Been here a while-Ponderings

[Excited Penguin]

There is a double standart when it comes to bringing god and religion into every conversation, as you put it. An atheist doing it is definitely not the same as a christian doing it, since the christian is talking bullshit, and the atheist is merely fighting back, and rightly so. People like you that equate the two I deem mediocre and superficial and too, want nothing to do with, since you wouldn't have much to talk about, let alone find a "common ground".

Thank God people's lives don't revolve around your evaluation of them, then

I see what Vic is saying - outside of this forum I'm personally only a reactive atheist, discussing religion if it's brought up in conversation. An atheist who starts conversation with that kind of thing does rub me up the wrong way - and yes EP, there are atheists who do it pretty much out of the blue. Everyone has an axe to grind somewhere, some are just more subtle in expressing it than others.

I don't agree that atheists start talking about how they hate religion "out of the blue". In any case. They have a right to. So I don't very much care for your personal feelings about it and really, don't feel the need anymore to explain why those kinds of atheists do what they do.  You're too naive to get it, apparently.

I'll take bluntness over beating around the burning bush anytime.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I have been on this forum about a year. I usually log in about once a week for about an hour and have a read through of the topics that catch my eye. I also watch a few youtube videos a week, both of Christian and atheist posters.
I have to say though that my stance has really very much hardened over the time. I used to be quite Ok with religious people deluding themselves and thought it did no great harm.  After all, I used to be one of them. But more and more now I see that religion is very insidious especially when deliberately applied to children.
I work with a lot of muslims and sometimes get into discussions with them. The most recent one concerned the spacecraft doing the flyby of Pluto and sending back all the data.  One of them was saying that none of this is even true. He refused to believe it or look at any images or evidence.  I found that attitude incredible and pathetic.

Most of the theists on here are the dregs in the barrel when it comes to empathy/understanding/caring/reasoning ability. Many of them display outward signs of psychopathy, so it's only natural that one's stance hardens through the warped lens given by this and other forums that discuss religion. Most religious folks I know tend to believe in all sorts of wacky things but are usually just normal people. I'm sure if we looked at our own beliefs we'd eventually find ones which are themselves wacky, it's just the way of things.

Live and let live is a good mantra to go by, I agree. If someone's beliefs dont affect me I don't care too much, which is my general attitude on here. Happy years membership too ^_^