everyone (else) seems to be hating on atheists

[Mister Agenda]

It seemed as if you were trying to make it out like they were happy to support religion or that they didn't really mind religion. State atheism has killed a lot of religious people in living memory. The Aztec government was centuries ago. If Christians had killed and suppressed tens of thousands of atheists just in the last century you might also have the energy to rant.

Well, we're invisible, they couldn't find us!

A better analogy to what you're actually doing would be if Hindus had killed and suppressed thousands of atheists and I ranted at Catholics about it, because they are theists, and there aren't any Hindus on the board to argue with.

Is it? Do you have any evidence of this at all? A religious education is not required for theism, and plenty of atheists do get religious education.

Being a theist is highly correlated to having been taught there is a God, yes. Do you have any evidence otherwise at all? As I already noted, the study would exclude atheists who did get a religous education.

[quote='Aiza' pid='291781' dateline='1338338302']
I look for those factoids mainly to refute those who say "religion is a poison" or "religion harms society", "religious people are crazy" etc. It's nice to have studies which show the exact opposite.

Yet you paraded them in a thread about people hating on atheists, starting about the fifth post in, before anyone said any such thing. You didn't refute something, you started something. Although I suppose a thread on the topic of refuting over-the-top claims against relgion might be fruitful.

[quote='Aiza' pid='291781' dateline='1338338302']
Well I never partied hardy, but I think the initial spark may have been embarrassment at my own family's piousness (though it obviously went on from there). Its weird now though, that I have surpassed them all in devotion so now if anything I am upset they didn't raise me religious enough! My poor parents...

Parents can never win.

I also still called out to Saint Anthony in times of distress and panic. He's not remotely God, but it's funny he that he is such a precious person to me that even back then I still prayed to him. I am thinking about taking his name as my religious name.

Antonia?

I apologize if I was uncharitable to you.

S'allright. I can be tetchy, but I'm a sucker for apologies.

I have had some atheists tell me to my face that there can be no such thing as an ex-atheist, so when you started talking about "either lying or mistaken"I lumped you in there. I never met the people you describe in Catholicism, and there is definitely a bias in Catholicism toward those who are cradle Catholic. Converts are OK (and I've met ex-Protestant, ex-agnostic, and ex-Buddhist sisters) but if you ever admit to going apostate, its a red flag.

I've been lumped with worse.

But OK yes, your explanation does make much better sense to me now.

Good, sorry for not being clearer in the first place.

Aw thank you, I hope so as well. I am never happier than when I am with God.

Best of luck. I guess we won't have your company anymore after you join up.