The Atheist Obsession with Insulting Christians

[Godscreated]

@ Randy, they came out in droves to prove your point and yet they still want to label us a something less than human. Like you said not all here are that way, some have even changed their minds about some of us and to each one of you I say, thank you.

GC

[Cyberman]

Since joining the online world, I've encountered a metric shitload of insulting xtians. I wouldn't say I was obsessed with them, though.

[Lemonvariable72]

I have been fascinated by the phenomenon of the "angry atheist" ever since my arrival here in the forum. I expected and hoped to engage in intelligent discussion of our differences of opinion with the so-called "brights" of our society, but more often than not, I have been the recipient of a lot of misdirected venom.

And I'm not alone, apparently.

In this article posted at Dave Armstrong's blog, Jan Tik describes his own experiences with the angry atheists he has encountered and writes:

The Atheist Obsession with Insulting Christians
by Jan Tik
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstro...tians.html

But if one takes a look at just about any active combox underneath an atheist post that has anything at all to do with Christianity, the usual boorish, garden variety collection of insults will be immediately observed:

Christians are gullible, infantile believers of fairy tales on the level of unicorns, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, the Easter bunny, leprechauns, “magic,” the tooth fairy, etc. We are  anti-intellectual, anti-science, dumb, stupid, idiots, ignoramuses, and imbeciles who are impervious to evidence of any kind for our beliefs. We have a blind faith that is shielded from reason, fact, and any possible falsifiability. You name it: we’ve been called it by the sadly typical “angry / hostile” atheist.

Any curious human being, it seems to me, who observes this behavior, must marvel at both its near-universality and the extreme level of passion and vitriol involved. The question arises: “whence derives such utter disdain and derision?” It appears to be a species of a mentality that is brought to mind by the famous line of Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks“. Source.

As I have observed and commented upon in this forum, Tik also notes:

The same people who produce the endless stream of invective against Christians and Christianity (or, “Christianity”) can (again, like all schoolyard bullies) dish it out but can’t take it. Any criticism back is met with even more highly insulting rhetoric and hyper-polemics.

Happily, there are a few members of this forum who do not fall into this pattern, but they are all too few, IMO.

Boy you have fucking balls. You come here to our sanctuary claiming to be a representative member of an organization that in time past tried to exterminate us and in more recent times systematically raped the children of its own supporting members. What is more is that you have in good conscience defended and justified those actions for all the members here to see. And you can't figure out why we mock you.

[Losty]

Some people are assholes, regardless of religious affiliation (or lack of).

If some people here insult you and you feel undeserving perhaps they are just assholes.

If everyone insults you...perhaps it's time to consider that you're the asshole.

CL, I hope, would agree that most people here are nice to her. It's because she's sweet, and though she thinks differently than us about religious things, she's not an asshole.

Most people don't like you Randy, and it's not because you're a catholic....

[vorlon13]

CL is practically one of us, a curiously relaxed invocation of religious zealotry in a faith that requires it.

(and I mean that nicely)

[Losty]

CL is a nice person, sure sometimes in the heat of debate even nice people give/recieve insults, but she doesn't deserve to be ridiculed because she doesn't come here to ridicule us.

[Alex K]

CL is a nice person, sure sometimes in the heat of debate even nice people give/recieve insults, but she doesn't deserve to be ridiculed because she doesn't come here to ridicule us.

I wish she were down with a bit *more* heated debate. Her "Hi guys, I believe ridiculous and mutually exclusive things A, B and C, but I'm not here to discuss them and aw shucks that's just what I believe" shtick drives me C.u.r.a.z.y

[robvalue]

I haven't read all this stuff, but I'll say anyway that I try very hard to insult beliefs, not the people holding the beliefs. If I ever insult someone, it's not my intention.

If people hold beliefs as their identity, there's not much I can do about that. I'd suggest that is an unhealthy way to be. For a free society, all ideas should be fair game for debate, criticising and satirising.

I'm angry at the harm religion causes (not literally running around mad, just very displeased you could say). I'm not angry at God or at Christians or whatever, unless a Christian is doing harm. Then I'm displeased with their actions.

[Javaman]

Dude... Psalm 14. You're hardly in a position to complain.

Frankly, it reads as hate speech to me.

But please, carry on with your whinging.

[Losty]

Whinging...that word cracks me up.