I recently read an article that was way too long to make the point it intended. It went from the question of “Does Atheism Require Faith“, the title of the article, to a defensive view against atheism in 520 words. It was in American Spectator’s “The Spectacle Blog“. I knew little of the magazine, and have drawn the conclusion that there is a conservative bias to the articles (perhaps I am understating this bias).
In no way do I pretend to speak for all “atheists”, but I will tell you exactly why, as an atheist I get angry.
No, it’s not because of proselytizing (at all … I tend to like those that try).
I know TOLERANCE is important and IS a good character trait … usually. However, it is not always justified or even morally justifiable to be tolerant.
Let me use an example … most of us would not be tolerant if we witnessed a parent physically abusing a child who is misbehaving (at least we know that we should intervene if the situation were severe enough). We should never tolerate physical abuse as a means to reprimand children even if the parent believes violence is an entirely appropriate parenting technique.
Now, what if instead of physical abuse, the parent uses mental abuse. What if the parent threatens some terrible punishment at a later date? Do you tolerate it?
