"I'm an open-minded atheist"

Yes... Actually Buddhism as a religion/philosophy is agnostic at it's core with no belief in a supreme being. Therefore, the "religious" impulse has led many of Buddha's followers to deify him in order to fill what Augustine once called the "god shaped vacuum" in each of us. And I guess that's a question we need to ask ourselves upon deeper introspection; who or what do we deify in our own lives? After all, something needs to fill the "vacuum".

This is a true story. A woman I used to date who is an atheist saw a Nativity display. She took one look at it, scoffed and said "That is so gay." Now, this is a woman who has a brother that is gay. Personally, I don't like comments like this because I think they are stupid and insensitive towards gay people. But what really strikes me is listening to so many of these atheists in the world who claim to be "open-minded" and "tolerant" yet they're the first ones to barge into your forum, your church or ministry shouting out at you because you're religious or spiritual. Yep, verrrry open-minded alright.

I also love it when they preach about the First Amendment and how it applies to them and their rights yet somehow that same privilege doesn't extend to those of us who believe that there is Freedom of Religion in the Constitution. Oh, sure, they don't mind if we pray out loud or silently. Just as long as we do it inside with the doors locked and so nobody outdoors can hear anything.

I'm not interested in converting anyone and I learned long ago that it was pointless and futile to even try it. But can somebody explain to me why some people feel it is their God-given right or science-given right to personally attack religious people for their beliefs? For some reason it's mostly the Christians that get attacked and very seldom is it any other religious group although they get attacked, too. If you don't like religion, fine. But coming to a religious message board or website to litter it with anti-religious propaganda and hate speech says more about you than anything you could ever say or think about religion and spirituality.

You are the ones always telling people how open-minded and tolerant you are. Prove it.

..... The most hurtful and destructive people in my life have been the noisy defenders of the one true faith: their own.

When push comes to shove atheist prove that they are just as close minded as any conservative, legalistc fundamentalist Christian.