For clarification, I agree with you and feel my own deconversion in what you describe. The rest of my comment is not criticism.

I think a degree of animosity is justified when "waking up" (as you say) is ridiculed and degraded - demonized - by those still "asleep". Enough derision and belittling of nonbelievers occurs among believers that animosity should be expected. Nonbelievers receive a good deal of discrimination. The Pew Forum link below shows that 77% of Americans surveyed say religion is important with 53% saying it us very important.

[pewforum.org]

"Waking up", is derogatory toward yourself. More like going against the grain when you find the truth.
Its not an easy path. Its not a choice after we break from the brainwashing and societal pressure.

I agree with this. I work for a religious healthcare institution that is trying its best to do what it can during this pandemic whilst having to ration out PPEs to everyone in the hospital. It's really scary for me, especially since I have to scan COVID infected patients for 20 minutes at a time, for the shortest exam that I have to perform. It's really scary. Anyway, they know I'm not religious, a non-believer, and I'm still employed. Never once have they tried to convert me, and I'm not out of work while most everyong in the country now is.

My employers have walked the walk most religious folks talk about and everyday I've seen them trying hard to help. But I have also seen other organizations that are busy using the tools of government & this pandemic to advance their religious agenda in the hopes to force their way of life on everyone. Those people I am hostile to, 'cuz I've seen the damage they do to others, to society, to everything not bowing to their god. "Hostility" is good where it is called for, but it should be used with restraint, not just on everyone of the religious just because they are religious. It's more effective that way and less exhausting.

@Radu Why would l care if a nonbeliever runs for office. Laws based on WOO are ridiculous and dangerous or do you not pay attention to history? What you said makes no sense.

@Georgy303 I have known a handful of believers who walk the walk and don't try to push their beliefs on others. I have no problem with those folks.

You don't have to be Psychologically damaged to be hostile to religion. Supporting human rights, women's rights, gay rights and critical thinking is enough to make you hostile to religion.

@dermot235 The posting I answered right before my response had to do with the burning of a Mississippi church, where someone used graffiti to try to blame it on atheists. So, my mindset was in terms of considering hostility as acts of violence or destruction. I do think that persons who are hostile to the point of committing acts of destruction or violence were most very likely psychologically damaged by religion.

You are right. A person can be hostile towards religion without psychological damage, and hostility does not always mean acts of violence and destruction as was my mind set when I responded.

Put a shirt on.

And even in western nations like USA you have conversion therapy and conversion camps for LGTB+ youth, reproductive rights being slowly eroded, etc.

And the Boy Scouts. They threw me out. Assholes.

@PondartIncbendog Consider yourself lucky.

Preach on sister Athena! (I'm sorry. I couldn't resist). On a little soapbox speach of my own, I don't care if someone worships the holy armpit of the great cabbage. (You may ask where cabbages have armpits. They are still searching.)

@Holysocks

Ha!

I wish more believers would spend the time they waste preaching and use it to do more actual good in the world. Otherwise, that time is as useful as the cabbage armpit search.

@Athena
Hahahaha! I completely agree!

And there are plenty here

You reckon?
Most Atheists I know and the vast majority of the ones here would 'literally 'give the shirt off of their back to someone in genuine need, I know I would and have done so many a time as well, so IF that makes us arse-holes then so be it and sue us for it as well.

@SleeplessInTexas

You sound bitter and jaded. I disagree. Atheists I have met and who are members of this website are intelligent, kind, funny and thoughtful.

Since 2006, I have volunteered as a college mentor at Wenatchee High School. I help low income, first generation (children of immigrants) write essays for college and scholarship applications.

One of my best success stories is Brenda, who won $269,445 in scholarships in 2016. A junior at Wesleyan University, Brenda plans to become a medical doctor and pathologist. She hopes to cure diseases.

Photos:

1. In 2018, I took three young women I previously mentored on a day hike at Icicle Gorge. From left:

Tammy, a Vietnamese immigrant, is studying to become a neurosurgeon at the Univ. of Washington.

Me.

Brenda, the oldest child of Mexican immigrants, is becoming a pediatrician.

Teresa, the oldest child of Mexican immigrants, is an accountant and Latinx community organizer. Recently Teresa and her brother, also an accountant, bought a house for their parents.

2. I'm a rockstar! First Scholarship Rockstar award, 2018.

3. Another award from Wenatchee High School, 2019.

@LiterateHiker
Your assumption is VERY WRONG.

Your response is an example: assuming I was "jaded."

I have personal messages from at least 7 Atheists who used to be members or used to interact daily on this site, (myself included) who get disrespected by other Atheists for not thinking like some of you RADICAL Atheists do.

I have become personal friends with Atheists from this site who no longer frequent it or are no longer members. They shared their experiences about some of their treatment from members on this site.

Mainly bad treatment from the members that live their life on this site or have an internet addiction.

It took me a long time to get to L8, but that's because I actually have a job, family, and a life.

I travel and I'm also not addicted to social media or status level on this site.

For those addicted to your social media or this site:

I recommend getting out and enjoying life. It might make a lot of the radical Atheists on this site more humble.

There are very nice and respectful Atheists on this site. Very few of you are on my list. I'm THAT picky.

@LiterateHiker
Btw.. you are one of the few Atheists I respect on this site.

You are authentic and raw.

Thank you.

@SleeplessInTexas

Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.

Kathleen

@SleeplessInTexas

I said you sound jaded, not "are jaded". Words are important.

In my 20s, I learned to criticize behavior, not attack someone personally.

It became a lifelong habit.

@SleeplessInTexas Everything you said is correct .I have been assaulted with Obscenities on numerous occasions just for voicing my opinions here .The word RADICAL is a perfect assessment of many of the people on this site .

It's hard to argue those points but you just know that some religious type with a persecution complex will give it a go. lol Maybe Atheists should apologize for all of the centuries of persecutions, inquisitions and the occasional burning at the stake of religious types, that we are so famous for throughout history. (that was a bit of sarcasm, just in case a religious troll decided to try an use it as a basis for their argument)

@Surfpirate - What I find interesting is the number of religious willing not to excuse the action and misdeeds of believers, but their willingness to disown them. I've been told numerous times that the "persecutions, inquisitions and the occasional burning at the stake [by] religious types" disqualifies those perpetrators as being Christian. Never mind that the source of justification for the behaviors is the same inerrant religious texts they claim as perfect and God given, and never mind that their God allowed them to misuse - as they claim - this inerrant text to perpetrate atrocities. So, not only are nonbelievers misattributed with these misdeeds, we have those religious perpetrators posthumously "excommunicated" from the religion they were devoted to lumped in with them.

@RussRAB Such behaviour is known as the "No true Scotsman" logical fallacy, a form of circular argument, based on the addition of ad hoc "presuppositions" after the fact.
eg
Premise: All Scotsmen eat porridge
Counter argument: Some Scotsmen do not eat porridge
Fallacy: By not eating porridge they prove themselves to not be "true scotsmen" and are therefore do not invalidate the original premise.

@LenHazell53 - Thanks for the explanation. I had heard others refer to the "no true Scotsmam" fallacy but had not read where it was explained.

Your point is very well put.

There is also the stranglehold that the Catholic Church had on Australia for decades and the consequent wrecking of thousands of children's lives: [en.wikipedia.org] . Let us also not forget what it did in the Republic of Ireland: [irishexaminer.com] .

@anglophone I watched a documentary on the Boom Town Rats last night on BBC tv and a couple of historians were crediting them with helping to change the cultural attitudes in Ireland in addition to producing some great rock/pop music.
In the '70's the Roman Catholic church still had a iron grip on the populace but today things are quite different.
I would suggest thet joining the EEC and the consequent raising of living standards had more of an influence but it's all interesting stuff.

Christians have been causing deaths for over a thousand years in the name of their god. No sympathy here.

The participants have to take responsibility here too.

BTW, only the crap makes the news. It is not widespread.

@itsmedammit Maybe not widespread but it has happened on more than one occasion. I did see the figure of ten pastors dying but that may be an exaggeration. The fact that Trump is now pushing for all churches to reopen is a bit worrying.

@Moravian It is just his attempt to bolster his fans. But my comment about the news carrying only the more sensational stuff should not be surprised but I think people being people can forget that. From some comments on here I can tell that those outside of the US (and those inside too) are getting a distorted view. I read news from other countries but would never think I really have any idea of how life anywhere else is. I don't even know what it is like in other parts of the country, except in very vague terms.

@itsmedammit Maybe , but we get video clips of Trump's latest ramblings every day on BBC news so we have a good grasp of what's happening stateside. Whether we can believe what he is saying is another matter. as they say "how do you know Trump is lying ?. His lips moved.

@Kojaksmom Good answer but please prove it.

sacred cows...one of my favorite phrases...

to the veggie only crowd...excuse me

Cows are sacred to many in India...
people will walk by these animals, will let them roam into places they shouldnt be, because they are sacred. People are so functionally fixed they can be struggling with famine condition, extremely hungry if not outright starving and just keep on letting them walk on by...

How about gentle mockery? Pleezzee?

(No, I'm not entirely an a-hole. I think fondly of those who gently mocked my former religion. They allowed me to see past the anger when I deconverted.)

Thank you for saying that. I speak as a victim of the (un)Godly.

Postscript: I have just remembered that the God of the Bible is a genocidal maniac with catastrophic anger management issues. Yes, I was a victim of the Godly.