That may or may not have to do with atheism specifically. Yesterday, I listened to a podcast that dealt with FDA warnings to supplement companies that falsely claimed their products could cure, treat or diagnose illnesses. I used it for GMP training for my job (i work with both EPA and FDA products). It's amazing how broad these sites and podcasts can be.

that the person thinks the atheist involved talks to much about atheism and tries to convince others to
be atheist. Have you asked him what he really means when he says you're 'too extreme' ? What he dislikes
about your visiting the blogs and websites /

He said it's just the sites and podcasts. If that's the case, he's a sports extremist. He ALWAYS has ESPN on at least one device. One day, I came home and saw him watching SportsCenter on TV while on the ESPN website on our laptop and getting boxing info on his phone. It was hilarious! That to me is extreme.

I think we all have our interests. I also do a lot of recipe browsing. Actually, between recipes I collect on Springpad, Pioneer Woman, Big Oven, Kraft, etc., I spend more time working on menus and grocery lists than anything else.

It could be the mojito talking, but I think I may actually be the normal one in this household.

At least I understand Catholicism because went to Catholic school. I respect her beliefs because I know they serve her, she doesn't serve her beliefs. I'm not real outspoken or militant about my Atheism, and avoid arguing with people about it. Some people need to believe in a diety and I don't think any less of them for it. It doesn't affect our happy marriage at all.

he was raised a non-practicing Catholic but has let that go in the last 6 years.

I thought that, if anything, he would say I visit too many liberal and dem websites and blogs. I spend more time following politics than I do atheism. Then again, he never voted until last year when I told him he was going to have to at least participate in some modicum of politics for he and my daughter's own good (he's Mexican and she is half Mexican and we're in Texas).

We never fight, which is great, but I was a bit taken aback by his comment. On the other hand, I know that he did not come from a politically or religiously active background like I did, so he feels little compulsion to be active in either. My only rule is there are to be no complaints in this house unless you tried made an effort to improve whatever situation displeases you.

I spend too much time on the internet sometimes, and it can bother my wife a little. It's something I try to be mindful of.

When I got him a smart phone 2 years ago, he was on it all the time. Grandma got my daughter a smart phone a few weeks earlier so the two of them ignored me quite a bit. I had to institute a no-tech policy at the dinner table just so we could talk. Then he got me a smart phone for Christmas and the first thing I did was get an inventory, budget and recipe app. I have gotten a few more apps to sync to their phones so they would know what meals were coming up or tasks that needed to be done -a bit of my OCD came out. Then I discovered DU for the second time and I guess the rest is history.

We've gotten into something of a lull lately. When he turns to sports on TV, I check the news. I'll forward articles that I think he will like and he'll tell me when something good is about to come on that I should see. Because of my migraines, I can't stand to be around loud noise and some days, I swear he is deaf, so I'll go to another room. He still does the multi-functioning of devices with his sports though.

It's very bizarre, our household. I think when school starts on Monday for both he and our daughter, things will go back to normal. I think we all got lazy this summer and just decided to spend far too much time trying to catch up on things we love while we can. I'll probably spend less time online than I have been in recent months, but at least things should go back to normal.

I have a lot of atheist books because as I was deconverting, I was quite stressed and needed to see what others thought.

You and I are truth seekers and you probably had a drive to learn as much as possible. Since hubby wasn't raised in the church and I was, I think his deconversion was far less conflicted than mine or yours. It's a hard decision to make and many don't want to make a mistake in that decision.

I suppose thinking for ourselves and kicking over the religious traces makes us just a little too independent--we might leave them.

Well, yes, there's always a threat of that if they treat us like shit, but that goes for believer women, too.

We actually discussed this same issue this morning at breakfast. A coworker has a problem with women being bosses or making more than men, whereas hubby thinks its great. But I have found that even in the atheist community, there is some sexism. You'd think there wouldn't be, but unfortunately there is.

Also "arrogant".

After much observation I hypothesized that she would call me these things when she was trying to deal with her own cognitive dissonance (she is a PhD social scientist). Whenever she would hear me discussing non theism and theism with my teen children, whenever I would be seen reading my non theist books, or when I would raise my eyebrows at theist declarations (e.g. So-and-so just needs to go to church to get some direction in her life!) I would be accosted with the terms arrogant and over the top atheist.

I tested the hypothesis and found that these activities DO correlate with immediate or soon after denunciations of my non belief. I think that when it comes to very intelligent people who have compartmentalized their theists beliefs away from their rational selves, atheists are a source of great dissonance. To reduce this dissonance they run or attack. Since a spouse can't effectively run, attacking is the choice.

I just discovered that my dad and stepmom have been going through the exact same thing. Actually he's been having problems with my aunt and grandma as well. They are true believers and he likes to point out BS far more than anyone else in our family, WAY more than anyone else, regardless of the subject.

There are some theists who just feel threatened by non-theist perspectives and feel they have to be defensive. Lol I think hubby is afraid I'll turn into my dad. But I'm not one who even cares to debate.

Hopefully your wife will accept your way of thinking as you have accepted hers. Verbal attacks are never the answer for this type of situation.

I still believe (in spite of everything, so apologies to Ann Frank) that people are good at heart. We turn away from conventional mythologies.

I started to feel free to do this after the 80's when someone introduced me to Joseph Campbell. I never thought I'd be able to converse about the same thing you mention to my siblings... one feels uncomfortable, the other (who was very religious at one point and in my face) talks freely without flat-out argument anymore.

I happen to have a theory about who I am now, which is just some entity that decided to come to earth in this body. Everything I've learned each decade of life makes me feel less caught up in what I see, or how others cling to what they need.

The fact is, we need us and science seems to bring us closer to that phenomena than religion.

if you don't mind me asking, always looking for more

I haven't been to the website in a while.

Here's their later podcast:

Thanks for putting me on to it. I think I came across it before, but the "K-12" sub description probably caused me to not subscribe.

The human bible (dr. Price is fantastic), a matter of doubt, the week in doubt, the atheist nomads, token skeptic, godless comedy and my favorite is the imaginary friends show.

I also like atheistpig.com (which may have ended updating this month), atheism.alltop.com, patheos (the atheist portion), martinspribble.com and mormoncurtain.com. I'm not a former mormon, but that is the religion I am studying right now.

There are other sites I occasionally visit, but those are all the podcasts I listen to, as far as atheism goes.

Any other good ones?

Will check them out.

I read Hitchens, because he makes me feel like someone else thinks much like I do.

And Carl Sagan was very aware of keeping alive religious and cultural traditions for his family. He was a Jew.

As far as women atheists, I can come up with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is a woman born in Somalia, became a Dutch citizen and an atheist.

I'm a woman and she's the only female atheist writer I am familiar
with. She wrote a book called NOMAD. Hitchens wrote a lot about the whole life-denying death-worshipping yet fetishizing of motherhood, reproduction and womens' virginity in religion.

I used to hang at Internet Infidels and Heathen Hangout, and they are defunct. Don't go to any atheist boards any more. I miss the wit.

There are lots of angry depressed xtians in my part of the state. I don't argue with them. I know the bible better than they do. They make statements that are wrong on their face. Like "There are no atheists in foxholes." Me: "Ever heard of Pat Tillman?" Angrydude: "No." Me: "Look him up."

One argument I get at DU is: Gee, you were really traumatized by some Christians? (True) They didn't help you when you needed help? My church is not like that. Surely, you can find a church that will help you find a job.

My reply: I'm not gonna look, I've already been traumatized and telling me I'm a worthless POS b/c of original sin is emotionally abusive and traumatic. No thanks. I'm an atheist Unitarian Universalist. With no intelligent life to talk to except DH.

Their reply: But there are CHRISTIAN UUs.
Me: Never met one....yawn.
Them: But they exist.
Me: Maybe in a zoo?

Hitchens or Sagan, but I do plan on visiting the bookstore soon, after I finish reading 'The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics.'

When I get a chance, I love to read articles from other non-believers. I came across Ayaan Hirsi Ali last year while looking for atheist women of color. In fact, I was really impressed by her character and it helped propel me more towards researching other female atheists.

Lol, I am not at all surprised to hear about Cheistians mindlessly talking about things they know nothing about (I hate the expression about atheist in foxholes). I also can't stand when they accuse non-believers of being mad at God or going to a church that isn't "true."

It's gotten to the point where I don't even discuss with them on how I got to this point, unless they are someone I am very close to. Although, I learned recently that even more family members are atheists than I ever could have imagined. The believers are now in the minority. Go figure!

It's basically what I told my kids. I'm an atheist and they are not. I told them to believe what they want, be true to themselves and to treat people how I taught them. It's all good with us.

Thanks for sharing this.

I despise the idea of indoctrination, no matter which way it goes. I suspect she will change with her next little boyfriend, so my husband and I are just supporting her decisions right now.

Although, I wonder if her current boyfriend's parents (pastor and wife) know we're atheists.