Atheists are a minority, but on the internet they can voice their ideas and thereby expose many more people to skeptical, critical atheism than would otherwise be possible. I've often seen atheists praise the internet for giving them opportunities to interact with other atheists — opportunities they would never have had otherwise. I also know that many religious theists are exposed to atheist ideas on the internet which they would never have seen otherwise.
On the other hand, just as the internet can bring together communities of people all around the world, it also seems to encourage discord by magnifying arguments well beyond what they would have been if conducted in person. Do you agree with others that the internet will promote skepticism and atheism in the long run, or do you agree with the more pessimistic view that arguments on the internet only lead to worse misunderstandings and distrust?
The internet does create communities for atheists that did not exist before. This website and many others is a place to get information.
Information which is invaluable to someone like myself. I have been an agnostic since age 10. But that was based on my own logic and reasoning – this is a place I can keep myself informed, learn other reasons to support my own beliefs and discuss issues I cannot with many here in the bible belt. Now in my late 30s it is great to explore this part of myself.
But, on the other hand. The internet also spreads the thoughts of the religious right. Thoughts of course is the wrong word, because to me the scariest thing about the religious right is not school prayer, ban on gay marriage or creationism. It is the fact they the actually tell their followers DO NOT THINK!!!
I would intuit that the positive and negative effects of the Internet balance each other out – it’s a great place to air good ideas, but it’s an equally great place to air stupid ideas.
I voted for “#1″…which might just be a bit of wishful thinking.
It’d be interesting, I think, to see the results of the identical poll conducted on a Site like…say…BeliefNet(?).
All I know is that, before the Internet, being an atheist was a very lonely proposition! Even WITH the existence of the Internet, if one depends totally on the usual media outlets, one hears, or reads, very little about atheism, related books, authors, and events. Witness the somewhat uncontested religious yapping by and about the current crop of delusional Presidential candidates. The ‘usual suspect’, delusional, Corporate controlled, and rather spineless commentators, lack the necessary critical thinking to even raise the atheist’s point of view.
Huckabee’s Constitutional insanity, fr’nstance, hardly gets the much deserved critical outrage which is so…”Righteously”…apparent amongst atheists all over the Web! In other words; it’s like…
“SHHHH! Hands off, with that nasty atheistic religious criticism! Don’t rock the, Corporate, commercial boat…or else!”
Anyway…
I know several people (theists all!) who don’t own, or even INTEND owning a computer. Trying to relate my views to them is, besides being, arguably, ‘unwise’; is certainly exceedingly difficult…nay…almost impossible!
And printing ink is WAAAY expensive!
(Of course, I’m a 68 year old Senior atheist… ‘Denizen’.)
Yeah, thank…erm…SCIENCE for such a great tool!
Or maybe, the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
“Ummm…Pass the Parmeson, please!”
I venture that it is so helpful. I get some good feedback from theists and I’ve received inanities from atheists.
I write in the New Atheist manner. We take prisoners but we try to reeuducate them.
Austin, I hope my personal messages to you have been on the mark. I will try to get others to come here! We are so fortunate to have CFI, IIDB, the Skeptics Society, and Kansas City Skeptics. A great place for us naturalists is Theology Web Campus with the naturalist forum specifically for us!
I post around the world in four languages.
I find myself in agreement with Chuck. I find my Democratic candidates non theocons,albeit I could care less for their faith.
Austin, you could make a book out of your great commentary! I salute you!
The essence of intellect is playing with ideas. The net is full of such play, so it should and does promote the intellect. Lies are almost as good as truths, because they provide targets for criticism. The crooks who have ruled the media all these years are getting into trouble all the time thanks to the net.
Your poll is flawed. You forgot to put in
a category “It will not have any effect.”
You have skewed the results in your favor and it’s patently obvious what you have done.
That is the same as saying that it will have no impact on how people view the world, which isn’t possible.
However, if you mean that the end result will lead to no change, that’s option #3
Well, it’s not obvious to me or to anyone else who has commented. Enlighten us, please, and tell us what I have done.
I think the presense of free thinking on the net is worth the cost of religious also using it to advertise. With anonymity, ignorance is more apparent without the emotionalism of presence, and without threat of force (usually).
The internet allows easy access to a diversity of information, exposure to cultures, and makes it more difficult to be completely ignorant about a subject if one cares to put a slight amount of effort into research.
All this should amount to broadening of horizons and perspectives and the decreased ability of a person to take an authority figure’s word on something without access to other views.
Science and reason are powerful and very available. For that reason I’d suspect there would be a trend away from mythology and supernatural explanations having much staying power.
In summary I’m suggesting that religion does well in closed environments (like ‘cults’ do) and access to powerful logical ideas from outside that closed environment is likely to detract from religious perspectives.
In summary I’m suggesting that religion does well in closed environments (like ‘cults’ do) and access to powerful logical ideas from outside that closed environment is likely to detract from religious perspectives).
I know some people Whose religious denomination forbids an internet connection.
I spent 25 years connected to the cult know as the Worldwide Church of God. I was a teaching elder for the last 16 of those years.
After my exit part of my recovery was to try to understand the atheist way of thinking. I used books as I wasn’t online.
I am an atheist now (I lack belief in any gods). I know that my transition to atheism would have been a whole lot speedier and better grounded had I been able to use the internet.
Thank you, Austin, for your constant writing in defense of rational thought.
jimmiejazz,
Congratulations on making your escape from that cult.
While Christian nuts roam the streets to convert passersby, most Atheists would never do it. On the internet, however, we do, so the inernet levels the playing field. Especially for atheists living in countries where you often have to be a closet atheist.