If I were an Atheist

[Hatshepsut]

"We make no claims" is another of my favorite dodges.

Having favorite dodges is a bit odd, if you ask me. ... Atheism makes no claims. Neither does theism. They are words for states of mind, ...You seem to have a deep human need to justify your characterizations of atheists by grasping at flimsy straws.

Don't worry too much; I have my own favorite dodges for when I desire grease to slither away from a discomfiting scene.  

I admit treating atheists en bloc is a deliberate oversimplification. I did it to avoid having a separate section to address each type of atheist, of which your post introduces "hard skeptics" and so on. I'll allow it's doubtful whether a state of mind actively presses a claim, although it does rest on implicit assumptions the mind makes about the world. Yet what's wrong with making a claim? If atheism (as philosophy rather than mental state) indeed makes no claims, then it's not very interesting. Likewise, the minimum claim for Christians holds that Jesus is the resurrected son of God. Belief in a 6-day creation, or in a lake of fire for the unsaved, or that the King James English bible is literally word-for-word from the mouth of God, are all optional. I frequently see Christians lumped together as if all believed these extra things.

In response, I can choose to view that in one of two ways: as unfair stereotyping, or as simplification for sake of argument, where it is understood that exceptions to the fire & brimstone model of Christianity exist but aren't being referred to. Either is possible, the latter grant is the more charitable and the one I prefer.

The other curious thing is that avoiding having your position scrutinized too closely helps you in a public debate. Staying away from that microscope lens if you can dodge its field of view is considered a perfectly legitimate tactic in forensics. And dare say we oft hear that ad hominem is a fallacy; yet political debaters continually resort to it, finding it remarkably effective. Your ditty on watermelon and fried chicken (below) carries just the right amount of personal jab: to suggest I might be a racist without a direct accusation.

Oh, Horrors! Did I capitalize it?

... I realize some people are sensitive about receiving any feedback on issues like capitalization, and from your tone, I mistakenly assumed you were not one of them...

...You seem keenly aware of stereotyping on the part of others, but almost comically unaware of your own machine-gun delivery of stereotypes about atheists. I suppose if you were racist about African Americans, a comment about fruit would tell you that many blacks love fried chicken and watermelon.

You may have come under the impression that negative feedback from others bothers me. I assure you that in most cases it does not. It can either represent advice I should heed because I'm doing something wrong, or it's something I can ignore. Feedback only pricks my sensibilities if it comes from someone whom I have a personal relationship with. I do know that capitalization conveys part of a written English message, including some of that message's value content.

We live in a Politically Correct age where everyone shouts "stereotype!" and takes umbrage immediately every time a controversial topic pops up. Political correctness has led to a convoluted language where every assertion concerning human groups must be hedged and various code words used (or avoided) so as not to offend anyone. I'm sorry, but I don't have talent for PC and I tend to be a bit blunt. I haven't made assumptions regarding your own particular viewpoint, but have summarized a pool of atheist views I've encountered over time, using snippets from one or two of your posts as exemplars. Most of these views are actually from media sources or fora rather than face-to-face conversation. I agree they may not be representative: In fact I expect they will represent the most vocal rather than the most numerous.

So, if I sound like a German machine gun, feel free to return fire.