Inspired by some of the discussion in this thread. I don’t think it’s appropriate place for that discussion there, but hey why not have a separate thread for it

If I think religion is not good in general, am I Reddit and cringe and basically Richard Dawkins?

  • mathemachristian [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    15 days ago

    To me it’s the difference between “There is no god.” and “If you believe there is a god then you’re stupid.” or the only slight variation “I believe there is no god because I’m smart” typically dressed up as “I believe there is no god because I am an entirely logical and rational being and well-versed in all the different logical fallacies, anyone who believes there is a god is not as logical and rational and either needs to be educated or is incapable of understanding the high forms of logical calculus I perform.”.

    The smugness and showing off ones atheism as a sign of superiority is what I typically mean when I talk about “reddit” atheism.

    There also is a very strong islamophobic undercurrent, where they are trying to justify their racist feelings of superiority towards all the MENA countries by being “equally” as derisive of christians (a.k.a. republicans/red states). I have never seen a reddit atheist extend good-faith, it’s always dunking or debate-broing to flex how “logical” they are.

    • TonoManza@lemmygrad.ml
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      15 days ago

      Nah, because this is a perfect description of me during my edgy atheist phase. Going from that last type of reddit atheist, with the islamophobia included, to converting to Islam after a lot of looking into it trying to “debate-bro”.

      • mathemachristian [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        15 days ago

        So you weren’t on reddit while an atheist but were acting similarly to what I’m describing and that’s the reason for why people don’t mean that when they talk about reddit atheism? Sorry I am tired and want to understand properly.

        • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          15 days ago

          It wasn’t far off from the much more successful (but still cringe) pitch for “singularity” cultists to brand themselves as capital-R “Rationalists.” They may as well have called themselves the Very Smartists. big-yud

          • mathemachristian [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            15 days ago

            oh, that’s when the gamergate crowd discovered atheism right? I tuned out after that. The Amazing Atheist was just peak cringe, but him going white supremacist (I forgot how open it was) turned it from i-cant to what-the-hell

            • UlyssesT [he/him]@hexbear.net
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              15 days ago

              It’s not quite lined up chronologically; a lot of Reddit New Atheists were that first then became freeze-gamergaters when their “debunk creationism” Youtube heroes chudded out.