this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2025
28 points (83.3% liked)
Atheism
4580 readers
59 users here now
Community Guide
Archive Today will help you look at paywalled content the way search engines see it.
Statement of Purpose
- This is a support and conversation community for people who don't believe in gods.
- Superstition hucksters have no reason to subscribe or post here at all.
- If you are looking to debate or proselytize, options will be linked lower in the sidebar.
Acceptable
- Honest questions or conversations.
- Discussions on parenting or advice.
- Struggles, frustrations, coming out.
- Atheist memes. We can have fun!
- News headlines relevant to atheism.
Unacceptable
Depending on severity, you might be warned before adverse action is taken.
- Anything against site rules.
- Illegal and/or NSFW material.
- Troll posts and comments. There will be no attempt to explain what that means.
- Leading questions, agenda pushing, or disingenuous attempts to bait members.
- Personal attacks or flaming.
Inadvisable
- Self promotion or upvote farming.
- Excessive shitposting or off-topic discussion.
Application of warnings or bans will be subject to moderator discretion. Feel free to appeal. If changes to the guidelines are necessary, they will be adjusted.
If you vocally harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.
Likewise, if you are a member, sympathizer or a resemblant of a group that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of any other group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you you will be banned on sight.
Provable means able to provide proof to the moderation, and, if necessary, to the community.
~ /c/nostupidquestions
If you want your space listed in this sidebar and it is especially relevant to the atheist or skeptic communities, PM DancingPickle and we'll have a look!
Connect with Atheists
Help and Support Links
Streaming Media
This is mostly YouTube at the moment. Podcasts and similar media - especially on federated platforms - may also feature here.
Orgs, Blogs, Zines
Mainstream
Bibliography
Start here...
...proceed here.
Proselytize Religion
From Reddit
As a community with an interest in providing the best resources to its members, the following wiki links are provided as historical reference until we can establish our own.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I've been out of the church since I turned 18 and bolted out the door on my own, but here's a very simplified explanation from my own experiences.
Yes, to both.
Anything that makes a religious zealot think is pretty much automatically considered satanic, evil, of the devil, etc. Anything that challenges their sect's interpretation / dogma is also the devil's work / temptation.
Anything that isn't strictly in line with the sect's teachings is "of the world" and to be avoided. The only things they approve of are things that reinforce their existing interpretations. Basically, an echo chamber.
I wish I was joking or exaggerating, but at least in the religious environment I grew up in, that's how it was.
Here's the joke / not-a-joke answer: Jesus was a long haired white guy. That is not a picture of a long-haired white guy.
It’s fascinating how anything that disrupts the echo chamber is labeled as dangerous. It makes you wonder—if a belief system is truly unshakable, why fear questioning it? The idea that truth can’t withstand scrutiny seems contradictory. Maybe that’s why reinterpretation is so threatening—it forces people to confront the possibility that their 'absolute truths' might not be so absolute after all.
You have to remember that the scripture is dictated from the top: the Pope to the bishops to the priests to the masses, or the equivalent in other sects/religions. Therefore it's not so much about belief as it is about control: "trust my words only, disregard anything someone else says to contradict it." And it's repeated over and over with every sermon. Heck, the whole start of the Abrahamic religion is someone being told "kill your son, trust me bro it's the right thing to do."
That's an interesting point, and it's true that religious institutions have often been about maintaining control, shaping belief to fit a centralized narrative. The way scripture is interpreted and enforced can definitely create a system where questioning or alternative viewpoints are discouraged. It's almost like a constant reinforcement of trust in the authority—be it the Pope, clergy, or anyone in a position of power within the religious structure.
The story of Abraham is a stark example of this kind of unquestioning obedience, and it’s unsettling to think about how such acts are framed as divine tests. It raises a lot of questions about the nature of faith, morality, and the ways we accept or challenge authority in our lives. Sometimes, it's not about belief itself, but about how and why we’re made to believe.