Oh please spare us the pity party remez! You have no idea what we atheist sometimes have to put up with when we are open about our lack of belief in gods. I once had a physician at a party scream at me because I said that I had just left an atheist meetup so I could join the party. That was in response to him telling me how many parties were going on over the holidays. I told him he was too abrasive to continue talking to, then his wife came over and tried to convince me that her poor husband. had to deal with death as he was a pathologist and so he was very sensitive about people who lacked a belief in god. I told her that I was a nurse who cared for frail, older adults who were often close to death. So, I guess an atheist can deal with death better than some theists.
Another time, a nurse I worked with got down on her knees and screamed when she found out I was an atheist. She yelled, "tell me that's not true...." I had no idea she was like that. After that, I always wondered what was gong through her mind when we had to communicate.
Another time, when I was a QA/UR nurse, I worked with two Christian bullies. I am an emotionally strong person who rarely gets upset over what others think of me, but these two women made my life at work so difficult that I ended. up asking for a transfer to another office.
Then there's my neighbor's aunt. She's in her 90s and I only met her once or twice. She doesn't know I'm an atheist, but she told my neighbor that atheists are given special powers from Satan. That one is hilarious. We don't believe in Satan either.
You have no idea how many times we are told "I'll pray for you" in response to admitting we don't believe in gods. Why was it necessary to say it. If you think it's so important, just do it. No need to announce it.
I had a black hospice chaplain refuse to believe me when I told him there was a group in Atlanta known as "The Black Nonbelivers". "No, not the brothers", he said as he looked at me as if I was telling him a lie. All I did was ask him what type of support he was prepared to offer an atheist who was dying. Hospice chaplains are supposed to be respectful of any of their patients regardless of their beliefs.
While more people are becoming tolerant of us, atheists are still one of the most despised and misjudged groups in the US. But, it's often Christians who suffer from persecution complexes when their unsubstantiated beliefs are criticized. Boo hoo. I once saw a bumper sticker on a car that said, "I'm Christian and I vote". I thought that was pretty funny since the majority of people where I live are Christians. If I put a sticker on my car that said, "I'm atheist and I vote", I'd be afraid my car might be vandalized.
And, you think we are cuddly? I do wish that atheists were more cuddly. Unfortunately, we often don't have enough in common with each other to do a good job of forming strong communities. Plus we tend to be introverts and introverts usually don't make good leaders or organizers. Christians are good at forming groups. I'll give you that.
Due to the current pandemic, some Christians are whining because they can't go to church or they are stupid enough to go to church without maintaining any social distancing. Then they spread the virus.
The Christian writings say that their beliefs should be taken on faith. Faith isn't evidence of anything. That's all we atheists are saying. You can't say that something is true when there is no actual evidence to support that claim.
And, just to add some humor. In honor of a former member of IIDB, who was also a nurse but hasn't been around in years.
"God is Santa for adults". That was one of her favorite expressions. I don't know if she made it up or stole it from somebody else, but to some extent it makes sense. Children enjoy believing in fairy tales and magical beings. Some adults seem to need magical beings to keep them happy too. I guess it gives them hope. Maybe they can't face their own mortality. I don't really know for sure since I left religion about 45 years ago. But, I do know this. Criticizing one's beliefs is not the same as telling a person they are evil or going to be tortured for all of eternity due to their beliefs.
"When I was a child, I thought like a child, but now that I've become a ( wo) man, I've put away childish things." There are some good sayings in the Bible.
I can still be close friends with someone regardless if I think their beliefs are irrational. Unlike some Christians, I don't condemn them. But, this is a place where atheists get a chance to openly express their views, so don't take it so personally. We don't have many places where we get to express ourselves so openly.
