Originally Posted by taylorj  
A little thing called fundamental human rights. I quote Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or on community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

Now I'm sure you're a reasonable person; I shouldn't have to quote legislature at you to make a point. I don't necessarily respect what people may believe, but I respect their right to believe it.
How dare you accuse me of believing that religious people don't have the right to believe in their religion and to freely practice it. I've never said that, I've always believed they have such rights, and you owe me an apology for accusing me of believing otherwise.

For all the things in the bible that I don't agree with, there's one quote which I apply to this: judge not lest ye be judged.
First of all, I'm already being judged by millions of religious people who think I'm going to be tortured for all eternity for the crime of having an open mind, and that I deserve it. Secondly, the fact that I'm judgmental of religion would bear guilt on my conscience if not for the fact that my conscience knows when it's being intimidated and insulted, so it doesn't care either.

You say I'm a judgmental atheist, as if that's a bad thing. I do judge people negatively for their religious beliefs. Let's see... homophobia? Yes, I'm very judgmental about those people (need I remind you that it was, in part, religious black people that proverbially sent the gays to the back of the bus in '08, on the same day the first black president was elected?) Antisemites and other racism? Yes, very judgmental of those people. Sexism and misogyny? You bet, not a shred of tolerance for that. Marrying little girls to disgusting old men? Very judgmental of that. Curtailing freedom of speech to protect religious peoples' precious feelings? Hmm, yes, I am very judgmental of that, too. Making people ashamed of things they should be proud of? Yep, that too. Making people proud of things they should be ashamed of? Very judgmental about that, indeed. I'm very judgmental of all those things, good gosh, I do seem to have a problem! But guess what, it gets better! Not only am I openly and proudly intolerant and judgmental of all those things, but when religion is used as an excuse for those things, I become aggressively hostile, and what's more, I don't apologize for it, and nor should anyone else. It seems religion is free to provide plenty of disrespect and intolerance, but it can't receive it. Like some thug who calls the cops when his victims fight back.

I'm always being told (no, you're not the first one) that I should be more respectful of religious people's feelings. Well, okay, but what about my feelings of utter revulsion and disgust over the abject misery and backwardness that the god of the desert has caused us here on earth? There is no act that is sanctified by religion that is too depraved, because that's what happens when the mind believes that it has been given license by God. Everything about religion serves to thwart human progress, to curtail freedom, to suppress knowledge, and to celebrate death and destruction. It's nothing less the systematic retardation of the human race, straightjacketing us to Medievalism and superstition, and demanding respect for it is an insult to all thinking people. I'd have to be a moral contortionist if I gave respect for something that hollow and putrid.

Religion deserves no respect because religion gives no respect, and furthermore, it gives no evidence, because it requires no evidence, since it has faith. Faith would be horrible enough on its own, emanating, as it does, its phony aura of pious ignorance and instigating and backing some of the most repulsive ideas the world has ever known, but because we don't call it "ignorance" and instead call it "faith" and therefore give it a free pass, it now seeks to use our overly tolerant and respectful secular governments to pass blasphemy laws all around the world to curtail any free speech and criticism of religion which just might pry their twisted, indoctrinated little minds out of the Stone Age, hatching them into the 21st Century.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I show no respect to religion. And anyone who disagrees with that can feel free to pick a number... get in line... and kiss my ass.

Just as Sperky said, can you try to be a little more considerate to some of the people on this forum? It's easy to hide behind a digital wall of confidence on the internet, but consider: would you act like this in public?
Yes, and I do, whenever the opportunity arises.

btw just a point: you view yourself as some kind of atheist warrior against the evil religionists, somewhere you even say you 'fight against the hundreds of millions of religious people who force their religion on people'. I can't be bothered to find the exact quote. Anyway, do you really think you're going to make any difference whatsoever? I mean, short of apocalyptic multiple genocide where you exterminate all religious people, what can you honestly do that will have any effect?
It's not going to have much effect, no, but by your logic, no one should ever bother to express their opinion, write an op-ed, donate to a non-profit political activist group, attend a rally, protest something, or generally make any effort at all to make the world a better place. In fact, why do these forums even exist? It's not like any of us are going to change the world, right?