Image Galleries > "Pictures of you with an RRS sign" - Why make it sexy?
Offline I'm unclear on the message RRS is trying to project with this.
This world is suggestive and idolizes women, from an evolutionary standpoint, RRS should be working hard to remove the stigma around this sort of thing. One thing Christians have going for them (and i say this cautiously) is that they don't generally approve of women walking around projecting a strong sexual image. It's really too bad that the women of this (specifically North American) are seen so strongly as sex objects instead of intelligent beings.
Nakedness is natural, the body is natural. It's a real shame that people in this society feel a need to make a statement by linking it to sex and more specifically, the female body. If you want to have a great body, for great sexual reasons, keep it for the great sexual reasons, it doesn't make sense to use this as a way to get viewers or whatever your agenda is.
If you keep this up there... put out a challenge to the men... make it equal, make it sexual (please not pornographic). It's a fallacy to think that only hot women are sexually stimulating... Guys need to recognize that women love hot men too... so hot men out there who want to make a statement... hang it creatively from your dangly. It's not rational however to be fighting the themes of morality while taking steps backwards creating the sexual prison that women find themselves involunatarily and unhappily in and locking men into not being able to release the conditioning that sexual fantasy has to be like this. Would be nice to have a day where people are seen as equals sexually, physically, intellectually. These actions are not condusive to a world where equality exists, and people have natural freedoms.
And to the women... show how brilliant you are intellectually... no one really needs to read it plastered across your chest, they wouldn't be reading that message anyhow. Rise above the stigma that is out there, women are just as sexy and evocative being brilliant, intelligent and well educated.
I'm not about oppressing sexuality, I love it as much as the next, I'm against the whole idea that society is locked in a mindset that women have to make statements sexually, it degrades a progressive image that we can be free of and respected as women who are intelligent and worthy of equality and respect. Humans as a species don't have a great future to look forward to untill all can be respected for what they are and this message simply destroys that.
Drea
If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him.
Mark Twain
Offline I think it's fine, like i said, i'm not against people expressing themselves. I don't like the message we send out time and again as a society that we should manipulate sexual fantasy into logic and reason. If this site is about rational response, well, it's not a "rational" response. But it could be taken as a "fun" response. Either way, i'm personally not a supporter of endorsing images of intelligent women manipuating their sexuality to get a "logical" reaction.
You have a magnet "another reason for atheism" or something like that... with some girl on it. It's not another rational reason for atheism, christianity has lots of hotties. If this is a rational response site well... cudos. But... like i said, i'm not a fan of endorsing women into this train of thought. As much as we want to liberate Christians from their God prison, it's too bad that women aren't liberated from the sexual prison they are in. Some are, good for them, but they are still putting those images out to incite a sexual response, not a rational or intelligent one.
I'm not against people exploring their sexuality, just not at the expense of mixing the worlds up and the message to send out. It's ok to be sexual, intelligent and freethinking, but projecting an image of sexuality onto atheism isn't rational, philosophical or anything. It might be aligned with the way this site represents itself but i hope it's not an image that christians adopt of the rest of us atheists.
If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him.
Mark Twain
Offline I will post some pics of me half naked. I cant promise sexy though. 
Offline You have a magnet "another reason for atheism" or something like that... with some girl on it.
That magnet was created by Darth Josh. Meet Darth Josh:
C'mon men, get sexy wit it... post some pics of you with an RRS sign.
He's not the man he wants you to think he is. Go to The Real John McCain to learn about the double talk express. View these videos about John McCain to learn about the flip-flopping double talker.
Offline I might also mention that the magnet picture was created with full permission from fyre86.
I'll look better at the end of summer and I'll do another one with the same sign.
Smoochies, Snoogins. lol.
"Preachers and prostitutes earn their money on bended knee using mouth and hands. I much prefer the company of the latter." - Me
Offline Is that a "Responders.com" in your hand, or are you just happy to see us?
BTW, I have it on good authority that Darth couldn't have made that sign any smaller.
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
If you love God, burn a church! - Jello Biafra
“Fear is just another word for ignorance. - Hunter S. Thompson
Offline LOL!!! excellent 
It's not about covering up, and i don't walk around buttoned to the top. You don't know my past but to call me a sexual prude would be one of the last things people who know me would say. That said, it's the mix of messages.
Context for instance, my parents are saddened that i'm an atheist, probably more than any other thing i've done in my life (i've done a number of doozies). Anyhow, seeing images where people are being sexually suggestive and mixing in atheism is a negative association for them. If we want to free Christians from a mindset, this isn't the way to do it. I LOVE your Darth Josh pic, it's fantastic. It's natural, funny, and not sexual. If women did this, i'd be cool with it because it's not a sexual message. I dont want mom thinking that now that i'm an atheist i can get away with anything, act however i want etc. We should be trying to get that stigma removed from perseptions. Her gut instinct from her own conditioning and programming would just incite a knee-jerk reaction. It's the projected but unintentional image. Atheisim is not about philosophy or life values. People are entitled to their own (within reason, we all know about community and conscience). It's simply a statement about divinity, theism, spirituality etc. (i'm taking some liberties because it's my personal opinion, and i'm not speaking for everyone.)
We came to earth naked, we spent much of evolution naked, it's not wrong, it's just not "atheist" to make it sexual if you know what i'm getting at.
Bikini's at a beach... i don't care about. Making atheism and having it cheered on by a macho sexual fantasy... not my bag baby. I think it's counter productive to reaching christians who are concerned about their spiritual selves and breaking free.
If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him.
Mark Twain
Offline I might have to make one of these. That's a threat, not a promise.
Offline I might have to make one of these. That's a threat, not a promise.
LOL, just be sure to have the pimp cap on and the goblet in hand. Make it classy!
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
If you love God, burn a church! - Jello Biafra
“Fear is just another word for ignorance. - Hunter S. Thompson
Offline If this site is about rational response, well, it's not a "rational" response. But it could be taken as a "fun" response. Either way, i'm personally not a supporter of endorsing images of intelligent women manipuating their sexuality to get a "logical" reaction.
I disagree. The fact that people are attracted to certain body types (albeit with individual preferences, but as a generalization) is in fact an evolutionary mechanism. Men like boobs because that is an indicator of a woman's readiness for reproduction. Men are attracted to younger women because they have more reproductive years available and are more likely to survive pregnancy and childbirth and produce a child with fewer genetic defects. Women do not generally have the same kind of response to visual stimulation because from an anthropological standpoint women chose their mates based more on the ability to protect and provide for their offspring, and also because women are the scarcer resource from a biological perspective. Just about any post-pubescent man is capable of reproduction.
i'm not a fan of endorsing women into this train of thought. As much as we want to liberate Christians from their God prison, it's too bad that women aren't liberated from the sexual prison they are in. Some are, good for them, but they are still putting those images out to incite a sexual response, not a rational or intelligent one.
I in no way feel that I am in any kind of "sexual prison". Conversely, I feel very much in charge of and proud of my sexuality. If anything, I feel that the men are more imprisoned by this than the women who may or may not choose to use it to their advantage.
I'm not against people exploring their sexuality, just not at the expense of mixing the worlds up and the message to send out. It's ok to be sexual, intelligent and freethinking, but projecting an image of sexuality onto atheism isn't rational, philosophical or anything. It might be aligned with the way this site represents itself but i hope it's not an image that christians adopt of the rest of us atheists.
Nobody is projecting an image of anything onto "atheism". Atheism is made up of individuals, and those who choose to be sexy can be sexy and those who choose not to don't have to. As far as I'm concerned, and I believe that I stated something similar in the "Atheist diversity and RRS criticism" video available here and in the show from last week in which Jake did individual interviews of each of us, but if somebody was more interested in us or our site (or even wasted time talking about it in their blog or forum--whatever) because they saw me on Nightline and thought i was hot or had nice tits or whatever, my ultimate goal of getting people here and getting people talking was still served. And, not to sound arrogant, I have a feeling that there were more than a few of those based on the feedback that we've gotten. As a matter of fact, I had an email in which a man specifically said that he had never heard of us and was sitting around flipping channels when he saw me and stopped. He then watched the rest of the debate and even went through the trouble of getting my contact info through the site to tell me that. So...yeah. We need more hawtness, not less. 
Offline See, this is more fun and goofy. It's not sexual... that's more inline with people having a good time and making it even. If you guys do something goofy hell, i'd be tempted to throw something silly in too. Making statements like this is such a more positive message in terms of projected image. It's fun, it celebrates freedoms, but it's not mixing messages, it's just fun.
IMHO, it takes the pressure off women to have to submit sexy pics because we all get judged on it being sexy or not. It also removes the image that atheists don't need to be morally responsible (i KNOW it's not true before someone jumps on me, i'm an atheist too) because that's the opinion christians will jump to. And it's not mixing an opinion with fantasy on a "rational thinkers" website. Making it fun and silly, we all can do that, great bodies or not, and it's fun for everyone.
Yeah, i'll put up something goofy if you all do :D
If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him.
Mark Twain
Offline LOL, Landover Baptist had the "Convert to Cristianity and get a PS2" deal, I'm thinking Kelly is a bit more bankable than electronics to the vast sexually repressed theistic crowd out there.......
/twists moustache and cackles nefariously
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
If you love God, burn a church! - Jello Biafra
“Fear is just another word for ignorance. - Hunter S. Thompson
Offline Drea I think the pic you have in your avatar is pretty sexy. 
Offline Kelly,
It's your website, not mine. It's my opinion, obviously not shared by you. All good. I'm not going to say women can't be hot, i'm not about oppressing anything. I don't even disagree on your logic about attractiveness on evolution.
If you don't mind using your body to futher your agenda and the site, that's up to you. If you are comfortable with that, it's your perrogative and really not my business nor is it my place to agree or not agree. What i was saying, perhaps in a convoluded way, is that by mixing the atheist rational response to religion with sexual fantasy isn't logical. You might get guys to show up cuz they want to fantasize about you and further the numbers on the site but... it's not elliciting a logical response to the atheist/religious question.
I already heard your interview, and i already knew your position. I just hope that Christians or religious people don't think that all of us exploit our sexuality to get people to listen to us. I also hope that while we are always seeming to fight the stigma that atheists are ammoral, that this doesn't backfire on an image that i hope goes away. I'm not saying what you are doing is ammoral, but what i am saying is that in the CHristian view of things, it is. Exploiting ones body isn't a christian concept, even if you gain. So, while trying to reach christians in a rational way and if engaging them into this line of thought is one of the agendas of this site, i would suggest that this is not a totally great way of going about it.
It's not a personal slam against you Kelly or anyone else who has tons of confidence in their body image and celebrates their sexuality. Cudos for that, it's just i think to reach people who are slowing trying to reconcile their doubts about religion and are searching for knowledge, their conditioning would make them withdraw because of this image.
Maybe that's not what this site is about. I could totally be mistaken. Perhaps this site is about a common ground for atheists, for atheist so share rational responses and isn't about educating or trying to reach Christians in doubt. I could totally be off on my assumptions and if so and it's just a chilled out place for atheists to do whatever and express whatever then i take it all back and conceded without contest that these opinons have no place here.
If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean, it does nowadays, because now we can't burn him.
Mark Twain
Offline Drea I think the pic you have in your avatar is pretty sexy.
It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type...cuz if I were I'd say "back off you piece of vomitus mass! You scum sucking vile remnant of a diseased amoeba! You loathing degenerate strip of slug scum!"...if I were jealous…which I’m not…jealous.
Kidding, I can’t fault a man for having eyes… I liked her so much I married her!
Cheers!
"All it would take to kill God is one meteorite a half mile across - think about why." - Vorax
Visit my blog on Atheism: Cerebral Thinking for some more food for intelligent thought.
Offline Kelly,
It's your website, not mine. It's my opinion, obviously not shared by you. All good.
Well, beyond that, this is a community where you can have your opinion and I can have mine and mine doesn't necessarily trump yours just because it's "my" site. I welcome dissenting views and that's what makes it interesting and informative.
mixing the atheist rational response to religion with sexual fantasy isn't logical. You might get guys to show up cuz they want to fantasize about you and further the numbers on the site but... it's not elliciting a logical response to the atheist/religious question.
I see it as a very rational way to get people to come here and then find logical responses to the issue of religion. Like the neon sign that attracts customers to a business.
I just hope that Christians or religious people don't think that all of us exploit our sexuality to get people to listen to us. I also hope that while we are always seeming to fight the stigma that atheists are ammoral, that this doesn't backfire on an image that i hope goes away. I'm not saying what you are doing is ammoral, but what i am saying is that in the CHristian view of things, it is. Exploiting ones body isn't a christian concept, even if you gain. So, while trying to reach christians in a rational way and if engaging them into this line of thought is one of the agendas of this site, i would suggest that this is not a totally great way of going about it.
I don't think that we should be catering to the christian worldview in any way, and particularly not with regards to sexuality. The best way to remove a stigma is to get it into the public sphere and force people to deal with it. Look at homosexuality. Should they just keep quiet because religious people don't agree with them? That isn't the way to liberate anybody--it has the opposite effect of keeping them in bondage to the opinions and beliefs of others.
Maybe that's not what this site is about. I could totally be mistaken. Perhaps this site is about a common ground for atheists, for atheist so share rational responses and isn't about educating or trying to reach Christians in doubt. I could totally be off on my assumptions and if so and it's just a chilled out place for atheists to do whatever and express whatever then i take it all back and conceded without contest that these opinons have no place here.
We aim to do both here. We want to offer a sense of community to the often isolated (or seemingly-so) atheists AND we want to educate and reach those who are trapped in delusional belief systems. But, like I said before, catering to their conception of morality isn't how we choose to go about it. I would say that it is highly likely that many more theists would be scared off by our logo than by any number of relatively mild pictures of women holding signs.
Offline Drea I think the pic you have in your avatar is pretty sexy.
Indeed, I just didn't want to be the first to say so 
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
If you love God, burn a church! - Jello Biafra
“Fear is just another word for ignorance. - Hunter S. Thompson
Offline AbandonMyPeace wrote:Drea I think the pic you have in your avatar is pretty sexy.
It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type...cuz if I were I'd say "back off you piece of vomitus mass! You scum sucking vile remnant of a diseased amoeba! You loathing degenerate strip of slug scum!"...if I were jealous…which I’m not…jealous.
Kidding, I can’t fault a man for having eyes… I liked her so much I married her!
Cheers!
Lol. Well I mean no harm. Im a married man myself. Just pointing out that clothed or not it doesnt really matter. Women look good either way.
Offline Perhaps this site is about a common ground for atheists, for atheist so share rational responses and isn't about educating or trying to reach Christians in doubt.
The issue here is simply that the owners of this site (and their close associates) feel that we can educate "the irrational" without shielding them from sex. You seem to disagree, that's fine. Keep in mind we live in a country in which about $50 per year per person is spent on the porn industry. And you should see what the porn industry is like in some of the heavy Islamic countries, it's worse!
Sex doesn't scare people... it attracts them. This thread is starting to make me think that if "you got it" and you don't flaunt it to help the world overcome religion, than you are not doing enough (assuming you feel comfortable with it). I'm not there quite yet, I know that's a bold statement... but I'm starting to ponder it.
He's not the man he wants you to think he is. Go to The Real John McCain to learn about the double talk express. View these videos about John McCain to learn about the flip-flopping double talker.
Offline Kelly,
People don't put up neon signs advertising cheap beer and once inside try to sell them stamps. I guess i'm part of that group of women who is sick and tired of being seen as sexual objects for men to drool on or fantasize about. I like knowing htat i'm attractive, and i like being considered "hot". I respect men enough that i wouldn't use it to my advantage, nor would i use it to further my own agenda. I want to know i'm an equal and got things by playing on the same field as everyone else.
Our principals differ there. I'd love to see what the other intelligent women on this site think tho.
About catering to the Christian view? Who says that view is entirely Christian. Just because you have a view different than mine isn'
It already was a challenge to the men. So far only women submitted pics. But I've called in Darth Josh just for you... you're about to get your sexy time wish.
What about women who choose to make these statments because they want to? Have you considered some of those women might exist?
He's not the man he wants you to think he is. Go to The Real John McCain to learn about the double talk express. View these videos about John McCain to learn about the flip-flopping double talker.
Uh oh....
Drea, you do have to account for the fact that socially it is seen (more so for men than for women) that showing sexually provocative pictures of yourself is seen as a sign of vainity, in other words, weakness. You need to account for this in your tally of who has what problems to overcome in order to achieve true egalitarianism/equality.
The Enlightenment wounded the beast, but the killing blow has yet to land...
Head explodes. Reread what you just wrote.
"This world is suggestive and idolizes women, from an evolutionary standpoint, RRS should be working hard to remove the stigma around this sort of thing. One thing Christians have going for them...is that they don't generally approve of women walking around projecting a strong sexual image."
We've got no problem with women or anyone else flaunting their sexuality if they choose to do so. The human body does not offend any of us in the least. It's YOUR body, do as you wish with it - including posing half naked with our banner if you so desire.
Kelly's really the one you want to have this convo with. Thor forbid the woman have a chest and appear on TV :roll: You wouldn't believe the shit she has to deal with.
There wasn't much of an agenda involved. I think the pics you are refferring to are of Amanda Bloom, who's a bit of a exhibitionist. She sent us pics, asked them to be put up, and we put them up. That's it.
We don't use them for advertising or anything else, the only place we have them posted is here - at the request of a friend no less. I honestly never thought much of it. Amanda had no problem with it, so niether did I or any or us. You're actually the first person to mention them in any negative fashion and they've been up for nearly a year.
If some fat guy shaved RRS into his back hair and sent us a pic and asked us to post it, we'd do it. No men have ever sent such or asked for such. And no, we wouldn't show pics with genitles, we're not running a porno site here.
Can I ask if you'd have a problem if the girls posed with a sign at the beach in a bikini? She'd be showing just a much.
I have no idea where this is coming from
How exactly have we locked women into a sexual prison by posting pictures we were asked to post? It seems you're the one with a repressed and sexist notion of sexuality here in all honesty.
Yeah, no idea where this is coming from, you clearly don't know us all that well.
Brilliant women are insanely attractive, but there's also nothing wrong with wanting to be and being physically attractive as well. If you want to flaunt your sexuality, do it - AND BE BRILLIANT TOO! You keep mentioning this stigma, and you won't find that here. You don't counter such notions by buttoning the top button on your shirt and denying that you're a sexual being - you do it by being BOTH, if you so choose to be.
Women don't have to do anything they don't want to do. In this case, a woman wanted to pose half naked with our sign.
Look, Drea, I'm sorry if I got snippy with you. You're new here, and you don't really know our history or that of our friends and associates. I can see how you drew the conclusion you did, but I assure you it is unfounded.
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
If you love God, burn a church! - Jello Biafra
“Fear is just another word for ignorance. - Hunter S. Thompson