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Permalink Reply by scott martins on March 13, 2010 at 1:42am

I have to agree with you on this. I also slowly transitioned from a crappy catholic to my present antitheism. I even get annoyed on christian holidays. Not because of anything anyone has said to me. I just wake up in a bad mood on those days because I'm reminded of how incredibly gullible people are. I also feel extremely helpless because religious fervor reaches a high on those particular days and my first instinct is to slap them and make them realize they believe in a myth. Unfortunately I'm not an a-hole so I would never do that but those days make me very irrational. I really just feel sorry for them and for the future of mankind. I'm a little drunk so I might be over reacting

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Permalink Reply by Justin L on March 14, 2010 at 7:33am

i know , i wish they would just donate something (helpful) , or maybe wash my car.

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Permalink Reply by Tracie Scheiding on July 16, 2010 at 4:02pm

This makes me think of one of my favorite mantras.

"Saying that you've put things in God's hands is a socially acceptable way of saying that you've given up".

I think out of everything believers do, it's that alone which bugs me the most.

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Permalink Reply by Tezzie on March 13, 2010 at 3:26am

I can be quite tolerable with religious people but simply because I know that for some the religion is rooted in their entire family and it's become such a big part of their lives that if I were to convince them that they are wrong then they would most likely fall apart and be left with nothing. I don't want to see people's lives destroyed, unless they are causing some specific harm to others. I believe that in general religion does harm the society but if it causes no harm to me I let them be. If I feel that they are doubting themselves then I try to nudge them in the right direction but other then that I just let them be.

However, when they start to bible bash me then I get extremely intolerant and I then want to smash that bible over their heads for a nice change. It all depends on the person I guess.

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Permalink Reply by max koenig on March 13, 2010 at 9:03am

With you all the way. I've been an atheist since I was a teen. I try to be tolerant, but it is so hard. On occasions I feel like shouting "wake up". Worst is when you see some holier than thou preacher laying the religion on thick. We get a lot of them in town - they stop you in the street and ask if you would like to hear some "good news".

Can feel the teeth beginning to clench, just thinking about it :)

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Permalink Reply by faith the atheist on March 13, 2010 at 11:55am

I feel the same way.I became an Atheist quite fast now I've been Atheist for 3 years.I'm only 13.No one knows.One of my very religious friends kind of knows.My mother kind of knows.I'm trying to tell her.It wan't end well.I'm forced to go to church this is why I feel this way that and all the government going religious.

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Permalink Reply by J.P.M. on March 13, 2010 at 12:29pm

Lisa, I think this is natural for someone to feel when they first embrace atheism. You can't help but feel deceived by your former belief system and, consequentially, feel very intolerant of religious expression around you. One alternative that works for me is just to feel superior, pity them their ignorance, and laugh at them on the inside. As a lifelong atheist, I guess I am used to it enough to not let it annoy me too much (and of course it does annoy me). I am completely surrounded by religious conservatives where I live and count some of them as good friends. (If I didn't, I wouldn't have any friends at all, except on here!). But those I am friends with can joke with me about atheism and I can tease them about their catholicism or whatever. And I can be quite outspoken about what I think. But I try to deliver opinion in a matter-of-fact, take-it-or-leave-it kind of way. So no matter how much I might want to say "Wake up, you're religiously retarded!" I will probably say something more along the lines of "That may be very representative of what (insert faith here) people believe, but there are alternative viewpoints that deserve equal consideration." There is nothing to be gained from a militant approach to confronting theists, because they will probably be more militant than you. So my approach is to try and present atheism as a rational choice and debunk all the negative connotations they probably associate with it. Be proud of your non-belief and show them that you are still a good citizen and a friendly person. Many christians seem quite taken aback when I tell them I'm atheist - shocked even - which I do proudly and without the slightest hesitation given any opportunity. That tells me my strategy is working. But I must admit to a little more militant secularism when it comes to keeping religion separate from education, science and politics :)

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on March 13, 2010 at 1:02pm

I'm not extremely annoyed by just any believer. It depends on their level of fanaticism, how much they're proselytizing, and what religion.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa on March 13, 2010 at 3:42pm

Yeah, I haven't been going around telling people they're retarded...yet, lol. I mostly keep it in and do a slow burn. I guess its something that I'm going to have to live with because I can't see it changing much in the near future. I have been giving myself a little kick and declaring my atheism rather than keeping it inside, though, and I think that helps. At first I was embarrassed, but now I feel rather proud. I think it takes a great measure of bravery and intelligence to throw away 40 years of brainwashing. On top of that, I'm a nurse, so I'm surrounded by people praying and asking me to pray with them. This poses a real challenge when it's a really sick patient. I feel that in that case, my personal feelings have to take a back seat. Even so, it still annoys me to no end. I usually do a exit stage right and phone up the chaplain in that case.

I'm so glad I found this site. Its nice to converse with people who share the same views.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa on March 14, 2010 at 1:37am

Also, I might add, what really burns me is that as soon as people find out I'm atheist, I think they lay on the god talk twice as thick, just to spite me. Call me paranoid, but it's happened more than a few times. I guess I need thicker skin.

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Permalink Reply by SecularCortex13.x on March 14, 2010 at 1:56pm

yep

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Permalink Reply by Secular Sue on March 14, 2010 at 5:44am

Oh yeah...I can relate. I feel bad about it; I don't want to be a hater, but I can't stand the slick and smarmy ones or the loudmouthed pious ones; even the nice ones that follow like dumb sheep get my goat. I'm trying to understand why I feel such hostility. There's the deception thing, the wretched sinner aspect, but there's something more that I can't yet articulate. I'm working on it. I don't think I can deal with Them effectively until I get past the pissed off part. For now, I'll try to remember, they're sick with a virus. They're victims too.

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