JtS said: The title is a troll by stringsinger trying to bait the nonsense argument that the word "atheist" doesn't exist. If you call that pleasant discussion, then I guess things aren't so bad in your opinion.

And guest Seaham cemetery said: I to get out more. I genuinely assumed there was interest rather than what "Musket" calls an agenda on these threads. So much good intellectual banter on the music side but here under the bridge is where the trolls seem to live.

Clearly one man's troll is another person's intellectual. And Seaham C, you're right. There are a lot of trolls down here, though their identification is entirely subjective. Occasionally there are stunningly good discussions below the line, but those days seem to be long gone, for the most part.

The original post, counter to JtS's characterization, contains a link to a rational discussion of how atheists still manage to have joyful lives filled with moral choices and distinctions. It has the title 20 Atheist Quotes About Joy and Meaning That Crush 'Angry, Empty' Stereotype, posted on February 7, 2014.

Recently an "educational" pamphlet designed for Christian children made its way around Facebook. It warned God's little lambs to avoid sour unhappy people called "atheists." A private school curriculum called Accelerated Christian Education includes cartoons in which the atheist characters are rude, mean and drunk; and bad things happen to them.

Stereotypes like these get echoed sometimes even in Christian books and lectures that are targeted at adults. I once attended a successful megachurch on the Sunday before Easter. The pastor wanted his audience to be clear that the resurrection of Jesus wasn't merely some spiritual metaphor. "If the resurrection didn't literally happen," he shouted, "there is no reason for us to be here! If the resurrection didn't literally happen—there are parties to be had! There are women to be had! There are guns to shoot! There are people to shoot!"

You caught the subtext? Atheists (and even liberal Christians) have no basis for morality. Nothing—and I mean nothing!—stands between a godless person and debauchery or lechery or even violence.

Population demographics suggest otherwise, of course. Atheism is far more common among elite scientists and some of the most peaceful and equitable societies on earth are also the least religious. But believers persist in fearing that godless people are amoral, that unfettered by religion the world would descend into the anarchy and bloodbath depicted in the Left Behind movies. . . .

We have a number of people who aren't just trolls, they are stalkers. They follow individuals from thread to thread and throw the same stinky shit in each thread, muddying the waters, chasing off those who wanted to participate in a rational discussion, then bickering endlessly amongst themselves.

Now a new rational voice has strayed into the field and promptly been trounced by the resident fools. No surprise, just disappointment. And this is the reason why I only skim most of these threads any more, to see if the usual combatants are blowing the usual dog whistles.

I used to love Rick Fielding's food threads. They usually started with him asking for a recipe after describing a hilarious kitchen disaster . . .

SRS