08/16/2026
Atheisting in the park: Well, another fun day. I don't know how many more of these I can take š
Had fin conversation with a guy that admitted he was brainwashed. That was kind of weird. After pointing our problems with the text. And comparing science/ history to the Bible. He just said he believed the Bible because he was brainwashed.
Several times I mentioned Euhemerism. And gave Haile Selassie as an example of a person getting promoted to god status.
Then I see this guy with a shirt that the symbol looks familiar, but I can't place it. So I ask the guy. It was the symbol for Rastafarian. Told the guy about that, he smiled and walked on.
Talked with a native American lady. She was very spiritual. And also didn't let anyone finish anything without interrupting. We mostly agreed about humanism.
We got a newbie today. Caroline. She was a total delight to talk to. She made the mistake of saying she liked history. I was happy to point out a bunch of things she was not aware of š We did cover a few different time periods and some mythology.
It cracks me up how we will sit there and talk among ourselves for a few hours. And then all of a sudden we get overwhelmed with people. I'm not complaining. Just telling you the pattern.
So, in other words- we had a good time š
From John - ""Had an interesting and rare conversation with a Jain practitioner. Dave was from NY and had landed in San Diego just four hours earlier.
Jainism does not believe in a creator god and a core belief is to do no harm. I let Dave know Jainism and Humanism are very similar concerning the well being of others. Jainism is a more extreme position as it extends to all forms of life.
Dave told me Jainism is strictly vegan, and forbids fermented foods. Fermented foods contain micro bacterial life and are avoided to prevent consuming the massive quantities of yeast and microorganisms generated during fermentation. Root vegetables (potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, radishes, ginger, beets) are also forbidden because harvesting them kills the entire plant and destroys microscopic organisms living in the root systems.
He had to leave after a brief conversation but stated he would like to revisit us. I let him know we are here every Saturday and he was welcome to join us.
Hope we see him again.
I personally have many questions about Jainism.""
From Wes - ""A nice older guy with a ārailroad workers unitedā shirt on ended up being an atheist and expressed confusion over the current political environment with the religious in power and that itās likely theyād rather have a jihadist Muslim in power than an atheist. I brought up the point that the Christianās are basically freaked out about sharia law but are basically trying to implement their own version and itās very much a pot calling the kettle black situation. He also mentioned a song that got the artist in trouble for making an atheist song called āLet the Mystery Beā by Iris Dement. Unfortunately had to head out rather quickly.""
From Tim - ""I donāt think this is very interesting, but hereās what I drummed up: # An Argument at the Booth: A Clearer Account
A cyclist abruptly stopped at our booth and shouted, "You couldn't do this in an Islamic country like Afghanistan!" His implication was clearāthat our free speech rights somehow stem from America's Christian colonial heritage. From my chair, I attempted to engage him in discussion, but he showed no interest in dialogue, seemingly triggered merely by our presence. To him, our atheism apparently made us un-American.
I tried explaining that Afghanistan wasn't always so restrictive until their religious fundamentalists gained power. Daniel chimed in, noting Iran's similar trajectory. I pointed out that Christian-dominated governments haven't always been lenient toward free speech either, and that our current administration actively attacks these rights. He retorted that immigrants and Democrats were to blame for these changes. When I disagreed, he dismissed me as living in a "news bubble." His aggression had worn me down, and finally I told him to "F**k Off."
Others attempted to engage him, but again he seemed more interested in berating us than discussing. At this point, he revealed he was a Mexican immigrant, which prompted Danielāwho was still seatedāto switch to Spanish. The rest of us watched, unable to follow the conversation but observing that the intensity didn't diminish. When Daniel stood up to face him, the cyclist dismounted completely, which I interpretedācombined with the escalating intensityāas an aggressive move. I stood to deter any physical aggression, which seemed to shift his posture slightly toward relaxation. Daniel and the man continued arguing, but we could tell Daniel had reached his limit too. I returned to my seat.
Wesley then arrived and engaged the cyclist from the opposite end of the booth, making it difficult for me to follow their exchange. The intensity grew substantially, drawing a small crowd of onlookers. "Free speech" must have been mentioned, because Wesley became animated and louder, exclaiming something like, "I can use my free speech. F**k you! Fuuuuccck Yooouuu!" His hands swept dramatically from his mouth toward the sky. A passerby told Wesley, "You should go somewhere else with that foul mouth," to which Wesley responded in kind. A young woman, attracted by the argument, seemed to be enjoying the verbal beating Wesley was delivering. Wesley offered her an opportunity to speak from a woman's perspective, but again I couldn't follow what was being said.
Richard showed up. I think he mentioned he hadnāt visited for about 4 years.
Mitchell showed up around noon without his didgeridoo āDracoā. He had taken a break from playing at the park due to the hot weather, but was surprised how nice the weather actually was today and remarked heād be playing under the shade of a tree anyway, so I expect heāll return soon. I talked to him about my interest in buying and learning the didgeridoo. Draco is a flat D key and was made specifically for him. He had mentioned to me a month ago that heād give me some pointers in the early morning on Saturdayās which would be awesome!
Mitchell named the 1 year old tree that heās nursing near his usual spot. Itās actually regrowth from it old form that had been cut down by some nitwit. He has named it āEywaā after the Tree of Souls depicted in the movie Avatar.
Itās 33 inches tall now. It was incredibly tiny a year ago.""
From Carlos - ""Beautiful 80s weather with a slight breeze. (I love my weather reportsš). Got to the booth really late, almost 3. Apparently, I missed Daniel and Tim going off on a Mex-maga that wouldnāt leave. Daniel is usually the calm one. Got pretty crowded at times so I just talked with booth buddies. Talked to a cultural Jew, basically an atheist. Hopped in and out of some other convos. One guy said that science proved a creator. I just laughed, shook my head and let Rob and Rich take over. These two college aged girls were standing kind far but smiling. So I just approached them. Those ladies are who I want to take over this country. From Delaware, smart, open minded, and just awesome. We talked for about half hour about pro-choice, transphobia and some other woke/queer topics. We pretty much agreed on everything. Making this shorter than usual, my night job is busy. I donāt think Iāve ever had a bad day at the booth.""
Got a few weird reactions from the question today.
