[Serious] Over the top

[Mister Agenda]

The sum total of my father is his religion. It's all that matters to him (including religious conspiracy theories and looking forward to the end times), it's almost all he talks about. It's not all there is to him, but he has marginalized every other aspect of his history, life, and personality. I do wish there was more to him. In order to stand visiting him I have to bring religious-oriented movies to keep him from working on converting me long enough to make the visit bearable.

He's a long way past 'religion is important in his life'.

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Am I really not allowed to say that the quote in the OP is ridiculous? The forum is designated only for agreement among atheists?

I guess when the whole New Atheism thing got rolling, and people were more comfortable coming out of the closet, there was some indication that atheists were supposed to be thinking people. People who value facts and reason. If there is some benefit in being an atheist, as opposed to being a creationist, it's because we are more careful to justify what we hold to be true about the world.

But I am learning that such justification is neither necessary nor desirable, for a lot of atheists. Wyzas, for example, is more than willing to make strong negative judgments about billions of people in the world without feeling the need to provide facts or arguments at all.

If being an atheist is just about preferring a different set of unthinking unproven beliefs, I don't see why anybody would be pleased to identify that way.

OK -- I have learned my lesson.

Yes, people are really allowed to say things you wouldn't say here, and you really aren't immune to disagreement with your opinion on that, and disagreeing with what you say is not the same thing as not being allowed to say it. Drama much?

I strongly doubt you actually learned anything except perhaps improving your technique with your broad brush.