If US atheists really hated christians, wouldn't we be trying to deny you your basic civil rights?

They (speaking of the fundies) don't see it that way. They honestly believe that the US is a christian nation, and while they'll throw it up to you that they aren't after a christian theology, that's exactly what they're shooting for.

Why the generalization for one thing? Why is it that more than a small number of questions on yahoo answers are not truly asking for information but simply "pushing other people's buttons"?

If an atheist really hated a Christian or Christians, there are a number of ways they could respond. They might just ignore the other person, make fun or mock them or try to deny them their rights or even kill them.

I think the real issue is whether or not there are Christians or atheists in government or the courts.

Perhaps there are none of either type in the government but simply a bunch of pretenders? I cannot speak for atheists though at one time I might have been regarded as like one. I can say though that as a Christian, the purpose of my life is not to be at war with people (whatever they may believe). The purpose of my life is to glorify God and love others.

When I was in high school, we were prohibited from talking about religion unless it was to treat it as mythology.

There are science teachers today who get fired for even mentioning the possibility that an intelligent designer may have began the chain of evolution. They weren't even denying evolution. Some weren't even religious. They were scientists who concluded that it was possible that there was a first mover. They were fired for teaching creationism.

Having atheism or agnosticism be the only perspective in which teachers can teach from is not being neutral. Giving people the freedom to profess what they believe is freedom. Censorship is not neutrality.

As long as you can drive a truck and do the job you had no complaints from me. Believe what you want. I don't care. As long as you don't get into me about my thinking I won't get into you about yours. If anyone has ever been offended by me it wasn't due to what we believed. It was probably due to me being the slob I am anyways without having to have a religion. Many I have driven with both Hindu and Muslim have really not cared what I do or what I am or what I think since it never posed any threat to them and theirs never posed any threat to mine. We had to leave those differences and problems behind if we were to solve the current problem of doing a good job. I hope and trust that that is what our Constitution did for us. Respect that and we all seem to get along.

The Soviet system and later the Communist system in both Russia and China - eliminated MILLIONS of people, simply because of their beliefs in God. (In Russia alone - over 80 years of government sponsored godless atheism - killed approximately 60,000,000 people - how can ANYONE support atheism after this violation of human rights?)

While you personally might not feel the pull towards religious-wide genocide; the idea of "forcibly "freeing" people from the opiate of the masses" still has its pull amongst atheists today.

Religionists irrespective of their tradition are regularly demonized in the media, their views not considered worthy of public debate - with increasing pressure - to be "religious" only if no one else knows or can possibly find out.

EXAMPLE:

I read yesterday how the right to wear a Cross on ones breast, was now going to the UN for adjudication. God forbid that even outward (silent) signs of piety are made illegal.

God Willing they (whoever "they" happen to be) will slip up and attempt to outlaw the Star of David (not actually a religious symbol - but certainly a symbol that many of our Jewish friends identify with their racial identity) - as the worldwide backlash will cage that lion for a generation.

BTW - For a majority of 2000 years, education, marriage, adoption (the examples from your question above) was the SOLE province of Christianity....

+ With monks providing islands of education/literacy throughout the Dark Ages. As we can see from the many famous scientists from that time were monastics (Mendel, etc.),

+ Marriage is a Sacrament/Mystery of the Church - so nice of you to try to "give us the right to marriage"

+ Adoption was often performed with the help of the Church, as the majority of orphanages even 100 years ago were charities, typically backed by a Church organization.

So in your view - Churches are allowed to provide social services like hospitals, charities and orphanages... just not allowed to have a public voice? Or should they be destroyed outright to conform with your personal opinion that there is no God?

SOME ATHEISTS CERTIANLY DO HATE CHRISTIANS. OR ANYONE WHO BELEIVES IN GOD

BUT NOT THE MAJORITY

Most atheists Believe in Human RIghts

freedom of expression, human rights for all, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. These beliefs are the polar opposite of the most visible Christian conservative beliefs

SOME ATHEIST INTERFERE WITH ALL RIGHTS EG

GET IN GOD WE TRUST OFF THE COINS..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103424/ns/us_news-li...

AMERICAN ATHEISTS CHALLENGE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS VALUES ALL THE TIME IN COURT

AND WANT TO CHANGE ALL

Supporting Civil Rights for Atheists and the Separation of Church and State

http://atheists.org/relig

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CHALLENGE

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/supreme-cou...

AND ZILLIONS MORE

I BELIEVE IF YOU ARE CHALLENGED RE VALUES ( RE CHURCH AND STATE) YOU ARE TRYING TO DENY ALL RIGHTS

ATHEISTS DO NOT HAVE TO ENCOMPASS THESE GOD GIVEN RIGHT FOR ALL

BUT TO TRY TO STOP THEM IS DENIAL FOR ALL

IC XC NIKA

KYRIE ELEISON

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

YOU COULD NOT EVEN P:ICK A GOOD GREEK WORD

A- THIEST ( MEANS A BELIEVER IN GOD)

THUS THAT WORD IS WRONG

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/mathew/sn-d...

Are you insane??? ^_^ Uphold the Constitution? Didn't you know that was only written for the Christians. The rest of us are just SOL. Freedom is only for those who believe in the Bible. Everyone else is of little value and are only for their gods amusement when he's roasting us in hell.

<< Sarcastic Pagan

"Freedom is only for those who believe in the Bible" in their own words.

History shows Christianity kills UNTIL it legally cannot kill.

Thank you for asking this.

Who knows, maybe you are lying in wait until your numbers increase and your power grows stronger.

I certainly would not put it past atheists or proponents of any other faith-based philosophy to believe that their set of beliefs is the only "true" one and that non-believers are easy targets for persecution.

But you probably will hear that you are attacking those things.. they can't teach creation in schools, gay marriage will invalidate their marriage, etc.