I’ve been in here reading for years, and thought it was time to join up. At work I am surrounded by Christian conservatives. As a liberal atheist I am treated like an exotic zoo animal (who of course is in desperate need of being born again). I discovered the very bastion of socially conscious liberal types, that welcomed atheists with open arms. So yes, I tried the Unitarian Universalist Church. They pride themselves on their tolerance. That is pretty much the only requirement for admission. Yes there were a few atheists there, and quite a few agnostics, and I like singing. But at the first meeting the woman of the left expounded the wonders of having your chakras balanced by a practitioner of some sort she wanted me to visit. The woman on the right was really into the healing powers of crystals. I found I was not tolerant enough to be a UU.
I discovered that there was a local group of atheists that met regularly, surely they must be my long looked for people? At the first meeting the woman on the right was talking about the dangers of the New World Order. She said, “it must be true, I read it on the internet.” (Truly the only thing wrong with the man on the left was that he was extremely boring and kept trying to pick me up.) Anyway I found that “atheist” doesn’t necessarily mean rational.
So, here I am, still somewhat bruised but looking for a little virtual companionship. Are you “my people”? We shall see.
Ah, this is a variation of the Foolmewunz Interwebs Theorem.
> You/I have likely come across fifteen thousand people in our lives (pro-rating for longevity, location, gregariousness, etc... pay it no mind it's a figure I pulled out of my butt, anyway).
> Of those, the sum total that I count as "friends" is about twenty people. In addition to those twenty, there are maybe eighty acquaintances (e.g. people who I've deemed worthy of my tolerance).
> That's it. 100:15,000
Now why would one assume, knowing that ratio, that you could join a group, any group, and find more than one acceptable acquaintance out of each 150 you come across. Yet just because we have something in common (Hey, you got a modem, I got a modem - let's get married! Or, alternately... Wow, I don't really believe in an omnipotent being either, pay no never mind to the fact that I'm a complete idiot.)
Having said this, be assured of the thought that His Pharoahness was expressing: Don't be surprised if a lot of us are jerks, too.
Welcome aboard. While most of them (note that I'm not including me) may be jerks, you'll find decent conversation and not much tolerance for woo. And, well, as to trying to pick you up? Well, just don't get into an elevator with a guy who offers you coffee. That gambit's already been used. (You also don't mention if you're male or female... if you're female, it's a given - you will be hit on. Poor things just can't help themselves.
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