Blogging Atheist

This particular post will be a little different from my other posts.

Today I decided to look at a few comments on a blog called Friendly Atheist.  I was curious about a comment I saw him make that I stumbled across during a google search.

I read through a few of his posts and many of the comments given on those posts.  One thing I find quite interesting is that the majority of these posters assume that all Christians are morons and all atheists are extremely intelligent.  Why?  I have listened to very smart people on both sides of the argument, and I have listened to people on both sides who are just not gifted with brainpower.  Does that mean they are less valuable?  No.  Intelligence does not equal value for any person, and just because a person is very smart does not mean they are right on every subject.  Now it is true that an intelligent person, if they have thought through, considered, reasoned, and left emotion out of it, has a better chance of coming up with a correct assessment of what the truth is.  However, I have noticed two pervasive characteristics in the majority of things I have seen atheists write in blogs and forums like these:  anger and arrogance.

Anger, being expressed less than the other, is certainly easier to see.  I saw this more on Panda's Thumb than in any other place.  However, this emotion did not seem to come from the creation vs evolution debate.  It seems to come from anger in being burned by a church.  Now, they could have in fact been mistreated by people who claim Christ, or in fact, they could have been treated very well but refused to give up sin and been angry because the church would not accept it.  I have personally seen the latter, and I have heard instances of the former by people I trust.

Arrogance is the by far the most common of these two.  Sarcasm and condescension drips from these comments.  All of the bites and jabs come together to form one overriding statement:  If you don't believe what I believe about this whole God idea, you're stupid, a complete moron.  When I have participated in a few of the "debates" in these forums, that is the attitude with which I was greeted.  Now, this is certainly not true of every atheist or agnostic I have read comments from or talked with.  To label them so would be as ridiculous as labeling every Christian an idiot or every atheist a genius or visa versa or any combination that can be put together there I think...  especially ancient Rome's labeling of Christians as atheists.  Some atheists are quite respectful and nice to talk to and even debate and reason with.  Some are even nicer to deal with than some Christians.

I don't understand why they are so angry and unbelievably insulting toward Christians for what we believe.  After all, if there is no god, are not we all just doing what our instincts have predisposed us to do?  How could we be blamed for that?  On the other hand, if there is something more, if God is really there, and a spiritual war is being waged for our souls, does it not make sense that the Deceiver would do everything in his power to belittle the position of truth?