Atheism

I personally had it out with Frank Apisa also and I was certain that he left the site because of me. He got on some tack about something and we had a running gun battle which was, in retrospect, stupid and rather childish of me to continue . Frank has been gone for over a year and I recall some of the NY members saying that he still hangs out with Joe Nation and Kicky.

I don't think Frank deals well with criticism. He started a thread to say that conservatives are always on the wrong side of any major issue, and used the revolution and the civil war as examples. I pointed out that he was wrong about that. He told me to get f*****, and i believe he was temporarily banned for that--back in the day when that kind of comment was still forbidden. What evenually made him decide to leave, i couldn't say.

He lacked composure and any ability to discuss without lofting into some high state of agression complete with all kinds of invective and cursery. I thought him quite cool, since I am a sub-tournament- level bass fisherman, I practiced my bait presentation on him.

That whole bruhaha was interesting, because Frank did not in fact start it. I don't remember the name of the member now, but someone else started a thread to claim that agnostics were the only truly honest people in the debates about belief, and that they were morally and intellectually superior because of their position. Then Frank jumped in with both feet.

Bloopbloop..bloopbloopbloopbloop....bloop.BLOOOOSHH...

Blah. This is stupid.

I'm more than a little bored with this same-old-**** banter. Can we please drop all the announcements about how we're going to just ignore so and so and about how we're drawn in blah blah. It's only one step away form the ultimate in forum lame declarations--That being the tough guy act about not needed to put people on ignore or the statement that others ignoring you means something in support of blah blah blah.

Because (1) it's the most quoted post in this thread, and (2) because the very purpose of this thread is greatly debated, and (3) is frequently being used in one way or another against other posters, I think I'll chime in on littlek's OP:

1) Nothing about this post says that just atheists should be here.
2) Even if it was just atheists here, focusing on specific arguments or subtopics would still be off topic.
3) Posts were supposed to be about sharing ideas, and having constructive conversation.

That said, Set, shut up. You're arguing the same old crap that comes up in other threads. You're not offering ideas. Beyond that, you're used the above post to try and exclude others, when it is far more damning of your conduct here. Stop making a total ass our of yourself.

Let's be honest Set. You just love to argue. That's how you get off. Your MO is pretty well understood. Spendi trolls to frustrate people, and you troll to get shitty in people's faces. In this way, you two are very similar. You are over the top hostile with others, and when you get called on it, you play this "just defending myself" line of crap. It's bullshit--You're a bullshit artist. Yes, yes... I know kiss your red Irish ass, boss... or whatever. Surprise me for **** sake.

Here is some fun food for thought. Scrap the first post! It doesn't actually matter, and if it does or ever did, it would not have been for us to have some meta argument about later... now wait... something is familiar about this...

A bunch of people arguing about perceived rules written a long time ago. Someone establishes themselves as an authority on the original intent, makes offensive exclusionary statements, hides behind some false virtue of defending some purpose, and claims justification.

I don't believe that littlek's intent was to exclude others but rather for atheist to share their stories, experiences, and feelings. The thread was to offer support and share resources. It would be a pain in the Setanta to find it but I believe she even addressed some theists in the thread early on and her message wasn't shut up and get out.

So please, drop it. If your real desire was to honor the intent of the thread, then provide content relevant to the OP. Otherwise, you're just getting shitty for sport. If this is who you are, no wonder so many are so afraid of atheism. I'd not aspire to be anything closer to you either. Especially, when you use it as a weapon.

You're got some sort of baggage, and it's bigger than theism or atheism. Let it go, and treat people better. You're not going to get far if you enter every conversation thinking you've got nothing to learn or that what you share is always of greater importance.

Intrepid and Snood - Stick around if you're curious, but what is there to be curious about here anymore? Hardly much sharing on life experience on being an atheist, new ideas, or resources here as of late. That is, of course, unless you have some experiences that you feel you can share which are relate-able (even if not religious in theme).

That's a part of my experience, at least: That my experience as an atheist is not so unlike my experience as any other element of my identity. I've never let those other elements of my identity inhibit my happiness (they aren't even obstacles), and I've never used them as an excuse to separate myself. My life will never be on an island. My experience as an atheist, vegan, Asian, white, liberal, male American is just as much about learning to live and coexist with theistic, meat-eating, Hispanic, black, conservative, female Canadians (Editor's note: Results may vary).

I think that my life as an atheist will only be enriched by non-atheist people having a greater understanding of me. For this reason, I'm not keen to exclude others, or tell them they aren't welcome to my feelings. I want theists to hear me, and know me. It's no less important that I share my experience with them.

Atheism
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I remember that episode with Frank Apisa. It was mainly on one of the evolution threads as I recall. He was treated despicably by anti-IDers and he put up with it for longer than most people would have done.

His position was perfectly rational based as it was on atheists being unable to prove that there is no God. The blitz of insults he was subjected to is the usual response from people who can't answer an argument.

He was a good member of A2K and the anti-IDers who exasperated him enough for him to leave the site ought to be ashamed of themselves and even more now that they are still insulting him when he isn't here to answer back and they are giving their own version of the events which are false.

He left because he thought, quite rightly, that A2K had fallen into the hands of stupids.

I recall the day Frank Apisa left a2k. It was on one of the evolution threads. I want to say, the one on challenges to the teaching of same, but no longer certain. He insisted that we on the thread accept a proposition of his. When no one caved, he said he was leaving and would never revisit us.

http://able2know.org/topic/50511-912#post-3574509
Here is Frank's final statement.

That's the way to get to know people fa.

Your polite, reasonable flannel results in you only ever having superficial relationships.

And I don't think Setanta is a troll. Or myself. It is too easy a gibe to gratuitously blurt out and can be directed at anybody or any argument. As is declaring that you are bored. I'm not bored.

A conversation is what it is. You should learn to either take it in your stride or piss off.

Thanks ed. I liked Frank and replaying the argument when he isn't here is pathetic. All he was saying was that if you can't prove there is no God you can't prove that there is no intelligent design. And the argument is unanswerable. That's why he was victimised by anti-IDers.

**** you, you whiney little bitch. I don't see you do anything but come into this thread, and as you do in every other thread, act as though you're the one honest arbiter of truth. You're delusional. I'd love to see you come up to me in person and attempt to shut me up--you snot-nosed, puerile whiner.

I have never attempted to exclude others, and you apparentlly aren't bright enough to see the hypocrisy of leveling that charge against me after telling me to shut up. You're a ******* idiot, an over-educated idiot who seems to think that the ability to string words together is equivalent to having useful ideas to present. In your case, that's an illusion.

I'm supposed to treat people better, huh? When you call me names and tell me to shut up, i'm supposed to treat you better? When those hateful christian crusaders Intrepid and Snood call me names, i'm supposed to treat them better? I'm no christian, and if someone slaps me, i don't turn the other cheek, i slap 'em back. Go **** yourself, and if you have a problem with my posts, don't read 'em and don't comment on 'em. Otherwise, i'm going to go after you hammer and tongs every time you puke up more of your hatefulness toward me.

Well FA, like daily bowel movements, at least he's consistent.

Well, i have to thank you, Snood, for finally revealing what a hateful son of a bitch you are.

Too much rar not enough blah.

You call it "hammer and tongs," and I call it just another predictable post from someone who likes to pose tough. I'm not impressed. Plenty of people on the internet to assert how tough they are in person. Stop flexing.

You don't like name-calling? You respond with the same verbal napalm regardless of how a person meters their language, so it makes no difference. Your history here is clear on that. Be honest, you're not a polite person. Skip past the part where we discuss how you need to be addressed to speak with civility (sans tongs and hammers). Intrepid and Snood aren't on a crusade and you sound foolish composing such imagery. You're not defending yourself, you're being shitty for sport.

You should treat others better. Regardless of your ability to dismiss me for whatever reason fits your mood, nothing changes that. If you're as intelligent as you like to assert I am not, then you don't need to be shitty all the damn time; you do so because you want to. My advice stands: Be nice, or shut up, boss.

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Shut me up, punk. You're hilarious. You claim i want to exclude people, while telling me to shut up. There's a word for that . . .

Hypocrite.

Whether I say it, someone else says it, or nobody says anything, your alternative has always been available: Be kind. Of course you don't have to shut up... I don't have any agency over you. I'm without any authority to assist you in any way whatsoever.

You're keen to dish it out, but you can soak through the tissues with the best of them when it comes to taking it. I'm not really concerned with you calling me a "hypocrite." For that matter, I'm not concerned with any of the names you've called me over time. You've name-call so much, you've made it rather meaningless, add to that the use of "hypocrite," the most common and over-used of all accusations in any forums setting. It's rather impotent jabbing. Give it a rest. I get it already, I'm a punk or whatever. In fact, I'm sure most you've interacted with are aware of your opinion of them, so just get to the content and don't waste my time with your insult primers.

Do you have anything to contribute to the thread or are you here to argue with people? Nobody requires the Set to defend this thread from the crusaders of religion. If you find yourself embattled in this thread, it's because you want to.

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Retire the act.
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Retire your act, clown--with your idiot little signature gimick. Get off my back, and i'll have nothing to say to you. Otherwise, i'll continue to slam you for as long as you criticize me. You tell me to be kind? Tell that to the assholes like Snood who came here to make nasty remarks to me. Say that while you look in a mirror. You're a fuckin' idiot. If you don't want to hear that, don't say anything to me.

By the way, jackass, i've had plenty to say in this thread, but you only show up to read posts you want to criticize. That's what's known in statistics as the fallacy of the enumeration of favorable circumstances. You only look for posts in which i am being "unkind," and you ignore any posts in which i am talking about something else. It's clowns like you who are trashing this thread.

Whiner

Putz

Idiot