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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Look, anybody here could go through this thread and catalogue mean atheist behavior ranging from eye-rolls to [b]calling religion a net negative influence on the world. [/b]I personally didn't think OP was that bad, maybe a little naive, but I'll defer to you because you say these these are your feelings.

But why bother, unless we're in some competition to feel the most victimized? That's certainly not something I care about. However, I do agree with others that some--not all!!!--atheists like to play the victim card.

The most interesting thing about this thread is that any anger at atheists hasn't been linked with lack of belief per se. Every single one of your quoted passages, as well as OP, refers to atheists' BEHAVIOR on DCUM and elsewhere. Something to chew on.[/quote]

I'm sorry, but this is considered "mean behavior"? It's not a personal attack on anyone, just a PP sharing an observation/opinion.

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I am the atheist PP who quoted all the religious PPs who I think have been jerks. I think that that was a mean comment by an atheist. There are ways to make that point that are less accusatory. To say that something people find as a cornerstone to their personal belief system has been bad for the world is not something that is going to make you any friends.

To the PP who responded to me. I find it difficult to swallow that posters like you are claiming that atheists love to play the victim card in a thread that was created by a religious person to mock atheists. It is not starting the discussion in fair play to criticize us, have atheists object to being criticized and then say they love playing the victim card. I would never have posted here had the OP not so dismissively and casually insulted people like me. There is a cruel streak in making fun of someone for getting bent about not liking being made fun of. That puts the atheist in an impossible situation. Defend myself and confirm that I am a whiny little victim or say nothing and let you rip on me?[/quote]

But can a religious person let go of the emotion and try to understand the comment? Think of all of the wars/deaths associated with religion. How many lives have religions saved? Is that observation objectively that far off base?

I don't think there will ever be a meaningful exchange until people let go of the emotion and stop all of the attacks. And learn how to use the reply/quote function properly. 
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It's irrelevant how many wars and death an atheist might think is caused by the ills of religions.  That's simply anti-religious political commentary.  "Atheism" isn't political, according to the greek definition; it's simply absence of belief in a deity.    A religious person who believes in God can oppose the harms of religion politically too.

If you don't believe in God, that lack of belief can't possibly be based on the fact that religion can cause a lot of misery in the world, because the existence of God or non-existence of God has absolutely nothing to do with whether a particular religion or religions cause misery in the world.  Or good in the world.

That's the point. [b] Those who strongly self-identify as "atheists" and publicly proclaim it are[/b]n't doing it because of a non belief in a deity.  They're[b] doing it because they're anti-religion, [/b]and the antagonism towards religion is a political position, not a metaphysical one.  [/quote]

Does it follow, then, that people who strongly identify as theists are anti-atheist?  I would say some of them are, but that it is not an identifying characteristic of all theists.  I'd say that many theists don't think much about atheists and when they do it's without strong emotions.[/quote]

See?  You did it again.  You defined yourself in terms of opposition to theists--opposition to religion.  Who cares what theists think?

Atheists do, that's who.[/quote]

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