane, is that this may be an unrelated Alexander. However, I have been shown to be wrong many times. If this should turn out to be one of those times then feel free to shout "I told you so!" in unison.

Until then, welcome aboard (potentially new) Alexander. You'll have to forgive the baptism-of-fire; you happen to sport a similar name to a popular and self-admitted troll around these parts.

[Skygnome777]

I'm not sure I would say my posts were completely rant free, but I'm glad the definition of sanity here remains wide enough to include me.
No, I am not the troll you refer too. If you receive any "I told you sos" in unison--however pleasing the harmony they generate may be--they will be in error.

[Minimalist]

We had a troll named AlexanderMartin but I could tell right away that you were not he.

Welcome to our little asylum. Don't mind the rabbi....he's a bit odd.

[Zarathustra]

I want to meet like minded people and possibly get involved in some volunteer work through an organization that doesn't have obnoxious secondary agendas.

What obnoxious second agenda could an atheist group have? They can't disbelieve in God more than once. Do you think they may be a front for a Stalinist neo-marxist cadre? I have my suspicions about them, but have kept quiet till now. Nobody knows what their agenda is. Helping other people through voluntary effort is a good thing; Why is doing it through a religious/political organisation any more worthy?

[sheling]

Does this mean I have to put away my Bunnies For Peace signboards and propaganda now? I mean, you don't have to be atheist to agree with the idea that all nations sporting a religious leader should be ravished by a plague of super-bred rabbits that will descend upon their nation like a hoard of overly-fluffy, child-friendly (we're still humanists, after all) locusts and then be left alone, devouring and breeding and amusing small children until the leader in question agrees that, actually, God Is Lame (as demonstrated by a GIANT sign displayed from their government seat) and, really, secularisation is awesome now can you get rid of all these fucking rabbits, thanks ever so much.

Is that really such an obnoxious agenda? I mean, their public parks will be beautifully trimmed and those little circular poops made excellent fertiliser once the rain has softened them a little.

Welcome, Skygnome.

[Niels]

Perhaps most atheists don't take part in conspiracies, but I certainly do. I'd do (and have done) anything to further atheism.

I started my first Evil Scheme when I was 6 years old, just after I read the Bible for the first time. My plan was to make the Bible read by as many people as possible, so they could read the horrors for themselves and abandon God on the spot. So, I invented the Internet. Microsoft is actually my brainchild. At the time, it seemed the goal justified the means.

Now that everyone has had a chance to read the Bible (without any change to their convictions), and now that Microsoft has turned into the most evil company to date, I consider my plan failed.

@Sheling: Can I join your rabbit-quest? It seems more hopeful then my internet-scheme...

[Skygnome777]

Well one of the appealing aspects of this group was the obvious skill at hiding the conspiracy.
I mean, for craps sake you pretend you get up on a Sunday morning for brunch. No true atheist could rise that early after all the drinking on Saturday night.

Over turning a theocracy with bunnies would be FUCKING hilarious. *blinks as the humor in his joke flies over the heads of the crowd. Normal people can think about bunnies without recalling their prolific mating habits.*

Which brings me to an observation my brain seems to be making--whether it's an accurate observation it up for inspection.

First some possibly tangential background, I've always been drug free completely.
What started as a youthful fear was then solidified because I had three close friends that had to deal with addict parents.
So then I even went through four years of college without even a beer to my liver.

I am pretty unique because of this in any circle, but I've been getting the weird sense, through people on internet forums, that amongst atheists my attitude is actually more common.
What has everyone else observed?

I will probably someday, upon being dragged to a bar, lie to someone I don't drink because I'm Muslim. Then judging by how bad if a reaction I get, I can gauge whether admitting I'm an atheist is safe--because according to recent gallop poles I'm a member of an even less trusted minority in America.
WOO