There was a tweet that showed up on my timeline with two people discussing how atheism involves “lazy thinking” and “being vacuous.”
I suppose I should have minded my own damn business, but for those of you who know me… well, I have a bit of trouble with that.
So I tweeted back that, au contraire, being an atheist involves critical thinking, because basically, I’ve learned about other religions, examined the available (non-existent) evidence, and, based on those factors, I made the informed choice not to believe in god.
Predictably, the howling began. I was “angry” and “demanded that others bow to my beliefs.” I was “whining.” I was “trying to prove that (I) am superior to others.”
Um…whut?
So, I reminded the two Christians that they were beating me up for being a “lazy” and “vacuous” atheist and that they started it.
I was accused of claiming to “know everything.” Um…no. I didn’t claim that. I was told that I “shouldn’t be so angry.” Um… no, I wasn’t angry, merely pointing out that I didn’t care to be insulted simply for being an atheist. And again, I reminded them that they started it – and that they were now tossing out strawmen along with their insults and logic #FAILs.
Oh, boy. The howling became screeching and gnashing of teeth. I was told that I had “butted in to a private conversation” — a PRIVATE conversation? On freaking TWITTER?? Really?
<facepalm> I really should know better. But…. there’s something so very entertaining about poking holes in puffed-up fools who feel that they are entitled to freely impugn others without consequences.
Welcome to the Leftside 
Posted by Otis LA MONT GRIFFIN (@MONTYOG) on May 3, 2013 at 3:16 pm
I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH YOUR FACTUAL (I thought ) musings @ that twitter chat .. I had a minor role & but in to the same ( butt in on twitter really) . however religious or not this line reflects poorly on YOU not ‘ TtoC’ “very entertaining about poking holes in puffed-up fools” read good stuff from you ,, plz keep it that way ,, ‘puffed -up fool ‘ were is proof of that ??
Posted by leftsideannie on May 3, 2013 at 5:27 pm
I try very hard to stick with the facts. It just annoyed me that here they were, discussing me as if I didn’t exist, and defining me in unflattering terms from the lofty height of their own superiority.
Re “puffed up fools” – I used that term in relation to the pseudo-intellectual psychobabble coming from mainly TTC – all the big words, all that moral superiority and condescension. If you don’t like it, gee, I guess that’s too bad, isn’t it? And I don’t really believe that it “reflects badly on me” that I find it entertaining to watch the people who look down on me paint themselves into an inescapable corner.
I may be a liberal, and as such, I’m generally tolerant of others’ beliefs, but as I’ve said before, being tolerant absolutely does not mean that I have to either put up with or be nice to bullies.
K
Posted by julesagray on May 3, 2013 at 8:55 pm
what’s your twitter handle? I’ll follow you & would be thrilled to get into scrapes on your behalf. i’m @julesagray
Posted by Pam on May 19, 2013 at 5:54 am
I cannot leave comments like that alone either. I am always amazed at the lack of information these people possess when they are using technology that will give them infinate factual information in millseconds. They also fail to realize they are the ones demanding others bow to their beliefs. They fail to follow the true teachings of all religions which is compassion, tolerance, and empathy. Treat others as you want to be treated. I am sure they are also the same people who do not recognize there are other religions in this world, e.g. Islam. Or that their christen religion originates in Judaism, Jesus was a Jew. I was raised Catholic, but since I have continued to educate myself, I am now in healthcare so I am a student of science, and studied religions in depth I find it difficult to know what to believe. Many more journals wriiten from the days of Jesus have been discovered and intentionally left out of the bible and history was manipulated blind faith is not enough. Studing the philosophers of our history has also given me pause to the teachings of the bible. I find it hard to swallow when I know what religion teaches by way of the bible was engineered by by acient priests and a king. I do always keep an open mind because I believe just because we cannot see it or we have not yet discovered does not mean that it does not exist. I love your perspective and your, ‘call em as you see em’ writing. It is the same way I write, keep it!
Posted by leftsideannie on May 19, 2013 at 9:33 pm
Pam – great comment – thank you! You hit the nail right on the head. The way I put it? Ignorance …is a choice. And it’s a choice that way too many people are making.
Posted by Pam on May 20, 2013 at 6:45 am
Ignorance is a choice and so is laziness. People don’t ever get involved to change anything. They let other people do it using the excuse , ‘it doesn’t change anything anyway’. Its never stopped me, and now others are joining and things are changing. Republicans rely on the ignorant and lazy to vote for them. The ignorant believe the GOP’S non-factual statements without verification and they become angry. That is why Republicans are against quality education, if their base gets too smart they will discover their made up facts and lose their supporters. The laziness and lack of our participation in this country is embararassing! When my husband and I were working at the presidents campaign headquarters here in Chicago, we met people from other countries volunteering! There were people from England, Holland, Turkey, and they were on vacation. How many Americans would do that? When I asked them why they were there, they told me it was not only important to the U.S. and their countries president Obama won re-election, but it was important to the world. As a country we are far more selfish, lazy, and ignorant by choice then I am comfortable with. There is one thing that annoys me even beyond ignorance, its the people who complain endlessly about everything that is happening in government. When you ask these people, ‘did you vote in the election?’ they say no! My father had a saying, “if you did not vote then you have no right to complain.” He would not hold a political conversation with someone who did not vote and neither will I.