Quote:

D. McDonagh said:
In my experience, atheists are generally far more tolerant of whatever ridiculous nonsense those with religiousd convictions want to believe than those with said beliefs are of atheism. I have yet to hear of anyone being foircibly converted to atheism in order to get married, to pick an example.



Keyword there - in your experience. Which I'm not debating. You've probably seen a lot of stuff I haven't. You tell me how you see it, I tell you how I see it. That is, after all, what I asked for.

But I've seen a lot of people take a lot of heat from plenty of atheists for voicing what they believe. Let's examine the scientific community. Many quite competent and well-educated Christian scientists (not to be confused with Christian Scientists, a quasi-Gnostic cult) have had their work summarily laughed at and dismissed, or have been fired from teaching positions, simply because they profess faith in God - which is somehow considered incompatible with science.

I've been acquainted with brilliant professors and researchers who have been relegated to the status of second-class scientists for no other reason than for their statement of belief in a higher Power entirely outside the realm of science as we know it. (:izzatso: History never repeats itself? Hail Lenin.) It actually has no impact on most of their findings and conclusions, but nonetheless, they're frowned upon. Now, this isn't a debate about the roles of science and religion, but I'm definitely seeing a double standard here. I haven't seen any clear instances in which any of those individuals were 'forcing' their faith on others. They were asked what they believed, and they answered. In many of the cases I've heard complaints about, individuals who claim an atheistic worldview have been 'offended' by individuals who claim a Judeo-Christian worldview who made absolutely no attempts to deny those atheists their right to believe.

Nobody can keep you from believing something. But wanting to take away someone's ability to simply answer the question 'What do you believe?' through verbal or even nonverbal expressions (clothing, dietary practices, prayer habits, etc.) is extremely hypocritical coming from people who say they want to preserve everyone's right to believe what they choose to believe.

There aren't national democratic governments out there taking potshots at people for saying there is no God. Why should I be okay with governments who go after people for saying they believe there is one? If I don't allow what I believe to affect the way I live, if I don't support what I claim to believe, what's the point in believing it at all?

go.

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