I won't lie - I find other people's reliance on a 'greater power' to be, at best, strange. It doesn't make sense to me at all, on a fundamental level. I don't 'get' worship. At all. Even when I wanted to believe in the Catholic god, I couldn't.
So, while it may be insulting, from my POV, invoking god isn't significantly different than invoking an imaginary friend.
Regarding Matilda, I don't agree with everything she wrote. That said, especially in the US, many theists use their religion as a way to punish others, or to deflect blame. That's where her talk about responsibility comes in. I mean, even in this section, we have Christians admitting that what happens in the next world is more important to them than in this one. And to an atheist, that's 100% crazy pants.
Moreover, the story of Christ is immoral to many of us. The sacrifice of another in order to offer us a path to salvation because of something inherent in us (sin) which is woefully defined, and, really, shouldn't be something such a powerful being should be affected by. If I've done anything wrong, then let me be judged, let me pay restitution.
So, while it may be insulting, from my POV, invoking god isn't significantly different than invoking an imaginary friend.
Regarding Matilda, I don't agree with everything she wrote. That said, especially in the US, many theists use their religion as a way to punish others, or to deflect blame. That's where her talk about responsibility comes in. I mean, even in this section, we have Christians admitting that what happens in the next world is more important to them than in this one. And to an atheist, that's 100% crazy pants.
Moreover, the story of Christ is immoral to many of us. The sacrifice of another in order to offer us a path to salvation because of something inherent in us (sin) which is woefully defined, and, really, shouldn't be something such a powerful being should be affected by. If I've done anything wrong, then let me be judged, let me pay restitution.
