COMM 480 Cameron

Comparing Perceptions of Religion Online and Offline https://www.pinterest.com/pin/410953534730151290/?lp=true This meme is playing on the Biblical idea that the Earth is only a few thousand years old. It uses scientific evidence such as dinosaur fossils to debunk that notion and brings in the humor of Jesus trying to shoo away a dinosaur because it's presence conflicts with his story.  https://www.pinterest.com/patheism/funny-atheist-memes/ This meme is citing science to back their claims for the impossibility of a God and write off religious beliefs as "magic". This meme undermines certain ideologies by claiming they are fairy tales and the only truth lies in science and the factual world.  My case study focuses on how Atheists use memes to present an amplified view of their "religion" and how they use sarcastic rhetoric to belittle or minimize the beliefs of other religious traditions.  All of the memes I have chosen thus far come f

Presentations of Religious Identity in Internet Memes Atheist online identities are deeply rooted in "proving" their position as the right one. They are very focused on developing strongly satirical messages about primarily Christian beliefs that present Atheism in a more positive light. Their religious identity is hard to define seeing as they are anti-religion and seek to express this by mocking those who do identify with an organized religion. https://www.pinterest.com/explore/atheist-meme/?lp=true http://digitalreligion.tamu.edu/atheist-memes-facebook-page The main idea accentuated in Atheist generated memes is the moral and intellectual superiority of the group. Most of the memes I have studied focus on the belief that Atheists are somehow smarter and generally better people than those who belong to a religious faith because they cite their beliefs in facts and feel they can disprove any other ideas through science.  I think these ideas are hig

Atheist Meme Frames My strategy for selecting memes is to simple Google Image search "Atheist memes" and see what catches my eye. For the most part, memes with simple messages and the use of familiar images is helpful when choosing which memes to post to the blog. So far, the memes I have selected have been seemingly written by members of the Atheist group and mock organized religion through use of satire and sarcasm. These memes help to address my specific research theme by providing insight into how Atheists view themselves and other religious backgrounds.  http://www.relativelyinteresting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/thank-you-jesus-atheist-meme.jpg http://godlessmom.com/atheist-memes/memes/9zdu2ms/ Members of this group seem to derive their meaning by putting down or casting doubt on organized religion. Their central understanding is forged through their common thought that there is no supreme being running our lives and anyone who believes othe

Atheism Memes Many times Atheists are seen as self-righteous and believe that their way is the only right way of thinking about things.  https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-best-Atheist-memes http://thaumaturgical.com/funny-atheist-memes-part-666/ I want to focus on the assumption that  Atheists  are intolerant of  other  belief systems and how that impacts how other religious backgrounds view A theists . This is a very interesting topic to me in particular because my Dad is a self-proclaimed Atheist while my Mom taught Sunday School and Faith Formation at the Episcopal Church and School. Through exploration of this study, I wish to better understand Atheism's exact beliefs about the origin of the world and humanity and how Atheists feel about the  stereotypes  placed on them through memes and other forms of social media. Do Atheists care that they sometimes present as superior or smug when discussing religion? How would they feel if other religions spoke