First one here? / jetsetdork on 23 Feb 2008

Hello NH Brights!

I hope that I'm not writing this just to myself and that soon there will be plenty of New Hampshire-ite Brights on this site. :)
I'll be honest and say that I'm for the most part 'closeted' about my atheism and that finding this safe-haven for NH Brights is a pleasant surprise. Lately I've been feeling like the only atheist in NH, although I know there's plenty of us out there! I was raised Baptist (but 'New England' Baptist, so a lot more boring than Southern Baptist, but just as fundamental) but there was a skeptical streak in me from a very early age. My life as a Christian was defined by my wrestling with skepticism, but ultimately I've come out on the other side of belief as a free thinker. It's a relief and a source of growing pride for me, but still a pride I cannot share with my family. I may have lost my fear of Hell, but I know if they knew about my non-belief that they wouldn't be able to look at me without picturing hell fires. That wouldn't be because they hate me but because they would see an eternity of torment ahead of me... which would kill them to think about. Also, the goal of Xian* parents is to raise godly children so having an atheist for a daughter would be a damnable failure ("raise [kids] up in the way they should go and the will never leave the path"... forgot where that comes from in the bible). Of course, maybe if I was out it might stir some skepticism inside them and they too may be able to "break the spell".

If anyone has any advice or experience with 'coming out' to staunch Xian friends/family please get in touch with me. :)

But enough about me... what about us? People have said that organizing atheists (and other people that can qualify as Brights) is like herding cats, but I feel that the term Bright coupled with the recent outburst in pro-atheist thought in popular culture might lead to an Pride movement. Of course, websites like civilbrights is a testament to that, so what I'm saying is nothing new. Therefore, returning to the original question, what do we want this group to be and what (if anything) should we do?

Also, what do you think of the term "Bright"? It's still fairly new to me so I'm still working out my opinions on it, but I'm wondering if anyone out there has mulled it over and come to any conclusions. For example, if you call yourself a Bright, what (if anything) did you call yourself before? How did you make the switch or decide to layer Bright onto your self?

These are a good handful of questions so I'll stop here, but I hope this is just the beginning of a conversation and perhaps a community.

Cheers,
Erin

* xian, it's like x-mas. I use it a lot.

Permanent Link | 5 Comments | Reply to This

Comments

Pedro on 3 May 2008
First off, hello to Erin, and now you know there are at least TWO a-theists in New Hampshire. I actually came to my dis-belief while studying in the seminary to become a catholic priest many years ago. I guess it never occurred to me not to be open about it with friends and family, as I am a pretty open person, (a trait that has not always served me well, I will admit). Overall my non-belief in the supernatural hasn't caused me a lot of turmoil from others. But it’s also not something that I have felt any need to put front and center in my life. Yes, I am an atheist, but I am also (randomly chosen) a musician, a Daddy, a birdwatcher, a reader, a mediator, 5 feet 7, a hippie (yes, still in mind at least), and many more things. I don’t lead with any of that when I meet people, I just am me, and as those things come forward, people get to know me, hopefully, in my totality.
 
I think the most frequent reaction I have gotten over the years from people when they learn that I do not believe in a god runs along the lines of, “So what do you think happens after you die, nothing?” They seem to have a sort of concern for me which sometimes yields to a somewhat incredulous admiration that someone could not believe in an afterlife and still not fear death.
 
My Mom’s reaction when I first left the seminary and told her it was because I didn’t believe in a god was pretty funny. “Well, you’re still going to go to church on Sunday, I hope!” Totally didn’t get it.
 
She also had the hardest time grasping how anyone could eschew religion and still be a moral person. She once said to me, “Well, I guess life is pretty easy for you now, you can just do whatever you want, with no rules to follow.” I replied that in fact, being a moral person, which was still my goal, now seemed more difficult, in the sense that it put more of a burden on me to carefully search my conscience to decide what was moral and right, absent a religion telling me what to do or not do. In ways, it made me more fastidious about my actions, as, for example, I strongly believed I should not fight in the Viet Nam war, something which my former catholic religion would have readily allowed, and I consequently filed with my draft board as a conscientious objector (ironically, in the truest sense of the phrase).
 
I am greatly encouraged by what seems to be a fairly new coming-out movement of non-believers, including the writings of Dawkins, Hitchens, et al, and the delightful attempts of the Brights to establish some verbal constructs by which people without supernatural and mystical worldviews (did I get that right?) can describe themselves more positively. It is all a bit awkward, but delightful nonetheless.
I also look forward to the possibility that people with a naturalistic worldview might somehow come together to collaborate on action projects that might make the world a better place, and, to that end, I offer myself to the service of a New Hampshire Brights group.
 
Erin, your question, “What, if anything, should we do?” is a good one (reminiscent of Tolstoy’s, “What then must we do?”). Identifying ourselves is a start, I should think. Encouraging others of like mind seems worthwhile, too. And I would love it if a group of like-minded non-believers could some day participate in charitable works, not for the love of a supernatural entity, but for the love of our fellow humans, while gently letting the world know that naturalistic morality does exist, and has never caused a war, inquisition, stoning, or act of terrorism.
       
I look forward to hearing from others.
Permanent Link | Reply to This | In-Reply-To
Rorschach on 20 Jun 2008

Three atheists in NH!

I love the idea of an atheist/bright/skeptic/humanist group in NH. I wish I could openly support such a group, but I'm currently a member of a highly controlling religious group. If I were open about my lack of belief, I'd be shunned. Maybe someday I'll find my way out. Part of the difficulty is that there is no secular alternative to fill the social role that religious groups provide. I would, however, like to meet like-minded people.

I'm not crazy about the label "bright". "Naturalist" is a pretty good term. Seems almost impossible to sum up one's thoughts and attitudes in a single word or phrase, if you don't subscribe to an authoritarian belief system.

Permanent Link | Reply to This | In-Reply-To
bluebright on 1 Jul 2008

Hey everyone,

NH atheist #4 has entered the room. I am very excited to see three insightful responses from NH atheists, since, I too thought I was the only one. I actually just moved here from Maine but just started looking into possibly joining an atheist organization if one existed. The Brights appeals to me because the message is simple and I think organizing people with a naturalist world view is important, especially in the US since religion is attempting to have(one could argue as had)a prominent and powerful role in secular life.

Just a brief bit about myself then. I was raised Catholic, went to catechism, etc but my parents never really talked about religion at home. My parents actually see religion has something very personal but felt it was their duty to ship my bro and I off to Sunday school every week. In high school my best friend and I were Bible thumpers. I still considered myself Catholic and went to Church often up until about Sophomore year of College. I attended a Catholic College and ironically that's where I began to doubt my faith. Philosophy is what did it for me intellectually, especially the work of David Hume. It was about a years process of thinking and deciding that religion does not have the answers, and only science and philosophy can really tell us anything about the world.

Anyway, that when on a bit long but once again it is nice to find people in NH that are interested in the Brights movement. Hopefully, we can start something here! Hope to hear from more people!

Permanent Link | Reply to This | In-Reply-To
Pedro on 20 Aug 2008

Rorschach,

Great to find your message, and bluebright's, too. I hadn't checked the site for quite a while after posting a response to Erin's original message and seeing no responses for over a month, but now the rainy summer has brought forth 2 new NH atheists. Nice to hear from you both.

Rorschach, I can sympathize with your need to keep your questioning from your group. A dear friend who was a jehovah's witness was shunned after she questioned some of their beliefs and was unwilling to repent and stop asking questions. Brutal bunch, when you don't accept the party line. I haven't decided yet whether I think they are fearful or just plain mean. Maybe both.

bluebright, you are so right about religion trying to play a dominant role in American society. That's why I love the idea of a naturalists' group, and wish we could become more visible. Sure, there are only 4 of us who have identified ourselves in this forum, but I am sure there are thousands of NH citizens, of good moral character, who share the naturalistic worldview of brights. Wouldn't it be a fine thing if we could make our presence felt, especially if we could do so by doing good works, not in the name of a god, but in the name of humanity and common kindness. That's what I would like to see an atheists' group do.

I'd also like to be able to communicate with like minded folks, so I will check this site more often now that we are four!

Erin, you still out there?

Anyone interested in trying to plan a lunch or dinner gathering sometime? That might be fun.

Peace and love to you all...

- Pedro

 

Permanent Link | Reply to This | In-Reply-To
Rorschach on 29 Jul 2008

For anyone interested, a skeptics group has been started in NH: http://nhskeptics.org/

Permanent Link | Reply to This | In-Reply-To