An overheard conversation
Sitting at the bus stop earlier I had the misfortune to overhear a woman going on and on about an atheist she knew. From her tone and her volume I know her kind of believer. The kind that will NOT leave you alone. The kind that ignores the phrases and words we use to avoid saying “I don’t believe that crap so leave me the fuck alone - please”. The kind that pushes and pushes until you say that word. The “A word”.
That kind then proceeds to insult the shit out of you sure in the knowledge that you will not defend yourself much less give exactly what you’re getting. The kind that will use any defensive language or even a less than happy tone to justify their primary delusion that the world is out to get them.
They can nag, harass and insult as much as they want and when their leaders say “The atheists are coming for us!” they nod their heads and say to themselves “well, yeah just the other day that atheist called me a shithead” - conveniently forgetting the insult was in response to them calling the atheist an amoral beast kept in line by the influence of fine believers like themselves.
Sometime ago I was on a woman of colour’s blog and one of the commentators, a young black man, made a statement along the lines that he did not like white people. No, he didn’t actively hate white people - he just didn’t care for us and that every white person he met had to gain his respect. That respect was not permanent and could be revoked.
I’ve often thought about his comment since and hearing that woman this morning, I’ve come to a similar conclusion about religious people. It’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a few months now at least and it’s something I’ve said to those closest to me, but there’s always been a twinge of guilt about being so judgmental. The guilt died this morning.
I feel like being judgmental because I’m sick of it. I’m sick of the nasty remarks, the condescending remarks, the public attacks and even the private ones on individual non-believers. I’m tired of being told the zillion ways I’m attacking those poor little things because I do the most awful thing one can imagine - I disagree with them and try to stop them from using the law to enforce their beliefs and their privilege.
I’m tired of self-appointed allies who have no problem pulling out their God Stick(tm) whenever a non-believer steps out line . I’m tired of the same people acting like threatening to join the religious equivalent of the Klan (known to the public as the Republican Party) and thus betraying everything they said they believed because some atheist got “uppity” is not at the least questionable behavior for an “ally”. In fact, it thoroughly pisses me off that religious people think they have a right to demand that we refer to them as allies because that’s what they want to call themselves with the clear implication being that we have no say so in the matter.
I don’t like religious people. Each and everyone of ‘em has to earn my respect. I don’t care what brand they are nor what flavour they are. Yes, I know that makes me a textbook example of the “Angry Atheist”. I don’t care. When religious people quit being assholes as a rule, I may reconsider, but until then…..
Where’s my sign?
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Rant on my brother!
Unlike the white people who the commenter requires to earn his respect; the religious have done something wrong. They have decided to turn off the rationality switch in their minds and should be treated accordingly.If someone advertises the fact they they believe something incredibly silly we should look at them as silly people until further notice.
Great Blog, I came by it via Planet Atheism.
Cheers,
Vince (http://noncredodeus.blogspot.com)