[harry21417]

It is unfortunate that anyone should be treated with hostility and condescension, whether from an atheist or a religious person. But the truth is that religious beliefs (or lack thereof) are one of the most powerful and enduring mechanisms of prejudice. I am an atheist, but also a humanist. I believe that ALL people, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, whatever, deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. I believe that true morality is derived not from fear of God, but from love of mankind! Having said that, look at the history of Christianity. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the persecution of Galileo and others, the missionaries, the ongoing effort to ‘convert’ everyone to one of hundreds of ‘one true beliefs.’ In a room full of people, what happens to the atheist who announces his status? He is told he is going to hell; he is shunned; he becomes an outcast. Maybe some atheists are reacting with hostility because their approach, from reason, is countered with ‘you just have to believe’ and ‘God acts in mysterious ways.’ I know from personal experience how frustrating it is to put forth the soundest argument rejecting the existence of God, or to point out obvious and undeniable contradictions in the Bible, only to be answered back with one of these empty phrases. Still, that doesn’t excuse hostile behavior. We must learn, both Christians and atheists, to accept each other, to have truly open minds, and to listen to each other. An honest, open dialogue is the only way. Of course, I expect atheism to win out in such a dialogue! One more comment: another respondent felt that atheists tend to be upper-class whites, thus they are ‘elitist.’ As I said before, I am the opposite of an elitist; I believe in the dignity of all persons. But the facts will show a stronger correlation of atheism to education than to wealth. The more education a person has, the more likley he is to be an atheist. Check it out.

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Name : harry21417, City : melbourne, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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