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In fairness the Internet might bring out the snottiness in people. There's also a tendency for "mob behavior" to intensify things.
In life atheists I've known are not in a group of atheists. They are just an atheist I know. They generally do not laugh at me. In some cases they are even curious in an anthropological kind of way. Maybe there's a bit of "how could you believe that?" but I might actually get that more from Protestants than atheists.
I think online conversations at times encourage a lack of empathy. I am also "bolder" in online conversations than in life. If I have to see the person be visibly hurt by what I've said I'll back off out of empathy. Online you are not seeing anyone be hurt so it's hard to know when you've gone too far. Likewise I think atheists in life would be able to tell when I'm glaring at them or wanting to change topics. If they want to be friendly, and I think people often do want to be kind or empathetic, they back off. Online you can't tell those things.
Also, basic maturity tells me that any time after the age of four, one should take responsibility for one's own actions rather than saying the other person started it first. However, that's just my personal view.
Meanwhile, NONE of this presses home the original point of the thread so again, the link between basic criticism, and people unilaterally complaining that it's "hateful," has been disproven. I hope noone has lost sight of that fact since it's the whole point of the thread, as far as I can tell.
Also, just as an aside and in honest criticism: You did just, from one point to the next, contradict yourself. You said you'd NEVER (caps yours) heard such things; next, you said you hear them all the time. So I stand by that original point too even though it wasn't the upshot of the intent of the thread as far as I can see.
I think the big difference may be that Miss Blue doesn't preach or wear her beliefs on her "sleeve"...At least that has been my perception.
Miss Blue is too busy cleaning up after the forum fights to have any time left to say anything herself. Preaching is one thing, and I don't believe it has a place on this forum. On the other hand, expressing one's religious beliefs on a religion discussion forum can hardly be called wearing one's beliefs on one's sleeve. People should be able to simply state their position without having a dozen people who disagree with them either laugh at them, tell them that they're part of a cult, tell them that they're headed for Hell or post some YouTube video trashing their religion.
On the other hand, expressing one's religious beliefs on a religion discussion forum can hardly be called wearing one's beliefs on one's sleeve.
I agree with this! We're all here willingly. Right? And it is specifically a forum about religion. It's not like anyone here is confronting others on here IRL by running up to their cars and knocking on the window or something to wag fingers.
I also agree, although as an atheist I catch a lot of flak here from certain people, even though I try not to be disrespectful. I suppose that if one has too much of himself bound up in a religion, any difference of opinion can seem like a huge insult. I like to discuss religion, even as an outsider.
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