Blog 3: Presentations of Religious Identity in Internet Memes

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 highlighted in memes because Atheists from an insider perspective focus on how science allows them to make claims that other religious beliefs are simply wrong or based in ignorant thought. Some messages being communicated through Atheist memes are that organized religion is not based in fact and if one believes in any type of God, that person is an idiot. Atheists use these memes to present themselves in a better light to the religious community by elevating their position.

These observations relate to claims about religious identity presentations because they present Atheists in a way that makes them seem "right". They use these memes to further their ideology about how the world works and create them as a platform to get their anti-religion messages out to the public. Memes allow them to mainstream their ideas and make them easier to consume.