[mindcrime]

So what's your point exactly? You could argue that that comment is insensitive, maybe even caustic... you could argue that the person who posted it is a bit of an ass probably. But how does any of that support the idea that /r/atheism is a "hate group"?

[err_badprocrast]

I agree "hate group" is stronger wording than would be appropriate (at any rate I don't want to quibble over a definition of that term) but I personally dislike intolerance - and I avoid forums[1] where it is considered upvote-worthy rhetoric.

There are insensitive and caustic comments everywhere - but when they are promoted through upvotes they discourage participation from affected individuals, breeding an environment where people only feel welcome if they subscribe to the dominant opinions. This results in a hollow echo chamber, which is not a satisfactory equilibrium for any forum trying to encourage healthy discussion.

1. Pre-internet definition of forum.

[mindcrime]

Fair enough. I also generally dislike intolerance, but I do have my areas where I find it hard to be tolerant. As an atheist, I have very little use for religion, religious dogma or teachings, etc., and I think that religion is actively harmful to society. So in that regard, I'm probably not so far removed from the guy you quoted above. But... I have no problem being tolerant of religious people in that I don't find much need to go around trying to convince everybody who isn't an atheist that they are an idiot, or doing the inverse of what I have having done to me - excessive proselytizing. I'm not out to convince Christians or Hindus or Muslims, etc. to disavow their faith. But when I come across situations (public education, for example) where religious beliefs start affecting things that I believe belong outside the bounds of religion, then I start to get a bit prickly about the whole thing as well.

I guess that was just a long-winded way of saying "it's complicated".

The other thing I'll add is this: I do visit /r/atheism, albeit infrequently. And you're probably right that it's not a particularly nice place to visit for people who are actively religious. That doesn't bother me only because I go in with the assumption that they aren't going to be there, aren't interested in being there, and that the few who do come in and stick around are the kind of people who can look past the stylistic stuff and still engage in a conversation which is - hopefully - enlightening for both sides.

I guess that was a long-winded way of saying "it's all about expectations".

Nonetheless, I can understand why you might shy away from /r/atheism. That place has it's own character and it's not for everybody. But what forum is?

[arcatek]

/r/atheism is lightly moderated by purpose.

If you want the quality content, try this : http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/search?q=flair%3Aquality&...

[jiggy2011]

Circlejerk is probably a better term.