alt.atheism is a Usenetnewsgroup within the alt.* hierarchy that discusses atheism.[1] The group was originally created on February 6, 1990,[2] 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.[3] Nash writes that "atheist and freethought newsgroups" including alt.atheism have "done much to remove the sense of isolation felt by many with antireligious opinions".[4]
Discussion matter
According to the alt.atheism FAQ,[5] 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 one's family
Whether religion is a danger to society and/or the individual
Why people become atheists
Ricker calls out another common discussion topic, the proper definition of atheism, as being "the thread that never dies on alt.atheism".[6] The popularization of the "weak and strong atheism" terminology for different definitions of atheism has been credited to discussions on the alt.atheism newsgroup.
^Nash, David (2002), "Religious sensibilities in the age of the internet: freethought culture and the historical context of communication media", in Hoover, Stewart M.; Clark, Lynn Schofield (eds.), Practicing religion in the age of the media: explorations in media, religion, and culture, Columbia University Press, p. 281, ISBN978-0-231-12089-0.
