Tooth Fairy Bullshit

[Neo-Scholastic]

As I said on a different thread, one of the double standards I see among some people here (not all) is that they are quick to attribute a person's bad actions to their religious beliefs. But when a person does something good after being inspired/influenced by their religious beliefs to do so, all of the sudden religion has nothing to do with that person's actions.

This is one of the main reasons I don't post on atheist boards that often anymore. There is a legitimate prejudice against theism that goes beyond criticism and skepticism and enters the realm of bigotry. Being a theist, any kind of theist, is seen as more than just flawed belief by some, but as an intractable character defect that compromises everything about the individual. There are certainly some theists whose convoluted beliefs make this a reality, but a non-insignificant portion of atheists on online communities like this one incorrectly project the psychosis of fundamentalists onto theists of all stripes.

My OP was definitely an aggressive reaction to those atheists that malign theists. I expected the open hostility that followed. At the same time I found it very sad that so many atheists would 'double-down' on the tooth fairy/Christian God comparison. Others tried to distance themselves from the insult by saying they could respect the person without respecting their beliefs. That doesn't work. By implication they are saying that the admirable people on my list were too stupid to dismiss a childish belief.