I have, you see, been invited to join the FreeThought Blogs network. FreeThought Blogs brings together a group of individual blogs under one umbrella, which allows readers to easily move from one to another following their interests. As you might guess, this blogging network is united by "free thinking" - in other words, while they write about everything from science to politics to feminism, all of the bloggers on FreeThought Blogs are atheists of some sort or another.
Trust me when I say that this is an exciting opportunity. For one thing, FreeThought Blogs is home to many of my favorite blogs, including Pharyngula, Greta Christina, and Blag Hag. For another thing, FreeThought Blogs will likely give my writing greater exposure.
But never fear, Love, Joy, Feminism is not changing. My content will be the same. My blogging style will be the same. My comments policy will be the same. The range of topics I cover will be the same. It has always been my goal on this blog to approach issues with respect and understanding, and that goal won't change.
I am going to clean this site up a bit and keep it here as a reference, especially dealing with issues regarding Christian Patriarchy and Quiverfull. Most of my past posts and archives will also transfer over to the new site. In the future, I may post articles I write that deal directly with Christian Patriarchy or Quiverfull here to augment this site's purpose as a reference tool (if I do this I will either also post it on my FreeThoughts Blogs site, or at least post a link, so you don't have to worry about following more than one site).
It is my hope that my regular readers will follow me to the new site. It is my hope that my religious readers won't be put off by my move to an atheist blog network. Like I said, my comments policy won't change. My attempt to address issues with understanding and graciousness won't change. And finally, it is my hope that my new site will be as enjoyable and personable as so many of you have told me this site has been.
I'll post here, but Congrats! Over at FTB I am amavra. It'll be nice to have you, I read a few blogs over there so one less bookmark I guess
ReplyDeleteFantastic! You're a perfect fit at FtB. My dream is to one day join you, but for now, I'll continue to read faithfully, no pun intended.
ReplyDeletefantastic! Woot!
ReplyDeleteO.M.G. Freethoughtblogs ! This is huge !! Congratulations Libby Anne, you'll be a great addition to that site !
ReplyDeleteYay, someone else who feels like this is as huge as I feel like it is! Yes, yes it is! It's HUGE! *happy dance*
DeleteOh yes, it is as big as you think it is. I'm very happy for you.
DeleteWow, congrats!
ReplyDelete~Esparrow
Oh dear. I saw the title and almost went into convulsions. i just found you and now you are quitting your blog. Then I read the post and now I have stopped hyperventilating. Thank you for not stopping blogging and I am sure I will find plenty more to read where you are going.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way ElleC! Congratulations Libby Anne! I've truly enjoyed reading your blog and you will make a fantastic addition to FTB. I'll definitely be following you over there.
DeleteCongratulations. I will definitely be following you to your new online home.
ReplyDeleteI am already following at least half of the Freethought Blogs, and when I saw PZ Myers's post today that you would join, I was like "Yaaaay" :) This is really awesome, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness that's awesome, congrats! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! The big time!
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad to hear this site and its archives will remain, though. I just found it a couple of weeks ago, and I've barely scratched the surface.
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of FreeThought Blogs until I read this post so I guess I've got some reading to do today. It must be pretty big going on the previous comments.
ReplyDeleteI did have a giggle at your comment hoping that your religious readers "won't be put off by my move to an atheist blog". I am surprised by how many Christians feel threatened by Atheists (and Muslims and Jews and Hindus and and and ...). Do they think the big, scary Atheists are coming to take their God away? Well, here is one Christian who loves your blog and doesn't really care where it appears as long as I still get to read it. (Smile)
Congrats! Is there a way to subscribe to your posts there? I didn't see one. I've never commented on your blog before, but I read it...well,...religiously ;) I'm a former homeschooler, though secular, and currently homeschool (again, secular). I'm fascinated by your descriptions of your life because of how many fundamentalist Christians I knew as a kid--their attitudes toward women lit the fire of feminism in me and taught me that feminism and religion were incompatible (later, I learned that isn't true and I do study feminist theaIogy/Goddess feminism now).
ReplyDeleteThis actually makes me really sad, because a blog I love recently got horribly trolled by people from FreeThoughtBlogs. The trolls were consistently misogynist and incredibly disrespectful towards theists, and I've gotten the sense that several of the bloggers themselves over at FreeThought are really anti-theist. I think you're better than that. I'm concerned that the quality of your commenters will decline when you make this move, and that your blog will no longer be a place where friendly dialogue between theists and atheists can take place as a result.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have spoken with some theists and even agnostics who have told me they feel uncomfortable on FreeThought Blogs. This is part of why I thought the move would be beneficial in the first place. One deist reader put it this way:
Delete"It's cool that you're part of that circle. I'm not actually a fan of Pharyngula because I don't think ridiculing religious people does anything productive to lesson fundamentalists' grip on our culture. I think your insights will balance that tendency nicely."
I've tried to avoid ridiculing religious people, and I'm not going to change that. And there is no requirement to change my content or do anything differently at FTB than I already do.
As for the trolls, I can delete comments with the click of a button. As for misogyny, one thing I really like about several of the bloggers at FTB is their open feminism - especially PZ and Blag Hag - so I feel like my feminism fits in fine and is much supported there. As to being nice to theists, let it be known that I completely understand your concerns.
If it becomes a problem, I can make it so that only commenters who have had approved comments before can comment, or so that I have to approve every comment before it shows. I really appreciate your concern here, because my theist readers was my only concern in moving. I don't want to lose you guys.
And actually, part of why I was interested in moving was that my background of having been so very much a believer and having since left allows me to bring some insight to those who were never religious, or never very religious, and to move toward mutual understanding.
Finally, based on your concerns I will go update my comments policy over at FTB and keep my hand on the delete button.
Libby, I've emailed you to elaborate further on the trolling situation I just described.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I'm so happy I stumbled upon your blog, and I'll be keeping up with your posts over there, too :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! That's just awesome :) I also had a mini heart attack when I first saw the title but this is indeed fantastic news.
ReplyDeleteAlso, even if trolls are a concern, you'll probably get more trolls for increase in traffic site than for any other reason and you want to reach as many people as possible so yeah.. Anyway, I'm sure you'll be able to overcome it :)
congratulations!
ReplyDeleteOMG--I LOVE FreeThoughtBlogs! You'll make a fantastic addition there, and it will be even easier for me to follow you, since I already read FTB daily! I found it when Greta Christina and I've become huge fans of so many of the writers there!
ReplyDeleteI was several days behind on Pharyngula this week, and when I read PZ's announcement about you I jumped into a little happy-dance!!
I'm also so happy to see some of my favorite players in the atheosphere welcoming a great voice like you, and celebrating the value of feminism in strengthening the atheist movement!!
I think this is an awesome thing, all around!!
I get a kick out of 'free thought' stuff. Free thought is supposed to mean your thinking isn't bound by anything but clearly for an athiest thinker, and athiest bound to not beleving in God. Isn't that an oxymoron? Just thinking.......
ReplyDeleteJW
It's actually freethought not free thought and it abscrives to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought
DeleteAnd btw, it's atheist, not athiest.
Delete"I get a kick out of 'free thought' stuff. Free thought is supposed to mean your thinking isn't bound by anything but clearly for an athiest thinker, and athiest bound to not beleving in God.
ReplyDeleteI get a kick out of people who talk like they know what Atheism actually means, when clearly they don't.... and I get a little added kick when they can't even spell the flippin' word.
But nit-picking aside, if you feel like explaining how I'm "bound to not believing in God", as "bound" means "tied" or "obligated", feel free. Perhaps you should first consider that it's not like I woke up one day and decided to be an Atheist. It's simply that I no longer find the "evidence" for invisible, conscious, creator-beings, credible/believable. While the definition of "Atheist" is, yes, bound to its meaning, that, in and of itself, would not keep me from believing in a god if I saw some credible evidence for one. In that respect, I am certainly not "bound to not believing in God."