I'm tired of being called an asshole because I dare to stand up for myself at DU

[EvolveOrConvolve]

I'm tired of being called a bigot and an asshole and hateful, simply because I stand up for myself. I guess I'm one of those "uppity" atheists that the christians can't stand.

I'm tired of being called out simply because I pointed out the absurdities in a specific faith.

I'm tired of hearing the old "fundie atheist" slur, which to me is an offensive negative attack.

I'm tired of weak-willed christians telling me to stop questioning their faith, as if certain people are so insecure in their faith that a bit of internet discussion worries them that they will lose their religion.

I'm tired of the fact that the DU moderators refuse to deal with posts that break DU policies when those posts are by christians attacking atheists and agnostics using vile language and slurs.

I'm tired of being told that I am an "evangelical atheist", as if being open about my lack of belief is akin to the proselyting I get from even liberal christians. These slurs are the same as the right's tired old "gays can't reproduce, they have to recruit" nonsense.

I'm tired of being called names that are highly offensive to me. If I called an African-American poster a "dumb n*gg*r", I'd be banned in about 30 seconds.

I'm tired of being treated as if I should be seen and not heard; the christians on this board treat us like children.

I'm tired of not being treated as an equal.

I'm just fucking tired...

[onager]

1. The Instant Pile-Ons are pretty amazing

One of the recent threads about prayer was written in just about the most neutral language possible - and as a poll with no inflammatory language at all. There's a thread in here right now about it.

It filled up instantly with bitter screeds about the OP "attacking religion." Just for asking a question!

And 47,000 variations on: "I'm an atheist/agnostic/Wiccan, but what's the harm?"

I guess one answer might be: "In almost any American town, drop a prayer rug on the street, bow toward Mecca and scream "Alluh akbar." See if that causes you any harm."

Or try passing out rosaries in a Mormon tabernacle.

Since I'm an Fundamentalist Atheist and general asshole, I just snarked.

(I used to be Colonel Asshole, but was recently promoted by the EAC. Now I have 2 rubber chickens and an Order Of Stalin.)

[EvolveOrConvolve]

5. That's a huge problem

Asking questions about a religion is seen as attacking it. The implicit idea is that we should never question the religious or their rituals. Again, "seen but not heard" is their opinion of us, essentially relegating us to the proverbial back of the bus.

BTW, if you've been in contact with Chuck in the I.T. department at the EAC, he owes me 5 bucks and the blood of 10 christians. Could you take care of that for me?

[Warpy]

2. One of the best things about being an old broad

is that you no longer give a flying fornication what anybody thinks about you. We old bags tend to speak our minds, no matter whose toes we tread on in the process or how negatively they react.

There is nothing that will make a hag showing the unmistakable signs of age fit in to a youth obsessed culture, so most of us give up pretty quickly.

I realize it's uncomfortable to be attacked by a bunch of non thinking howler monkeys. It happens to me all the time. However, at least here they don't know who you really are and they won't be lining up at your door day and night, trying to convert you.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

6. You're too modest Warpy

I've seen you at work, and you are able to slice open a lot of these "youths" (I'm fairly certain that many of them are not young) with a precision that comes with years of wisdom. You speak your mind, but you make a helluva lot of sense when you do it, and that's what pisses off a lot of the howler monkeys.

[laconicsax]

3. I'm tired of faitheists and agnostics engaging in the same crap.

Posters professing agnosticism or faitheism engage in the same crap you list almost as much, if not more so. I think I've been attacked more times by posters professing agnosticism than any religion. Faitheists do more of the "I'm an atheist, but..." calls for respecting bronze-age world views and calling out of criticism as bigoted.

In Sam Harris' "concentric circles of diminishing reasonableness," these faitheists and agnostics occupy the outermost circle.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

4. I always assume that those posters are lying about their true feelings

so they can appear to be more progressive than they really are. Poseurs, pure and simple, and they're more worried about their image in a progressive community than they are with valid, reasoned and relevant debate.

I think that's what makes them to worse. I just ignore them, though, like I would an annoying fly buzzing around in the room. Unlike the fly, however, I think these poseurs actually do some harm.

I've started alerting on posters naming us "fundie atheists" or "evangelical atheists" or any of the other screeds thrown at us as slurs. I've actually alerted on a moderator twice, and surprise, nothing was done about those posts. Perhaps if others in our group starting alerting on these posters' slurs, we can raise enough awareness for the admin group to put a stop to it? But I'm not holding my breath.

[laconicsax]

7. I think they just want to play both sides of the field.

I have seen some 'agnostic' posters go from pointing out that Scientology is no more wacky than Christianity on one thread to telling me that I'm a horrible fundie atheist for pointing out that Christianity is wacky.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

8. Yep, exactly

These are the same people who pretend to be tolerant of anything, no matter how useless or dangerous it might be. It gives them a certain progressive "cred" that they then use as a cudgel in any debate; "see, I'm more tolerant than you because of xyz..."

[NMMNG]

9. Me too

But rest easy. The Rapture is coming tomorrow! We'll have peace very shortly. ;-)

[jonnyblitz]

11. sadly not all annoyng xians believe in the rapture and will be

raptured. :o sometimes I don't see much difference between the rapture fundies and the self-proclaimed *real* xians here at DU.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. I'm tired too.

You can't criticize the illiterate unwashed goat-fuckers of 2000 - 5000 years ago.

If you tell people they shouldn't use the OT and NT for models of morality, they get mad.

Then I come back with, "Oh, I see. You support ALL of the following: Racism, sexism, misogyny, killing your disobedient children, beating your disobedient wife, slavery, killing people who eat shellfish, killing people who wear polyester/cotton blend shirts, animal sacrifice and a psychotic god who kills people for NO DAMN REASON??"

"Oh no they aren't true christians."

And I come back with, "Well Jesus was a bad-ass. He was not a nice guy and he was just as psychotic and nasty as the OT god".

Well, blah blah excuses de dahh....


BLECH.

[TZ]

12. I was raised to be respectful of others faiths even if I don't believe

and I get the same nasty attacks as well even if I politely question something. As a scientist I'm used to being able to question anything with no moral freighting attached. But to some to even TRY to ask a question is considered an attack. For people who profess to believe many are awfully thin skinned. Which makes me wonder how much faith they really have.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

13. It's the questions they really hate

I'm inquisitive by nature, and I want to know more than the what and where - I want to know the how and why also. It's those how and why questions that inevitably lead to accusations of "bigot" or "asshole" or "freeper" or "fundie atheist" or "evangelical agnostic". I find those all offensive, and I'm tired of the name calling.

If the shoe were on the other foot, and my atheism was being questioned, I would welcome it. In fact, I would probably relish it - a lively debate gives the old brain cells a good workout. But, when the opposition uses debate tactics similar to those implemented by 3 year old children, the argument becomes pointless and resolution is impossible.

[Synnical]

14. IMO, that's the crux of the matter

We should all learn to love the questions.

Alas, faith, by definition, requires and demands, no questioning, no evidence. And that's why I'm an atheist activist, or used to be, and am trying to be again! :-)

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” Rainer Maria Rilke

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[Deep13]

16. I was raised that way, but I've managed to get past it.

Wasn't easy. I try to respect everyone unless I have a reason not to. But as for the faith itself, I have no respect for that.

[Deep13]

15. Here's a thread I started on this subject a while ago. nt

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=214&topic_id=196408

[PVnRT]

17. ...and the one person disagreeing with you basically missed your entire point

Not that I'm surprised on DU.

[jonnyblitz]

18. I am not surprised at who it was. nt

[Evoman]

19. I think it's great fun. I never get tired of being called an asshole.

Although it seldom happens these days....must be losing my edge.