Stop Calling me an Atheist, I am a Bright!

[usregimechange]

A Bright is a person who has a naturalistic worldview. And you thought the Civil Rights Movement had ended:
http://www.brightrights.org/

[IranianDemocrat]

1. I am bright too.

.

[usregimechange]

3. Are you

really from Iran?

[sujan]

45. I think he means 'Aryan'

[Maple]

2. Me too

Just got my newsletter in fact.

[usregimechange]

4. Have you

been discriminated against as a Bright?

[Maple]

5. As an

atheist, yes. Not as a Bright...but then that's a fairly new thing as yet.

It'll take awhile before most people know what it means.

[usregimechange]

6. Atheists are Brights

You were and are a bright. I am a Bright. We are Brights. The more we use the term the more they will know. If you have been disciminated against please testify at: http://www.brightrights.org/testify/

[usregimechange]

7. Have you?

Registered a Bright to vote lately?

[msmcghee]

33. Just signed up this morning. n/y

[FDRrocks]

8. Thanks for the link.

I am in your camp, as well.

[dweller]

9. just little bitty

chunks of the sun.
i am that, too.
peace
dp

[DemBones DemBones]

10. What's wrong with being an atheist? If you claim to be

a "bright," what does that make theists? Do you really think a campaign implying that people of faith are "not bright" is a smart idea? Of course YOU like the term but it will sound a) silly b) insulting or c) both, to those who don't share your views.

It's also confusing to say "a Bright is a person who has a naturalistic worldview." What does that mean? You're avoiding saying that you don't believe in a deity, suggesting you have something to hide. I don't see this playing well anywhere except college campuses, if there. And the result could be more discrimination against atheists and agnostics.

[usregimechange]

12. again

you must not have read much of the link I provided. The term Bright is a noun. I am A Bright not an adj. as in I am bright.

[blondeatlast]

35. No, the term bright is an adjective

bright ( P ) Pronunciation Key (brt)
adj. bright·er, bright·est

Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; shining.
Comparatively high on the scale of brightness.
Full of light or illumination: a bright sunny day; a stage bright with spotlights.
Characterizing a dyestuff that produces a highly saturated color; brilliant.
Glorious; splendid: one of the bright stars of stage and screen; a bright moment in history.
Full of promise and hope; auspicious: had a bright future in publishing.
Happy; cheerful: bright faces.
Animatedly clever; intelligent.
High and clear: the bright sound of the trumpet section.

This is a major uphill battle; good luck (oops).

From a bright person who isn't atheist.

[midnight armadillo]

11. bright?

What a lame-ass stupid name.

[usregimechange]

13. Yes

They said that about "Gay" as well. Much better than "queer"

[Selwynn]

15. Personally, I'm a Smart

[usregimechange]

18. Great

but you have the wrong impression. The term Bright is a noun not a descriptive word.

[blondeatlast]

36. Adjective; yoou and yours can't change standard English overnight.

Proud to be bright enough to know the difference between a noun and an adjective.

[Iverson]

49. darn good

So remember when driving not to put on your brights in a fog.

[Selwynn]

14. usregimechange, you sound like a cult leader

The same objections I have to organized religious institutions would be the same objects I have to this. The belief or non-belief in the supernatural is really irrelevant.

[usregimechange]

16. not if you are

Tyler Deveny who was beaten by classmates who allegedly said "Oh, you hate God(?)” before punching him in the face.

Shumaker, C. (2002). Police briefs. The Charleston Gazette. News; Pg. P6D

Well I took a class about cults in college. ??? :-)

[usregimechange]

17. not if your

Physician Michael Newdow who received threats of physical violence after winning a law suit, which found the recitation of the modified Pledge to be unconstitutional.

[usregimechange]

19. Not if you're

Herb Silverman who was refused a state job because he was an atheist in 1993 South Carolina.

[Selwynn]

20. There are thousands of examples, none of them the point...

The point is that the belief or non-belief in god is irrelevant to my objections to this, which have to do with dogma. I'm not interested in a evangelical spammers of either the god or no god variety. Whether they be proselytizing the cult of non belief or proselytzing the cult of belief, it really matters little to me - I am not interested.

[usregimechange]

21. What if

we are prostalizing the cult of equal rights? What do you care about?

[Selwynn]

22. What I don't care about..

are your methods.

[usregimechange]

23. What is wrong with our methods? n/t

[Selwynn]

24. See post #20

[usregimechange]

25. hummm

"evangelical spammers" Is that our methodology? Examples?

What do you really have against this because you don't seem to know anything about this.

[usregimechange]

26. I was passing along news of a new web site

and a new movement of relavence to civil rights, something I was under the impression Democrats were interested in. at any rate, good night and thank you for your time.

[Selwynn]

30. It's not about "rights" its about "conversion"

According to a recent Gallup poll 95% of Americans are willing to vote for a Black candidate for President, 92% for a Female or Jewish candidate, 59% for a Gay candidate, but only 49% would vote for an atheist candidate."

This statistic above is not about your rights being abused. This is about 51% of the country DISAGREEING with your position, and choosing not to vote for someone that they fundamentally disagree with.

It's not prejudice - its 51% precent of the nation (right or wrong) believing in God and believe that someone who shares their beliefs is a more qualified leader. Your argument is like saying that people who are pro-life are being discriminated against because a certain percentage of people wouldn't vote for a pro-life candidate.

You hold a minority opinion, and now are crying out that your "rights" are abused because people are less likely to vote for you. You do not belong in the class with Blacks are Gays becuase this is not a rights issue or a rights movement. What this is, is an evangelical movement, as you try to "convert" people to an acceptance of or subscription to, atheist belifes.

In another thread I said that attitudes towards atheists were a shame and I stand by that -- but they're not predujice. Attitudes towards pro-choicers are also a shame, in so far as it would be nice if there was universal agreement on the issue, but of course there isn't.

[blondeatlast]

37. It isn't civil rights, the founder even admits it's a PR campaign.

From Wired; October 2003, pp 095-6 (damn, this mag is pretentious!)

So, the bright meme is launched. Will it spread, like gay, and basically, and the backward baseball cap? Or will it nose-dive into the sand? I'm hoping it will take off. I'm even betting that it will, despite the hostility of those who misunderstand(?) the humble noun as an arrogant adjective, and those who, notwithstanding the success of gay, resent all such coinings out of hand. But mostly, as a disinterested(?) scientist, to see what will happen.

Richard Dawkins is a professor at Oxford University

Despite all the logical and emotional arguments against it, it will die because it's LAME.

Edit: typos

[Selwynn]

29. Examples:

This thread and the other thread you started at the same time in which you respond to every other post made.

[blondeatlast]

40. Begin thread #3!

Mark my words, said the bright poster.

[RebelOne]

27. I am a bright, too

But I still call myself an atheist.

[thebigidea]

28. yeah, it has a less Care-Bears feel to it

Gonna have to go with "atheist" as well.

[LittleApple81]

38. Yesterday the Christian Coalition called liberals SECULAR FUNDAMENTALISTS

So we have plenty of names to choose from.

[blondeatlast]

41. Hey, can I use that one?

I'm a liberal and a Christian!

How about a bright, secular fundamentalist, Christian?

Nah, it lacks a certain je nais ca quoi . . . .

[Terwilliger]

31. I'm so bright...

you have to wear shades

[Iverson]

32. I'm so hip...

that I have trouble seeing over my pelvis.

I think we're drawing from the same well, Terwilliger.

[blondeatlast]

34. Dupe thread (like you didn't know) The real fun is here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=468856&mesg_id=468856

Name-calling and general nastiness galore!!!

[Selwynn]

39. Another problem: "naturalistic worldview"

"a Bright is a person who has a naturalistic worldview."

In that case, all subscribers to natural theology are also Brights. Process Theologians, the theology of Paul Tillich, Whitehead, etc.

So better make some room, you have a large group of religious people coming to join you.

A better definition would be - "a bright is an atheist" and just leave it at that. But then, what's the point. :)

[LibInternationalist]

42. umm... still lame

and I'm very much an atheist

[2cents]

43. Then I guess...

...agnostics should be "opaques"?

[blondeatlast]

46. Believers (of any faith) should be chiriascuros?

[2cents]

51. Good one, and probably the most definitive

But chiaroscuros has too many syllables - we need something quick and snappy until someone on either side of the fence (deist or non) can prove the unprovable.

[Iverson]

47. "transluscents"

maybe?

[blondeatlast]

48. Sure, works for me!

[blondeatlast]

44. So, if I call you an Atheist (your capitalization), will you alert on me?

There are plenty of Civil Rights issues left to fight for. A word isn;'t worth the energy, when there are people who sleep on park benches.

But I will say that stopping this "practice" is gouing to be fun!

[blondeatlast]

50. Atheist! Atheist! Atheist! Go ahead and alert on my "bright" post.

Look, you can call yourself anything you want. I've got nothing against non-theists (I'm married to one), but this is a PR campaign and I just want to see it fail because it's lame.

[Skinner]

52. I'm going to lock this thread.

This has big-time potential of taking over the GD forum. I think this discussion should be limited to one thread at a time.

Here is the original thread...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=468856