the atheist hall of fame.

[LearnMe]

Originally Posted by HeelaMonster

Seriously?? Let's set aside that there are atheists, including some on this forum, who are much better versed than the average believer in their own theology and holy books (on which that relationship is based for many). But do you really intend to argue that religious/spiritual belief endows someone with a "field of expertise?" On that basis, those who enjoy a walk through the park should be experts in landscape architecture, those who travel by plane have expertise in aeronautical engineering, and those who listen to opera must have expertise in musical composition. And what about those poor lost souls who were once true believers but subsequently came to see that "relationship" in a different light.... did they somehow lose their field of expertise?

Perhaps your definition of expertise is different than most.

There have been countless people who describe that "something more" ability that spiritual people have that atheists don't. This is just another version of many describing the same thing we are called upon to believe or accept, over and over again. Convincing others of this, however, is certainly NOT their field of expertise.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by TRANSPONDER

Well, of course, it's Me an' Raffs who have the final say. We created it so we have the Command. That's fair ain't it?

Fair or unfair, the reality would be that such a institution would be privately owned and operated. (I'm not seeing the government launching an Atheist Hall of Fame). As such, the owners would be free to establish whatever rules they wished, enshrine whoever they wanted. To radiate an aura of legitimacy they would need to turn the election process over to some independent group of electors in the manner that the baseball Hall allows the Baseball Writers of America to do the voting. The owners may establish the criteria, but the voters will decide who does and does not meet it.

So the question is....where to we come up with an atheist collective that is roughly the equivalent of the baseball writers?

[TRANSPONDER]

Originally Posted by Grandstander

Fair or unfair, the reality would be that such a institution would be privately owned and operated. (I'm not seeing the government launching an Atheist Hall of Fame). As such, the owners would be free to establish whatever rules they wished, enshrine whoever they wanted. To radiate an aura of legitimacy they would need to turn the election process over to some independent group of electors in the manner that the baseball Hall allows the Baseball Writers of America to do the voting. The owners may establish the criteria, but the voters will decide who does and does not meet it.

So the question is....where to we come up with an atheist collective that is roughly the equivalent of the baseball writers?

I suppose we'd wait for some corporation to buy the rights, and they can decide who gets mentioned in it and sell the merchandise online.