While I cringe at the activities of some religious types who spend their time politicking in the name of God, it always amuses me when those who feel themselves to be victims of religious bigotry feel the need to combat it by proving themselves to be just as ridden with bigotry themselves.

Perhaps the author feels that it should simply be taken as read that the majority of faith believers are polite, unantagonistic, thoughtful and desirous only of a peaceful co-existence with those of a different beliefs. Perhaps he feels it doesn't even need to be mentioned that *of course* the numbers of obnoxious pushers and self righteous arrogant proselytisers occur in roughly the same proportion amongst religious circles as they do amongst atheists. I believe it's called 'the human condition.'

pax

Jane

I thought this article was hilarious. However the atheists can’t do the “[non]holier than thou” thing to the non-atheists - pushy atheists intolerant of others’ beliefs also exist and quite a few atheists are out there [non]proselyting….

Taking a personal look at the attributes Colin James describes I’ll apply them to a non-atheist and an atheist I know:
Me (non-atheist).
Tick: considers self right in belief, serious, kind, generous, happy.
Cross: belief dictates what to wear, scared of sex, obsessed with genitals and mutilation, loves ritual.
Husband (atheist)
Tick: considers self right in belief, serious, kind, generous, happy.
Cross: belief dictates what to wear, scared of sex, obsessed with genitals and mutilation, loves ritual.

Regarding terminal seriousness this can’t literally be correct I don’t think a person can actually die of seriousness.

Why be nice, kind etc just because it makes you happy - what if being horrible and unkind makes you happier? How about being nice, kind etc because it is the right thing to do?

Saul, why the sniping tone? So un-Christian. Yes, the universe is a big, weird place of probably un-knowable complexity. It is precisely for this reason that many of us opt to believe only in that which can be either backed up with empirical evidence, and in those things Hume described as necessary fictions – that the sun will rise tomorrow, sticking your hand in a flame will burn you, that sort of thing. This tends to lead to agnosticism, since a faith in atheism is as intellectually untenable as a faith in a deity. Others find intellectual accommodations for both faith and reason, some of them a little eccentric: I know a professor of philosophy, with a second PhD in maths, who is a devout Christian, but finds himself unable to believe in the possibility of contravention of the laws of physics and chemistry. His book on the subject, "God Without the Supernatural" (by Peter Forrest), is a little more advanced than Harry Potter. But it doesn't sneer about "so-called fact". Reading it might be a useful addition to your intellectual armoury. Happy Consumerfest.

To atheist all over God's planet,us non atheists have a brain that says an explosion in space some light years past caused the intricate makings of every living thing on this speck in space. The only exlosions I know of kill,maim and destroy all things, not create them.
A recent survey in USA shows that only 2% of people are atheists who(I say) cause 100% of the doubt and trouble in Earth.
If you haven't experienced it (belief in God and Jesus) don't knock it .Have a good time at Christmas and Easter ,all atheists as God made it ALL for you to enjoy,but HE has limits, you will find this out one day or night. The fool has said in his heart ,"There is no God".Psalm 14v1

Dobbadan, can you give details of any suicide bombing performed by atheist fundamentalists? Or even atheist non-fundamentalists? Atheists cause 100 per cent of all the trouble in the world, you say. Now, about Islamic fundamentalists, who believe (inter alia) in Jesus ...? What ignorant, ill-informed proselytising your post was.

here, here to jane and i'd like to add that if some non-atheists are a little passionate about what they believe and, shock-horror, dare to discuss what they believe with atheists (as i love to do), then that may also be human nature....when you have something you feel strongly about, you love to talk about it...and, even more shocking, i have several atheist friends who like to enter a friendly debate and actually find out exactly what it is that i believe....now would't that be a shocking concept to the person who posted the original snipe against all things 'non'athiest'