Sorry you are going through a bad patch but I think your reasoning is nevertheless absolutely spot on.
Atheism does not need mindless fundamentalists, it needs people willing to speak up intelligently when they hear beliefs being peddled as fact - such as teaching children about the baby Jesus, blah, blah, blah, etc. THAT is a very difficult thing to do but once that child has been indoctrinated it may take them half a lifetime to recover from the abuse they have suffered.
I do agree that some high profile atheists have done harm as well as good but I also recognise that they have brought the strength of feeling of downtrodden atheists into the public domain. So many people live such sheltered lives that they are not even aware that many around them are not Christian. The reason they are not aware is that the atheists around them are reluctant or even scared to stand up and be counted. In some countries and regions, you can hardly blame them.
Getting the balance right is the problem. Religion has stomped on detractors for thousands of years and it still tries very hard to do so. Anyone who speaks up has to be prepared for some pretty nasty consequences. Religion even splits up families.
What really does atheism harm is childish insults and gratuitous swearing by atheists intended simply to shock or upset the Christian. It is pathetic behaviour which does far more harm to atheists than it will ever do to Christianity. Reasonable debate is needed, not unreasonable swearing and shouting. If you try to shock a Christian by swearing at them, either in real life or on a forum, it is YOU that looks the fool and you will have simply reinforced their belief that atheists are nasty people.
Similarly, there are a few idiots on this forum who seem to think that they are winning a debate just because they are making more insults! They don't seem to realise that everyone else can see straight through their insults to the fact that they are not making any coherent case. Sad really.
Atheism does not need mindless fundamentalists, it needs people willing to speak up intelligently when they hear beliefs being peddled as fact - such as teaching children about the baby Jesus, blah, blah, blah, etc. THAT is a very difficult thing to do but once that child has been indoctrinated it may take them half a lifetime to recover from the abuse they have suffered.
I do agree that some high profile atheists have done harm as well as good but I also recognise that they have brought the strength of feeling of downtrodden atheists into the public domain. So many people live such sheltered lives that they are not even aware that many around them are not Christian. The reason they are not aware is that the atheists around them are reluctant or even scared to stand up and be counted. In some countries and regions, you can hardly blame them.
Getting the balance right is the problem. Religion has stomped on detractors for thousands of years and it still tries very hard to do so. Anyone who speaks up has to be prepared for some pretty nasty consequences. Religion even splits up families.
What really does atheism harm is childish insults and gratuitous swearing by atheists intended simply to shock or upset the Christian. It is pathetic behaviour which does far more harm to atheists than it will ever do to Christianity. Reasonable debate is needed, not unreasonable swearing and shouting. If you try to shock a Christian by swearing at them, either in real life or on a forum, it is YOU that looks the fool and you will have simply reinforced their belief that atheists are nasty people.
Similarly, there are a few idiots on this forum who seem to think that they are winning a debate just because they are making more insults! They don't seem to realise that everyone else can see straight through their insults to the fact that they are not making any coherent case. Sad really.
A sensible man should not demand of me, or hope that when we mention a subject, we shall make a complete exposition of it. - Maimonides
