MySpace Deletes Largest Atheist Group in the World.

[GenMarshall]

I dont see what the big deal is, then again I dont care much for MySpace. Filled with perverts and high schoolers. Facebook was better for a time (untill they opened the doors for high schools, but at least there is a requirement to have a school's email)

 

[skadistic]

But, you couldn't hire or fire an employ because they were, say, black, could you? But, you could decide to not take their business, correct? Is that the difference here?

But these aren't employees. They aren't even consumers* really. It would be like me not allowing to use my place of business to be used as chapel or a communist meeting place by my employees. Thats about as close as one can come with an analogy.


* Consumer in the economic pay for a product type. They consume bandwidth. A lot of it and I hate that it takes so long for some pages to load because people have so much glittering and moving gif. files embedded.

 

[skadistic]

@ Mobboss !!

instead of /shrug try this:

 

[JollyRoger]

But these aren't employees. They aren't even consumers* really. It would be like me not allowing to use my place of business to be used as chapel or a communist meeting place by my employees. Thats about as close as one can come with an analogy.

If your business was using the meeting place to attract ad revenue, your analogy would be stronger.

 

[.Shane.]

But these aren't employees.

Exactly, if you read what I'm saying that's what I'm trying to distinguish between. You could not fire someone for being Catholic. BUT, you could decide not to offer your services to them or turn down work from them for being so. That is the difference, right?

 

[mdwh]

Yeah it's a private company, but equally, people have the right to criticise it, either with the hopes of changing their mind, or persuading people to go elsewhere.

Also the question is why it was banned. If it was because of pressure from an external group, or a decision by MySpace themselves, the truth deserves to be told. OTOH, perhaps it's something completely different.

Would it not be illegal to withhold goods or services based upon a person's beliefs?

In the UK it is (and the law explicitly covers lack of religious belief too, so we don't need to pretend it's a belief when it isn't) - see http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=5145558 .

Whilst MySpace is a US company, I believe it has a UK section(?) - however, I don't think MySpace seems to offer paid accounts like other places do? In which case, the law probably doesn't apply to free services anyway.

I am, however, sceptical, as others have said they are (after all, I'm an atheist - I don't go believing loony things without evidence). I shall await more information or more in the way of news sources. In what way is it the "largest collection of organized atheists"? I guess it's the biggest online forum, but it's not clear that this is an organised group in the same way as things like American Atheists is.

 

[general_kill]

I dont see what the big deal is, then again I dont care much for MySpace. Filled with perverts and high schoolers. Facebook was better for a time (untill they opened the doors for high schools, but at least there is a requirement to have a school's email)

Believe it or not, those requirements have dropped as well. You never actually needed a school address to join (some schools don't have addresses), but you need it to get into a school network I think. Goto facebook now, it says it's open to everyone.

 

[GenMarshall]

@ Mobboss !!

instead of /shrug try this:

For him to use that, you have to pitch that to the Smilies Addition Request Thread in SF .

 

[MobBoss]

I still fail to see why, understanding that your religion is important to you, you would feel sorry for those who do not share it?

Because those that dont share it end up in hell? Or that they dont know what I consider to be truth?

So if he happens to feel that you are condescending and tells you so you are going to pound his face (or make an attempt to anyway)?

A true Christian gentleman.

Absolutely not Narz. I dont start fights (never have) - I finish them.

 

[Agent Valentine]

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:38:45 RSV)

 

[MobBoss]

That's exactly what I'm doing!

Sheesh.

I might think that you are horribly misguided and that your entire life revolves around a lie, and that I feel sorry for you for these reasons, but I realize that this is a rude position to have, so I do not tell this to you directly.

You could do the same, and keep your insulting feelings to yourself.

Couple of things. I merely stated I felt sorry for you. Never did I embelish it the way you do here.

Do you realize the difference? Do you see where rude begins?

I dont have much hope that you would however.

Bottom line: Warpus, your feelings on the matter have no impact upon me. And in fact, more than once in the past you have indeed shared your viewpoint above, although here you seem to think it rude. Hasnt stopped you, or most of the athiests here from making your opinion known before, so I have no idea why you claim it rude now. You sure as heck havent kept your 'insulting feelings' to yourself before, so its rather hypocritical of you to state this here.

So in light of that have a nice big /shrug.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:38:45 RSV)

Yeah, like I said earlier, I never said I was a perfect christian and turning the other cheek thing is one of my weak points. I interpret that to mean, I will still pound the hell out of you, but I will feel really, really guilty over doing it.

 

[azzaman333]

People communicate using myspace?

I have never even considered such a use for this site. That must be incredibly inefficient.

It is extremely inefficient, but the people at my school are hell-bent on using it despite this. So, I don't particularly have a choice unless I want to be an outcast, which I don't/

 

[warpus]

Bottom line: Warpus, your feelings on the matter have no impact upon me. And in fact, more than once in the past you have indeed shared your viewpoint above, although here you seem to think it rude. Hasnt stopped you, or most of the athiests here from making your opinion known before, so I have no idea why you claim it rude now. You sure as heck havent kept your 'insulting feelings' to yourself before, so its rather hypocritical of you to state this here.

I really doubt that I've ever said that your entire life is based on a lie and that I feel sorry for you because of it.

But if you'd like to correct me and dig up those quotes, feel free.

 

[puglover]

and in April won the Excellence in Humanist Communication Award (2007) from the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University and the Secular Student Alliance.

Who gives university honors to a MySpace group? How stupid.

 

[El Koeno]

I don't buy this whole "it's a private company, they can do what they want with their servers"-thing. I don't think you can ban people from your bar, because of their religious believes. And the fact that their terms of use state that they can just delete it, doesn't mean a thing if you ask me. You can write anything in those things, and people will still sign it. That doesn't mean it's the law all of a sudden.

Having said that: I haven't really read up on it, so it might just be that the group was causing problems, and was rightfully deleted.

 

[Agent Valentine]

They didn't ban anyone, all the peoples' profiles are still there and they are still permitted on facebook. I wonder if some members of the atheist group were causing problems somehow, and maybe that was the real reason for the deletion and now they are just crying persecution.

 

[general_kill]

Yeah, like I said earlier, I never said I was a perfect christian and turning the other cheek thing is one of my weak points. I interpret that to mean, I will still pound the hell out of you, but I will feel really, really guilty over doing it.

What's the point of being a Christian then?

 

[Winner]

http://www.secularstudents.org/node/1933

I find it absurd that accounts and groups are getting deleted because theists find atheism offensive. What? Is it a thoughtcrime now? If they find what other people believe (or don't believe) offensive, they need to get over it. If they find people getting together because of a shared lack of belief offensive, then they don't need to join said group.

Well, you're Americans, so do what you can best:

SUE THE BASTARDS!

 

[MobBoss]

What's the point of being a Christian then?

That you recognize Jesus as your lord and savior and that you are constantly trying to better your life in his image. I do try.

 

[T.A JONES]

I see this related to a whole bunch of 1st's croppins in the revival of the new religious order.
The biggist one Is George Bush being the first Pres to attend a Pope's funeral

The myspace thing is a strong attack when coinciding with the news in my city that Police now are preached to by a house minister a few times a week

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I see tons of tiny lil events n precednets happening everywhere in media or schools atmsophere. Are local Gov lost re election support attemting to give public money to private Catholic school boards

The tenacious attidude of the People inacting this crap is most alarming. Lets see what tiny scattered precident dots apear next