Tolerance of theism/deism

[xSilverPhinx]

Do you mean the historical context of Atheitst Communism? Yes, I'm sorry, it was a flippant comment.

Yeah. I got into a very long and tedious argument about why atheists don't kill for atheism with a Catholic on another forum and I still have nightmares over it. 

[Good and Godless]

As a former believer, I can sympathize with theists.  However, now that I am a heathen, I am downright embarrassed about some of my former beliefs.  What was I thinking?  Once I realized I didn't believe anymore (versus just being turned off religion), it was like a switch flipped in my head and suddenly all the illogical thoughts and explanations that go along with belief in god became totally clear to me.  Now, I have trouble accepting that anybody believes this crap.  It's kind of like when you're high and you look around and think all the world must be high as well.  (I never got high often, and don't anymore, but I remember the strong feeling that everyone I met must also be under the influence.)

I find it hard to make friends, especially in the fairly conservative town I live in.  I'll be talking to another mom at the park, and as soon as I see the cross around her neck or hear her mention church, I feel quite crestfallen because I know that she believes in at least some of the loony ideas that go along with Christianity.  Yes, I judge her immediately.  Yet I used to be her!  I even had a fish on my car and the WWJD bracelet in several different colors.

Anyway, I get what you're saying N&C.  I've only been an atheist for a few years, but in that time my tolerance for the religious folk has really plummeted. 

[no_god_know_peace]

As a former believer, I can sympathize with theists.  However, now that I am a heathen, I am downright embarrassed about some of my former beliefs.  What was I thinking?  Once I realized I didn't believe anymore (versus just being turned off religion), it was like a switch flipped in my head and suddenly all the illogical thoughts and explanations that go along with belief in god became totally clear to me.  Now, I have trouble accepting that anybody believes this crap.

Couldn't have said it better myself, this is how I felt as well when I drifted from my former church. I am deeply ashamed that I used to believe in pregnant virgins and a zombie who rose from the dead after 3 days and a sky daddy. It used to hurt my feelings when someone would sneer and laugh at my former faith but looking back on it I really don't blame them. It is complete lunacy and the only reason these beliefs (weather it's christianity, islam or whatever) are even tolerated to begin with is because the followers are in large numbers (yes just because lots of ppl say/think it's true makes it true *rolls eyes*  ). If it this was only a handful of people who had these beliefs they would be written off as clinically insane but because organized religon is worldwide with millions of followers we have to "respect" and "tolerate" their beliefs.

The ignorance and the groupthink is just mind boggling to me, but what bothers me the most is not so much that they believe this crap but that theists want to push this crap in our public schools and laws, get in the way of scientific advancement and healthcare (ie: stem cells and abortion, historically persecuting scientists who have made discoveries that have proven religous texts wrong etc.), and lets not forget the theists who kill and destroy in the name of their god. Meanwhile I see their clergy living the high life in nice mansions and driving escalades.

I am totally with you Norfolk, I sometimes cannot understand or even begin to tolerate theists who insist that we convert, pass laws, restrict our healthcare, and change our educational curriculum all in the name of "tolerance" for their unproven bronze age myth.

[MathKat]

I could have written your post myself.

This was my thought as well.

I think my real problem started when I entered the Navy.  The kicker is, they didn't really attack me for being an Atheist.  Although there were some snide remarks due to the fact that I refused to go to Church.  But the main attack came from the bible belters who identified me as a Jew.  I never went to Temple.  I didn't wear a Star of David around my neck and I had never considered myself to be a Jew, nor had I ever been accepted as a Jew.  Not by my family nor friends.  But I LOOK like a Jew.  I look like my grandmother on my father's side of the family.  That was enough to be identified as such.  I was nick named "Christ Killer".  It was quite unnerving.

I was 19 however and didn't stay long in the military.  I was very angry for a long time after that.  I did calm down eventually but it left a bad taste in my mouth that has continued to build over the years.   It seemed to well up again when my husband and I moved to AZ and found ourselves surrounded by Mormons.  I had met Mormons before and didn't think they were any less reasonable than any other Christian.  However, when an entire city is completely taken over by Mormons, as is the case in Mesa, AZ, they tend to form their own little world and non-members aren't invited.  They take over every aspect of the community.  For example, my husband worked at a Mormon owned company.  He's a web-developer.  The company kept hiring an outside company (also Mormon owned) to design sites that should have been designed by their own in-house team.  The outside company would either screw up the site or simply not finish it and it would then be sent back to the in-house team to fix their screw-ups.  After 3 years we had had enough and moved back to Southern California.

But I think most of my anger and lack of patience now has come more from what has gone on in this country in the last few years.  The very people who are screwing us over are standing up in front of the brainwashed masses claiming family values and calling us immoral heathens, while they lie through their teeth and rob us blind.

[xSilverPhinx]

I could have written your post myself.

This was my thought as well.

I think my real problem started when I entered the Navy.  The kicker is, they didn't really attack me for being an Atheist.  Although there were some snide remarks due to the fact that I refused to go to Church.  But the main attack came from the bible belters who identified me as a Jew.  I never went to Temple.  I didn't wear a Star of David around my neck and I had never considered myself to be a Jew, nor had I ever been accepted as a Jew.  Not by my family nor friends.  But I LOOK like a Jew.  I look like my grandmother on my father's side of the family.  That was enough to be identified as such.  I was nick named "Christ Killer".  It was quite unnerving.

That's pathetic.

[Asmodean]

I was nick named "Christ Killer".  It was quite unnerving.

Seriously?! 

...Cool!

[Fi]

Ooghhh, I can sympathize... I've been having the same internal debate. I would say a majority of my friends are theists, and as much as I love those guys sometimes I just want to grab them and shake them and beg them to stop wasting their lives on this crap. It's hard because I've been on their side of the fence, and I know why they stick to what they do, but I can't find the right words to break them out of it. No single person wrung the sky-daddy faith out of me. It was a slow process and I think it's probably futile to actively try to de-convert most people, because they've been taught to cover their eyes and plug their ears the minute conversations start heading down that road.

It's just so frustrating.

[Pharaoh Cat]

Theism in principle doesn't bother me, but certain beliefs held by theists do, for example:

1. Hell is forever.  (Think about how long that is.)
2. Unbelievers go to hell.
3. Behaviors that harm no one are sins.
4. Sinners go to hell unless they do X or Y or Z or whatever.

Anyone who can seriously hold the above views must be very cold inside.