>To be honest, I feel that the atheists who get pissed-off, under these
>generally, friendly circumstances of email exchanges, must feel challenged
by
>anyone who is not an atheist. I cannot imagine why, if this is true? If
I
>am foolish enough to believe in God and you don't; how does that adversely
>effect you?
I'm sure the precise source of the hostility for each individual is similar,
but not identical to my feelings on the matter. See, growing up as a wee
fresh new human, we gaze up at these "grown-ups" with awe - completely
confident that they know everything about everything, and you will inherit
this knowledge when you "mature/grow up". Later, when you find out that in
fact, given the time that humans have been around, they've done pretty much
jack, except devise various ways of making a few persons comfortable at the
expense of the many, and that they also know precisely squat about the
universe, existence and everything. And instead of trying to find these
answers, the vast, vast majority just "believe" in some moronic fairy tale
to dull their nagging curiosity/fear. Not only that, but you find out that
as a child, you were in many ways superior to the exhalted grown-ups, who
are really no different save some limited experience, and much less freedom
in terms of motivation - (must have sex, must acquire resources, must
further my social status blah blah...).
Basically, it turns out that humans are lizard GTI, and that virtually
nobody has any interest whatsoever in matters beside those directly
applicable to the animal. I have become what they claimed to be - and now I
find myself alone. From this perspective, try and imagine how grating the
zealous rant of the religious really is, when they have the potential for so
much more.