1 Feb 2009
A herd of cats
I attended an informal get-together of the Filipino Freethinkers at Starbucks EDSA Shangrila Mall. Judging by attendace alone, it was a big success. The last nontheist meet-up I attended had less than ten participants (that I recall); and only John the Atheist and I were present in both. I’ve met a lot of great people, including some whose blogs I have enjoyed reading.
The discussion started with a getting-to-know-you session where each participant said something about himself (or herself, there were quite a few ladies), how s/he became an atheist, and whatever else s/he wanted to share. As expected, most had catholic backgrounds, but I was surprised that John was a protestant/born-again christian before deconverting. Maybe I should read his blog more. I also noticed that quite a few are uneasy with the label “atheist” and would prefer to be called an agnostic. I said I would prefer the label (metaphysical) naturalist but atheist is fine. I eventually referred to myself as a point-and-laugh atheist (you know, pointing at the folly of religious extremism and just laugh). That probably means that I am also a “militant” atheist, a term I do not like. I am outspoken, but not militant, and the two are not equivalent.
Then came the much awaited discussion on whether Filipino Freethinkers was affiliated with Center For Inquiry Philippines (CFI-P). The organizers vehemently denied that they were, that FF was going to be an independent group, that it was not initiated nor sponsored by CFI-P, and that while there was a member of CFI-P present, he was there as an individual and not as a representative.
If you’re wondering why there is a need to disclaim, it is because most members of the online secular groups do not like the leadership of CFI-P. John is actually a co-founder of the local chapter of CFI but has quickly disavowed it when he clashed with the other two founding members, Josh and Poch. Other secularists were turned off from CFI-P when they found the president, Josh, to be nothing more than an immature religion-bashing anti-theist (which isn’t really that bad), while othersare hung up on Josh’s age (he’s 17, I think). They question the seriousness of an organization that would appoint a 17 year old as president. (Hey, if he’s qualified, then his age isn’t much of an issue.)
The third topic for discussion was about whether FF was going to be a serious organization that must be registered with SEC, or if it will just be an informal group where like-minded secularists could just meet together and have a good time. I am leaning more on the latter option. There is a time for atheists to fall under one banner and fight the common enemy (if there is one), but that’s best left once we start acting like a real community. How can organized atheism work if we’re still bickering with each other on minute points and semantics? I am not saying that we start thinking alike, but rather that we must find our common ground and build up from there. As Benj has pointed out, homogeneity is not the goal. He also doesn’t want unity (which is to be expected from a freethinker) but I disagree, we can be united but not homogenized. I’m not going to force him to point and laugh at silly religionists, and he won’t convince me to stop doing so; but we can both set aside our differences if our freedom of thought is threatened by a common enemy.
Lastly, there is a debate on what will happen with the FFFF on the 28th. I was initially enthusiastic with the meeting, but was surprised that it was going to be a formal event with speakers. I was hoping for more of what we did today, just an informal meet-up. Lectures are fine and good, but I want more of the social aspect. I’ve lived my atheist life almost entirely online. Ultimately, it is not as rewarding as spending an afternoon chatting with other interesting people. Why waste a party with lectures? The organizers are moving too fast, too soon. I say we just sit back and enjoy each other’s company. In the end, atheists are people too. Isn’t that what we’re all about?
