"Most attendees came away from the three days and three nights...with feelings varying from elation to euphoria...."

"...cat-herded into one place....The largest gathering...a harbinger of a changing manner in which humanity is viewing existence in ever growing numbers.."

"...People wanted to connect to other atheists and freethinkers, and hear from speakers whose clear thinking has filled many contemporary best-selling books..."

"...The atmosphere was filled by a powerfully exquisite joy..."

"Now that the event is over the afterglow still burns brightly in the thoughts of attendees..."

...................................................

Sounds exactly like an old-style revivalist meeting.

Oh Yay!

<Most attendees came away … with feelings varying from elation to euphoria.>
How does he know this—omniscience?

<involved in a part of making history>
What was the historical significance of the talk-fest? Doesn't something have to happen?

<Around 4,000 atheists cat-herded into one place>
Nothing compared with the gatherings of sheep before the Pope!

<"there is probably no god">
Shouldn’t it then be renamed the “Global Agnostic Convention”?

<People wanted to connect to other atheists and freethinkers…>
First “herding cats” and now turning these alienated beings into a community (whose common values are what?) quite a feat!

<the atmosphere was one filled by a powerfully exquisite joy inspired by camaraderie>
Sounds positively supernatural!

In our secular, tolerantish, society I doubt many see atheists as the “baby eaters” etc. Indeed there’s probably more demonising, such as this, from “some” atheists than from theists.

<world-class philosophical [sic], scientific and sociological professionals>
One would hope then that some of them talked about the “problems” of materialism, which are considerable, in etymological.

<criticisms overwhelmingly drowned in an ocean of accolades.>
Why then the desperately self-validating hyperbole?

I sympathise with the concern over children “losing their minds” to indoctrination, but do the atheists really think they’re unconditioned, “free” thinkers?

<Both of these groups are demonstrably blinkered by delusion in "knowing" their faith is right…>
The New Atheists appear blinkered by their own Western-centric delusions.

And if you don’t like paying for security and you stand for secularism and free thinking, why bait and insult and adopt this confrontational, take no prisoners, style?

<This is the only existence available and making it count for others, ourselves and the planet is of paramount importance. We have to make it on our own.>
This sounds vaguely like an agenda and I agree with the sentiment, but when will we get some detail?

Thanks for your report on GAC con and the range of feelings "from elation to euphoria"…

I now know what the sound of one hand clapping, no, applauding wildly sounds like.

I now know also, why the other hand was preoccupied.

The Atheists established beyond reasonable doubt the non-conclusion that there PROBABLY isn't a God. Sorry, I'm no wiser guys.

There is very little difference between extreme Christians on the one hand and prosletyzing Atheists on the other. Both are nutty and annoying as far as I'm concerned.

Neatly summarized, WmTrevor.

>>I now know also, why the other hand was preoccupied<<

The whole piece had the feel of a propaganda leaflet published by Party Central, full of self-congratulatory phrases praising the wisdom of the Great Leader. The thoroughly floral nature of the language itself spoke volumes to me.

Here are my favourites:

"... voluntarily entombed in the magnificent Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre"

Ummmm... anyone who finds a Convention Centre - any Convention Centre - "magnificent", provides an early demonstration of a total lack of perspective.

"...the atmosphere was one filled by a powerfully exquisite joy inspired by camaraderie brought about by a unique experience found nowhere else"

It would have been far more surprising - amazing, even - to have a unique experience that was freely available somewhere else. But the idea that atheism can generate a "powerfully exquisite joy" makes me feel somewhat nauseous.

Or perhaps envious, that there must have been some pretty righteous gak in circulation.

Hold on a minute... gak ... GAC...?

Coincidence? I don't think so.

"...the weekend built to a crescendo of intellectual significance"

Yep. That's what everyone thinks when they're high.

Somehow, though, I found the article an entirely appropriate summary the Convention, right from the idea that there is somehow a need for such a ceremony, right through to the...

"... the afterglow [that] still burns brightly in the thoughts of attendees"

Yeccchhh

Hi David, there are millions of Atheists in the world who feel they do not have to attend conventions or rallies to be an Atheist or spread the word of Atheism, these people come to a conclusion within their own minds and are very happy with that conclusion. To all the attendees who felt they were uplifted by the convention, does not mean that those who did not attend are not part of and belonging to Atheism as a whole.
A self thinking Atheist.