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[madscience]

I've been thinking about my objection to atheist/skeptic organizations. Such groups have always seemed too much like churches for my taste. I'm uncomfortable with even the most loosely organized groups. I don't even use my Facebook status for copypasta causes, no matter how much I care about them

Comments

[glowing_fish]

Myeh, they are all boring bourgeois nihilists.

True. But..

[squidb0i]

1. Most people don't care.
2. Well built beneficial memes are worth propagating because they are effective.

[biggingerdave]

I disagree slightly. Common sense, for example: no one is born with common sense, it is taught through learning from people with more experience ("don't touch that stove, it's hot"), as well as through the traditional route of learning from mistakes.

[madscience]

We could get philosophical about whether anyone really knows the stove is hot until they've been burned...

[jryson]

I remember hearing about the Freethinkers in the eighth grade. I managed to get my hands on some literature, and found they all think the same way.

That said, organizations arise for mutual support and defense. That does mean you have to be somewhat selective re: membership. To say "This is an atheist organization," by definition requires one to be an atheist to be a member. A true free-thinker organization would welcome theist members, or even traditional Christians.

Then you'd need some other reason to exist, such as opposing reward or punishment for holding or expressing any opinion.

[madscience]

I've noticed that people who describe themselves as "free thinkers" almost invariably are not.

[jryson]

Real free-thinkers are known as "curmudgeons."

ETA: And they generally don't agree with each other.

[sassysmile]

You are so bizarre. :D

[madscience]

How bizarre, how bizarre!