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A quick story;
A few weeks ago I needed to go “on-site” at a local industrial facility. While talking with a few construction guys the subject of Xmas popped up. We all have/had kids old enough to know Santa isn’t real. I was telling my story about “breaking the news of no Santa” when I repeated something my kid asked, “Dad is Jesus real?” Right after I said the words I realized I was in a room with 4 guys and 3 were “born again Christians”. They layed their eyes on me with a look that said “I had better not say anything other than, YES, HE IS REAL IS LIVES IN YOU TODAY!” Well I didn’t say that; Snickers, glares, scoffs, rolling eyes and a mumble about hell is what I got in return. I asked about the noises and their reply was, “You’ll see when you die!” (no I won’t, I’ll be dead)
I felt like an alien among these folks. After I got the cold shoulder for about ten minutes I gathered up my stuff and let them know I was leaving and if they needed anything concerning the project to call me. I finished up with, “if your god is as judgmental as you all are I won’t be alone in hell.”
And to think, people kill for this nonsense!
More like vice versa. Why are atheists so hostile to believers?
Nope. Not the case. Yes, we react and present our arguments when our concepts are vilified, or when we're the targets of ethical attacks, or we're told that science is manned by biased, dishonest, lying individuals (this is so far from the truth, but as a practising, career scientist, I always take that one personally...), or some other easily discredited information.
Realize that this is an open debating forum, open to people anaymously outing their strong personal beliefs. It's about the only place you can let fly with what you think ,and believe me, the Christian response is either combative, or is finger-wagglingly patronizing.
Remember as well; it's been pretty well established that most atheists have the knowledge or education to defend modern scientific evidence that puts literalist interpretations of the bible off the table.
Now, this is in no way ever meant to denigrate someone's personal faith-based philosophies, but you have to be careful if you're going to stand there and tell us that the entire universe revolves around the earth, and that dinosaurs were created and lived alongside man. The evidence says that "jist ain't so!"
More like vice versa. Why are atheists so hostile to believers?
So, imagine this...you're a happy kid, and you're playing in the park, minding your own business. There's a group of other kids there playing ball. You're not in the mood to play ball, so you're enjoying the swingset and the beautiful day.
The ball-playing kids want you to play ball with them, but you say no thank you and keep swinging. They call you a few names, say you're a sissy or chicken or a nerd. You don't really care, you ignore them and swing higher.
So the ballplayers start throwing the ball at you, trying to hit you. Again and again they throw the ball at you. You don't like this, and rightfully so. You tell them to stop. They insist it's their right to throw the ball at you, and say that if you don't want the ball thrown at you anymore, you should be a team player and play ball, even though you don't like playing ball.
Finally, after having the ball thrown at you many times, you catch it as it comes at you, and you throw it down the storm drain. Then you keep swinging. The kids get another ball, throw it at you, and you catch it and toss it down the drain again.
At this point the ballplayers call you hostile, angry, bitter, resentful, jealous, and a horrible person, and threaten your life. So, is that child a hostile, angry, bitter, resentful, jealous, horrible person who deserves to die...or is that child justified in defending themselves against repeated attack?
A well-written article about the question. Here's a short blurb from it:
Why Are Believers So Hostile Toward Atheists? (http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/149419 - broken link)
"It's absurd to look at someone expressing anger, and assume that anger is therefore the only emotion they ever feel. I've read plenty of angry atheist rants (heck, I've written them myself), and the authors have always written elsewhere about their deep delight, pleasure, and gratitude in life. In fact, gushing, purple-prose, Carl Sagan-esque wonderment at the magnificence of the universe is so common among atheist writers, it's almost a cliche. (No, that stuff doesn't make it into the mainstream media as much. Anger makes catchier headlines, and sells more newspapers.)"
Enjoy!
Do unto others as they do unto you.
When met with hostility, I respond with the same. When left alone, I leave the other alone.
So, imagine this...you're a happy kid, and you're playing in the park, minding your own business. There's a group of other kids there playing ball. You're not in the mood to play ball, so you're enjoying the swingset and the beautiful day.
The ball-playing kids want you to play ball with them, but you say no thank you and keep swinging. They call you a few names, say you're a sissy or chicken or a nerd. You don't really care, you ignore them and swing higher.
So the ballplayers start throwing the ball at you, trying to hit you. Again and again they throw the ball at you. You don't like this, and rightfully so. You tell them to stop. They insist it's their right to throw the ball at you, and say that if you don't want the ball thrown at you anymore, you should be a team player and play ball, even though you don't like playing ball.
Finally, after having the ball thrown at you many times, you catch it as it comes at you, and you throw it down the storm drain. Then you keep swinging. The kids get another ball, throw it at you, and you catch it and toss it down the drain again.
At this point the ballplayers call you hostile, angry, bitter, resentful, jealous, and a horrible person, and threaten your life. So, is that child a hostile, angry, bitter, resentful, jealous, horrible person who deserves to die...or is that child justified in defending themselves against repeated attack?
It's actually more like you run across the field in the middle of the game.
Well, I suspect they are envious of people who think things through and refuse to donate 10% to an organization that is infinitely richer than are they. If Freud had written about it, I suspect he would have called it "Logic Envy".
More like vice versa. Why are atheists so hostile to believers?
They are intelligent and have a healthy respect for the power of delusion. They are also aware that christians are, on the whole, a singularly blood thirsty lot. To the best of my knowledge, no wars have ever been started in support of Atheism.
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