The thing I find annoying about athiests (the ones that I have met) is that they always want to argue with you. It gives me the creeps because they use the same kind of tricks as the Watchtower, referring to themselves as "people of reason" and seem to look down on people who don't share their views. I think it is a case of hating something so much that you become it. Athiests hate religion so much that it becomes thier religion. It almost seems like they doubt their lack of faith, worrying that maybe there is a god and your belief is a threat to their non-belief. I don't mean this to be an attack on all athiests, just the ones that I have met. Maybe I have just met athiests with very strong views and man, can they be pushy.
Meh, I'll respond again 'cause I have more to say. Besides, this thread IS called 'atheists' so here goes:
I'm not sure you understand how the world appears to us. To an atheist, god, fairies and santa are all on equal levels of fakeness.
So imagine a world... where EVERYONE you know and love believes in fairies. And not only that, but huge portions of their lives are dedicated to that belief... Your parents go to "wand" every sunday morning and spend two whole hours clapping, in order to bring fairies to life and win their approval. All your friends do the same thing. They ring a pixie bell before they eat every day. They would SWEAR that everytime something good happens, it's caused by a fairy.
It's not just your friends and family, fairies apear on money, the president believes in fairies. Scary huh? The man who has access to atomic weapons, entire armies, and runs the entire country believes in fairies, and thinks they are the most important things in life. He thinks that there is an army of fairies protecting the county, and he says that these fairies are directing his actions.
But you used to believe in fairies too, at age 16 you weighed the evidence, and to the best of your ability, you decided that fairies don't exist. But that's not the end of it, because if you don't believe in fairies, then you won't become one when you die. Sorry, there goes your immortal life. It's hard to deal with but you know that pretending won't do any good.
People get very emotional about fairies, if you say "I don't believe in fairies" they think that a fairy falls down dead. They get horribly angry, and DEMAND that you clap to bring it back to life... if you don't they'll say "Well I'll clap for you."
Your parents are OUTRAGED! They are ashamed at all the fairies you killed during your discussion with them, and they know that the fairy king will come to avenge their deaths if they don't punish you first. So they restrict your privileges, and constantly make horrible threats about your afterlife.
So you are an outcast, surveys are taken that say that: above any other minority, homosexuals, blacks, asians or transvestites. Afairist are considered the least american.
Fairists are fighting the judicial system to make sure pro-fairy material is taught to schoolkids. They fight to keep it on the money, they want it in the pledge of allegience.
Entire countries fight each other about trivial things like: Whether or not Tinkerbell is the daughter of the fairy king. Or if you should clap with your hands horizontal or vertical.
People claim that fairies are talking to them... and people believe them. Doctors cure people, and the patients thank the fairies instead of the doctors. Otherwise brilliant people, like Einstein, your parents, your teachers and even some scientists all believe in fairies, and despise the fact that you don't.
No matter how good your morals are, it's not good enough, because you are murdering fairies every single day.
People regularly post threads on the internet about how great fairies are, and on page one they are already calling afairists fools. They make ridiculous arguements like: "If there are no fairies, then how do you explain mushrooms?" Or: "BWAA HAA HAA, TIME TO SPANK THE AFAIRISTS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE FAIRY RINGS COME FROM!"
They say things like, "when I see a building, I know there was a builder, so when I see a fairy ring, I know there was a fairy."
And it seems perfectly logical to them, to assume that: Just because we don't know what causes fairy rings, saying: "Fairies did it" is and acceptable answer. They then proceed to site some astronical figure stating the odds of the plants growing in THAT exact shape by pure random chance.
But that's not the worst of it: There are OTHER countries, (Mostly leprechaunists) Where women are required to wear full body covering because leprechauns are offended by female skin. And they stone aleprechaunists to death. They hate fairists, but they hate aleprechaunists/afairists even more. They want you dead. And they are willing to kill themselves to kill you.
Your only hope, is to make sure that the country you live in doesn't go that far.
How would you function in a world like that?
Well that's how atheists see the world. And yes, we want it to change.
Lore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_rings
