My biggest issue with theists

[Minimalist]

People tell me I'm going to hell all the time. Then they say they'll pray for me.

[robvalue]

The chorus here pretty much sums up the dialogue between me and religion.

[Succubus]

Hilarious, seeing how you're the most emo person on these forums.

All one has to do is bring up the fact that athiest churches exist and you lose it.

Errr, that's a bit lame, to put it mildly.
As the cleaver theist you are why did you not latch onto, and run with the main point of the story in the OP:

I have very many religious friends. Mainly Hindus and Christians, but a few Muslims and Jews thrown in there too. Two of these in particular, a Muslim and a Christian, are among my very best friends, and we frequently debate about religion, god, politics, and loads of other controversial topics. We're all very strong minded, and rarely, if ever, do such discussions result in any one of us actually changing any of our stances. But there's one thing in particular that aggravates me: their blatant dislike and disrespect of my country. They both vehemently hate it, and never fail to say so. However, their opinions, right, they're entitled to them. Right? However annoyed, disrespected, or hurt I may feel when they regularly and often tell me they'd rather die than belong to my country, I accept it.

This bollocks is a clash of cultures not religions. But then in order for you to spot that would mean having to actually read threads rather than just scanning them for keywords to be outraged over.

---

...I have very many religious friends. Mainly Hindus and Christians, but a few Muslims and Jews thrown in there too. Two of these in particular, a Muslim and a Christian, are among my very best friends, and we frequently debate about religion, god, politics, and loads of other controversial topics. We're all very strong minded, and rarely, if ever, do such discussions result in any one of us actually changing any of our stances. But there's one thing in particular that aggravates me: their blatant dislike and disrespect of my country. They both vehemently hate it, and never fail to say so. However, their opinions, right, they're entitled to them. Right? However annoyed, disrespected, or hurt I may feel when they regularly and often tell me they'd rather die than belong to my country, I accept it...

This part of the story is to my reading a cultural clash rather than a religious thing.
As for the Muslim and Christian women. Why are those people being held in the USA against their will? I mean if they detest the place so much then why not jump on a plane? And if you don't have the price of the ticket I'm sure there is a government body willing to advance you the fare.

'Hello is that the US state department.'
'Yes good morning my name is Candy and how can I help you today'?
'I fuckin hate this country and I want to go home!'
'Isle seat or window?'

Aye, no doubt the procedure is a wee bit more involved than that.
The case of the Muslim woman, I'm guessing she's an unwilling partner in an arranged marriage. That's a culture thing, yes it's a particularly disgusting culture but it's their culture not ours, now instead of railing against your hosts why not fuck off back home and do something to change things.

As for the Irish tart; a protestant whore from Belfast gets knocked up by her passport burning pimp? Or something else?

[Catholic_Lady]

Soooo, I wasn't really sure whether this belongs in the Religion forum or the Atheism forum, but I guess the admins/mods can move it if it's horribly out of place. 

I have very many religious friends. Mainly Hindus and Christians, but a few Muslims and Jews thrown in there too. Two of these in particular, a Muslim and a Christian, are among my very best friends, and we frequently debate about religion, god, politics, and loads of other controversial topics. We're all very strong minded, and rarely, if ever, do such discussions result in any one of us actually changing any of our stances. But there's one thing in particular that aggravates me: their blatant dislike and disrespect of my country. They both vehemently hate it, and never fail to say so. However, their opinions, right, they're entitled to them. Right? However annoyed, disrespected, or hurt I may feel when they regularly and often tell me they'd rather die than belong to my country, I accept it. 
And then one day.... I did something unimaginable. Unthinkable. I disrespected religion. Not Christianity, not Islam, just religion in general. The idea of a sky daddy. They know I'm atheists, but I told them I celebrate Christmas because it's fun and merry, and they got mad. Said that's a horrible thing to do. Said my country was the one that commercialized Christmas. Said it's about Jesus. So I told them Jesus could go kiss my ass if he wanted me to believe in him. And well, all hell broke loose...   They said I could never do that again. Apparently, however much we disagree and argue, one topic was off limits to disrespect: religion. God. Sky daddy. 

So, my point is, this, I've decided, is the one single thing I dislike the most about theists. That just because religion is above all for them, they expect it to be above everything for us. What if my country is like god to me? Shouldn't they respect it, if they want me to respect their religion. They kept on telling me "Countries aren't the same as god!!" Well, I get it Susan, only one of them ACTUALLY EXISTS. 
And this isn't just about country. It could be my family, my parents, my hometown. All these things could be god to me. So if theists don't want us to be blasphemous, they should learn when to zip it themselves. 

Thoughts?

TL,DR: Theists think religion is above all and blasphemy is a crime, but disrespecting someone else's country, opinions, family (which could be like god to that person) etc is ok because that's not the same as religion. And I think that's hypocritical and dumb. 

PS: This has probably been said countless times before on AF but I didn't wanna necro post. 

PPS: I don't usually disrespect religion in public, this is more of a 'what if'.

Maybe don't paint with such a broad brush?

For the record, I think disrespecting another person's country and family and opinions to their face are just as much dick moves as disrespecting their religious beliefs to their face. Disrespect is disrespect. You can disagree and debate without being disrespectful to the person you are talking to.

I'm pretty sure I know plenty of "theists" who would say the same.

[Neo-Scholastic]

I seem to have no difficulty having sincere and respectful conversations with my unbelieving friends and family. It takes two to tango, as they say.

[DodosAreDead]

First of all, my condolences for the loss of your Dodos.

But I'm wondering if you are really rabidly patriotic or you just don't appreciate outsiders dissing what you are happy to diss yourself with fellow insiders?  Personally I have a low regard for patriotism as such since the place we are born is an accidental kind of thing and even a little reflection will reveal that others probably have similar feelings about the place where they were born.

Thank you for your kind condolences.


I'm not rabidly patriotic, no. And I'm not someone who regularly disses the country with fellow insiders either. I'm just a kid who was born in one place and lived there for a while before truly growing up in another, and the second country has made me truly realize the value of the first. But I do think one of the beauties of patriotism in general is that people from all over the world identify with the feeling of loving your country, even though their love is for different countries. But, well, opinions. 

One school shooting a week. Do you seriously think anyone's jealous of that?

The US isn't even in the top 10, let alone the best.

I genuinely don't care about your opinion. Everyone is taking the country part of this too seriously. The OP was simply about how most theists think religion is above all. Disrespecting someone else's country was just an example, it could be disrespect towards a family, person etc that is as beloved to an atheist as god seems to be to theists. 

Maybe don't paint with such a broad brush?

For the record, I think disrespecting another person's country and family and opinions to their face are just as much dick moves as disrespecting their religious beliefs to their face. Disrespect is disrespect. You can disagree and debate without being disrespectful to the person you are talking to.

I'm pretty sure I know plenty of "theists" who would say the same.

Well, I'm glad that you feel like that, CL. And yes, there must be more like you. But the point remains that blasphemy is a crime in many places, but disrespecting ONE country from the safety of another, is not.

[Fake Messiah]

For the record, I think disrespecting another person's country and family and opinions to their face are just as much dick moves as disrespecting their religious beliefs to their face. Disrespect is disrespect. You can disagree and debate without being disrespectful to the person you are talking to.

I'm pretty sure I know plenty of "theists" who would say the same.

Really? So let's say you meet a person who believes you are the devil and you tell me that you would respect that person's beliefs? Then you are irresponsible.

[Neo-Scholastic]

[Angrboda]

Fuckall, what is with people posting long, fucking videos?

[Fake Messiah]

Fuckall, what is with people posting long, fucking videos?

Yeah it seems that neo-scholastic didn't understand what is being talked about or he is trying to prove that Catholic Lady is the devil.