h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello and greetings to all members of FFFF from one free of faith and interested in the Foundation concept but not yet sure of its intent.

I've browsed a couple of forums (but apologies if my concerns were covered in one of the many as yet unvisited links) and I note a disturbing tinge of anti-Christianity cropping up. Please could somebody reassure me this is not the case before I sign up to FFFF.

My own beliefs of personal responsibility as opposed to blaming it all on some Higher Being don't preclude respecting the right of others to follow a faith. I find excessive atheistic missionary zeal as offensive as crusading Christianity or Fundamentalist anything else. Living in a multi-faith society can be a source of mind-enhancing debate if done in an atmosphere of mutual respect and tolerance. Ancient religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity have grown out of rich cultural traditions and although I personally choose to reject all Theistic philosophies, I still like to think I'm open, tolerant and interested enough to look at what any school of thinking can add to moral and ethical debates.
As such I really like the 3rd and 4th points of your mission statement and have much sympathy with the other two, but do you really mean the emphasis on freedom from Christianity rather than freedom from any God or gods?

hi Metal Chicken.

The question itself is not tough, but the answer to it is far from simple. Just let me have a go at it, and if others want to adjust my statements, you will see them showing up soon.

We do *not* wish to show disrespect to anyone who chooses to follow *whatever* religion. The FFFF acknowledges every person's right to choose their own position in that respect. We *do*, however, have little respect for some of the religions which, by the tone of their teachings, or the inconsistencies in them, or even by the attitudes of their leaders, prove to be unworthy institutions. The most prominent of those is, in the opinion of most of us, the xtian church, I'm afraid. But we *do* allow our fellow FFFF-members to have different opinions about that as well.

Some of us renounce all gods, others renounce only a few, and you may even find people who do not renounce any gods at all. In the FFFF the main point is, that you're free to think about religion the way you wish. Within the FFFF nobody will want to crucify you, regardless of whether you believe or not. We simply fight for the right of each individual to choose to *not* believe, if that's what they want.

I hope this helps.

Greetz,
The Mummy (The Reluctant Dead)

As Mummy said, we argue and gripe, but do little in the area of attempting to sway the more religious population to change their beliefs here. Some members like to go off and taunt Christians, but off this turf it's their problem. I like to argue here, with individuals who aren't going to burn me at the stake for being a heretic, or try to convert me in concordance with their religious doctrine. Honestly, if the Christians would remove that little tennent about having to 'save' all of us non-believers (not all FFFF members) from our sins, I'd be a whole lot happier with their choice of beliefs. If we seem hung up on Christianity, this is the reason.

-jb

The FFFF is basically about tolerance. That's why you'll find good references to some unpopular religions like Wicca, Satanism, and Hermeticism. There are, however, some VERY intolerant religions out there, and in our culture, xtianity is the most widespread of those. So a few of us wander off and argue with xtians, in an attempt to show them that there are reasons to question their beliefs. It's an attempt to shatter that smug self-righteousness and promote tolerance. I have no problem with people believing in the xtian mythos, as long as they will also tolerate my own beliefs. Some other members agree with me, and join me in this effort, regardless of how futile, but it isn't something that the entire Foundation stands for.

But as it stands for tolerance, one of the ways to generate tolerance and understanding is through debate. I debate people on doctrine, and try to conduct myself in a professional manner when doing so, and I ask others to do the same. I'm not always entirely successful, and neither is everyone else, but we make the continuous effort to keep everything friendly.

My purpose in setting up the FFFF was to have a place where non-xtians could come together and talk without persecution, and where we could all speak our minds without running the risk of offending people. I think I can speak for certain when I say that none of the members are xtians, nor Islamic or Jewish. Those are the intolerant religions. We do, however, have members of just about everything else. So if we occasionally trash talk about xtians, it's really just about the intolerant members of that sect, and we're ranting more about intolerance and promoted ignorance than any specific religion.

Thank you everyone for your reassurances. On the basis of your replies, I think I may feel comfortable sticking around for a while if that's OK with everyone else. However, I reserve the right to challenge anyone for unwarranted religious stereotyping or apparent intolerance.
One little note of dissent with GargleBlaster's comments - although I can't deny that there are a lot of high profile hardliners among the Christian/Islamic/Jewish communities, I wouldn't want to brand every follower of those faiths with that brush. In fact I've found many Jewish people to be adept at open-minded religious debate. Unlike for example the traditional Catholic upbringing I was subjected to, young Jews appear to be encouraged to think and ask questions. I've also heard a senior British Rabbi espousing tolerant religious debate, mutual respect and understanding as the only way to make progress in forging a multi-cultural society.
I'm off to follow a few more of your forums now, looking forward to some interesting reading...