If I were an Atheist

[Chas]

There is no atheistic belief system. You seem to have some misconceptions, equating atheism with scepticism...

Many atheists talk like they're coming from a belief system. They fight for what they believe in. They get angry and indignant if they are challenged. They consider themselves "right" and all others "wrong." At risk of repeating myself, they also have standard formulas used in speech or writing, icons such as the "atom" logo or pictures of galaxies emerging from the big bang, and codewords or phrases by which they recognize fellow atheists.

I am so disappointed that I never received my user manual, badge, flag, and secret decoder ring.

These are all the earmarks of a faith. I just don't buy the denial I hear, "we don't believe in anything."

Your incredulity is not an argument.

I realize atheism includes diversity and don't group them all together en bloc. But really, every human being holds a belief system of some kind, whether it's simply personal opinion or identification with an organized body of opinion-makers. We can't turn off that part of our nature as if it were a faucet.

And that diversity is what makes your contention rather weak.

I don't fault atheists for what they choose to do with their consciences, or blame them for understandable defense of their own stances. I merely refuse to believe they are Vulcans like Mr. Spock who make choices uninformed by emotion.  

I suggest you stop generalizing about a diverse group.

I don't know how you can tell we are getting emotional, hatsch.

It comes with experience smoothing the customers' ruffled archaeopteryx feathers in the commercial dining room, a place much like where the Royal Society used to meet in the early days of science. Albeit my antennae don't work as well online as they do at the table.

Meanwhile, I'd better get off the horn now lest I hog space here. My thanks to everyone.  

Your experience in the commercial dining room? Huh?