Where has every one gone?

digitalbeachbum's picture

I have been on these forums for many years and seen plenty of people come and go. However the forums don't have many theists any more. Did you guys scare them away while I was on hiatus?

Where art thou theist? Did the lack of factual evidence cause you to flee?

iwbiek's picture

i ask this question

i've asked this question periodically for the last two years or so.

Brian37's picture

 Has nothing to do with the

 Has nothing to do with the amount of theists here. Brian Sapient has a job outside this website and on top of that social media has grown in competition with Facebook and twitter and Instagram and is growing as well. Brian does not have a budget to advertise this website and there are tons of other atheist websites and organizations.

I'd say if you want more theists here you all have family and friends and co workers, and you can also link this page on your own FB pages and twitter accounts. It would also bring in other atheists as well.

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog

digitalbeachbum's picture

Brian37 wrote:  Has nothing

Brian37 wrote:

 Has nothing to do with the amount of theists here. Brian Sapient has a job outside this website and on top of that social media has grown in competition with Facebook and twitter and Instagram and is growing as well. Brian does not have a budget to advertise this website and there are tons of other atheist websites and organizations.

I'd say if you want more theists here you all have family and friends and co workers, and you can also link this page on your own FB pages and twitter accounts. It would also bring in other atheists as well.

I wish I could give more to the cause but I'm not in a monetary position right now of abundance. That aside I might change my sig on all my emails and then attempt to link things with my Google+ page (which I only have because of gmail). I refuse to use Twit or Facepalm but I found new reasons to hate FB as two days ago a nasty rootkit got through my virus protection on my wife's laptop. It took out the whole drive but I was able to recover her files and format it.

 

Jeffrick's picture

We won!

When you are just spouting off fairy tales that are 2000 and more years old, you do run out of gas after a while. We as individuals can promote the site and see if we can bring in more traffic.

Over all we seem to have won the argument. Hurray for us!!!!!

"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."

VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"

If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?

digitalbeachbum's picture

iwbiek wrote:i've asked this

iwbiek wrote:
i've asked this question periodically for the last two years or so.

I used to go out to the religious websites to debate but usually I would get blacklisted after a while. The only other website I visit is Freeratio.Org (which had sprouted from the IIDB) but I see that as of 9/23/2014 the domain name was not registered again.

If there are any other sites you use let me know. I enjoy reading the discussions.

digitalbeachbum's picture

Jeffrick wrote:

Jeffrick wrote:
When you are just spouting off fairy tales that are 2000 and more years old, you do run out of gas after a while. We as individuals can promote the site and see if we can bring in more traffic. Over all we seem to have won the argument. Hurray for us!!!!!

I don't think you win these types of discussions but instead influence people to think differently. You might even lose the discussion but the rational thinking inspires others listening or reading to question the authority who is manipulating them, thus causing a positive chain of events which spans decades.

Brian37's picture

 Some need to take into

 Some need to take into account the history of atheists on social media. Infidel Guy and a guy named Jake started the now defunct "atheistnetwork" back in 98-99, when there were very few atheist websites of any kind on social media, with the exception of the big boys like American Atheists. But even with that Atheists were far more demonized and seen as socially unacceptable.

Enter the attacks of 9/11/01 and the prior 30 years of religion taking the political spotlight, got put under scrutiny. The cold war scare built it and 9/11/01 put a crack in it. It opened the door for atheists to not only question Islam, but the role of religion in government in the west.

As social media grew more atheist websites popped up. Infidel Guy made an attempt at creating a 24/7 atheist radio feed called "Freethoughtmedia", but because of competition and the declining economy, it was for one man, unsustainable. But his efforts gave voices to thousands of atheists. Robert Price had a show on that former network, as well as Brian Sapient who went on to create this website. Who also in turn provided a venue for thousands of atheists. If not to post to simply read to know they were not alone.

While all of us can spend time promoting this website on other social media, it isn't a bad thing for change to happen. What is important is the value of questioning and a growing voice so that things like science are promoted, and attempts at theocracy are kept in check.

There are tons of blocks to the history of the atheist voice over the past 13 years. Skeptisism is a live and kicking as it always should be. Regareless of what individuals may think of each other on this website, it has been no small part of why the atheist voice has grown. 

I'd say if we want this to grow some more, then all of us have the power to promote this website whereever we think it will help. I do not think Brian is going to complain if we do that. So instead of asking what happened, think of what you can do on your own to promote this website.

 

 

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog

Well

digitalbeachbum wrote:

I have been on these forums for many years and seen plenty of people come and go. However the forums don't have many theists any more. Did you guys scare them away while I was on hiatus?

Where art thou theist? Did the lack of factual evidence cause you to flee?

They don't have an converstaion that sustains itself. What manner of defence or logical input could one have if their knowledge is based on Old World, Middle Age, Dark age superstitions.

The only possible thing the world needs saving from are those running it.

https://sites.google.com/site/oldseers

Knowledge trumps faith and I'm not a Theist

Lies are nothing more then falsehoods searching for the truth

1. There are less theists

1. There are less theists today than 10 yrs ago.

2. Of the theists left, there are less willing to act a fool on an atheist site.

3. We don't have active publicity stunts drawing theists in.

4. Social media has pushed people to a short argument format. Forum sites like ours aren't as desired anymore.

If we could ever upgrade this site I would want to allow facebook sign ins, which would encourage more usage.  Unfortunately my man for the upgrade has never had the time.  I'm currently interviewing for jobs, hoping I can upgrade my pay level.  If I can get a career boost I may end up with the finances to pay a company to help do the work.  Sadly, people really don't like the RRS years on my resume.  

 

BobSpence's picture

Old Seer

Old Seer wrote:

digitalbeachbum wrote:

I have been on these forums for many years and seen plenty of people come and go. However the forums don't have many theists any more. Did you guys scare them away while I was on hiatus?

Where art thou theist? Did the lack of factual evidence cause you to flee?

They don't have an converstaion that sustains itself. What manner of defence or logical input could one have if their knowledge is based on Old World, Middle Age, Dark age superstitions.

I think that any religious beliefs should count as superstition in a modern context - contemporary superstitions (homeopathy, acuncture, alien abductions, etc) are frequently every bit as baseless as medieval ones.

You always needs more than just 'Logic', you need demonstrable facts, ie, data, to form the substance of your logical argument on.

Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality

"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris

The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me

From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology

digitalbeachbum's picture

Sapient wrote: 1. There are

Sapient wrote:

1. There are less theists today than 10 yrs ago.

2. Of the theists left, there are less willing to act a fool on an atheist site.

3. We don't have active publicity stunts drawing theists in.

4. Social media has pushed people to a short argument format. Forum sites like ours aren't as desired anymore.

If we could ever upgrade this site I would want to allow facebook sign ins, which would encourage more usage.  Unfortunately my man for the upgrade has never had the time.  I'm currently interviewing for jobs, hoping I can upgrade my pay level.  If I can get a career boost I may end up with the finances to pay a company to help do the work.  Sadly, people really don't like the RRS years on my resume.  

If you switched to Facebook I wouldn't be able to follow you. I refuse to sign in, create an account, etc on that complete cesspool of hyped bullshit. Talk about "tyranny of the majority"? I find the average Facebook user to be annoying and void of any intelligence.

Personally I believe if there was a satan then Facebook would be the tool satan would use to corrupt all the souls of humans.

ProzacDeathWish's picture

Old Seer wrote:They don't

Old Seer wrote:

They don't have an converstaion that sustains itself. What manner of defence or logical input could one have if their knowledge is based on Old World, Middle Age, Dark age superstitions.

 

  All we have regarding bonafide theists is Fonzie and he keeps recycling the same little "I'm so happy" sermonette over and over and over.....

 

 

 

 

ProzacDeathWish's picture

  Who was the young student

  Who was the young student from the Czech Republic ( Luminon ? ) who was into  the new age woo, who was nevertheless still a very smart guy.    I really liked him.

 

 

 

 

digitalbeachbum's picture

ProzacDeathWish wrote:  Who

ProzacDeathWish wrote:

  Who was the young student from the Czech Republic ( Luminon ? ) who was into  the new age woo, who was nevertheless still a very smart guy.    I really liked him.

Names from the past...

digitalbeachbum's picture

 Does any one know what

 Does any one know what happened to freeratio.org? I keep checking the web and I can't find any thing about it going down.