<s>
alt.atheism	B-Application
is	O
a	O
Usenet	B-Application
newsgroup	I-Application
within	O
the	O
alt	B-Architecture
.	I-Architecture
</s>
<s>
The	O
group	O
was	O
originally	O
created	O
on	O
February	O
6	O
,	O
1990	O
by	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
alt.pagan	O
newsgroup	B-Application
,	O
to	O
provide	O
an	O
alternative	O
forum	O
for	O
the	O
numerous	O
discussions	O
on	O
atheism	O
that	O
were	O
overwhelming	O
the	O
pagan	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
survey	O
of	O
usenet	B-Application
groups	I-Application
in	O
1994	O
–	O
1995	O
found	O
that	O
,	O
among	O
70	O
groups	O
discussing	O
"	O
consciousness	O
,	O
spirituality	O
,	O
and	O
religion	O
(	O
broadly	O
defined	O
)	O
"	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
group	O
with	O
the	O
highest	O
traffic	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
writes	O
that	O
"	O
atheist	O
and	O
freethought	O
newsgroups	B-Application
"	O
including	O
alt.atheism	B-Application
have	O
"	O
done	O
much	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
isolation	O
felt	O
by	O
many	O
with	O
antireligious	O
opinions	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
alt.atheism	B-Application
FAQ	O
,	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
the	O
group	O
is	O
to	O
discuss	O
atheism	O
and	O
atheist	O
topics	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
calls	O
out	O
another	O
common	O
discussion	O
topic	O
,	O
the	O
proper	O
definition	O
of	O
atheism	O
,	O
as	O
being	O
"	O
the	O
thread	O
that	O
never	O
dies	O
on	O
alt.atheism	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularization	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
weak	O
and	O
strong	O
atheism	O
"	O
terminology	O
for	O
different	O
definitions	O
of	O
atheism	O
has	O
been	O
credited	O
to	O
discussions	O
on	O
the	O
alt.atheism	B-Application
newsgroup	B-Application
.	O
</s>
