alt.atheism is a

Usenet Usenet () is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979, and it was ...

newsgroup A Usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from users in different locations using the Internet. They are discussion groups and are not devoted to publishing news. Newsgroups are technically distinct ...

within the alt.* hierarchy that discusses

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

. The group was originally created on February 6, 1990 by a member of the alt.pagan newsgroup, to provide an alternative forum for the numerous discussions on atheism that were overwhelming the pagan group. A survey of usenet groups in 1994–1995 found that, among 70 groups discussing "consciousness, spirituality, and religion (broadly defined)", it was the group with the highest traffic volume. writes that "atheist and freethought newsgroups" including alt.atheism have "done much to remove the sense of isolation felt by many with antireligious opinions".

Discussion matter

According to the alt.atheism FAQ, the purpose of the group is to discuss atheism and atheist topics such as the following: * Whether it is reasonable to pretend to be religious in order to avoid upsetting your family * Prayer in schools *

Discrimination against atheists Discrimination against atheists, both at present and historically, includes persecution of and discrimination against people who are identified as atheists. Discrimination against atheists may also comprise negative attitudes, prejudice, hostil ...

* Sunday trading laws *The Satanic Child Abuse

myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

*Whether you should be an overt atheist or 'stay in

the closet ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and human ...

' *How religious societies prey on new college students *How to get rid of unwanted proselytizers *Whether

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

is a danger to society and/or the individual *Why people become atheists calls out another common discussion topic, the proper definition of atheism, as being "the thread that never dies on alt.atheism".. The popularization of the " weak and strong atheism" terminology for different definitions of atheism has been credited to discussions on the alt.atheism newsgroup.

References

External links

* ews:alt.atheism Alt.atheism USENET group
alt.atheism on google groupsalt-atheism Newsgroup FAQThe Atheist Frontier
Atheism Usenet alt.* hierarchy Newsgroups {{atheism-stub