Also being an angry atheist is an act of intellectual stupidity…as far as I am personally concerned. I do think it is fair to be angry at things that affect your life that you disagree with, but when taken beyond that, it is just an act of intellectual stupidity. One wants to be angry at what they disbelieve in? I have strong opposing views to various of things…I don’t see how that makes me ‘angry’ at ideas, and I don’t see any reason why it’d be different for you or anyone else.

My view in my own disbelief is this:
There’s no reason to let your disbelief run your life. There’s no reason to let your disbelief define who you are. If you disbelieve, move on.

That’s why now, I hate, absolutely hate the terms, atheist, agnostic, strong atheist, weak atheist…all bullshit to me now. I’m just a human being. I have my opinions about various of topics that are in our existence.

Take it for what you can pull from it I suppose.
TheSchmoe’s last blog ..The Evolutionary Process of Music is not ‘Evolutionary’

In fact, one can easily argue that mockery does more harm to your position than anything else. Mockery emboldens that entity that is mocked. Why? Because no one worth consideration reduces themselves to such childish tactics.

In the example you provided I’d never reduce myself to mockery as there’s absolutely no need to. Afterall, the constitution’s on my side.

What if someone who held a modicum of political power over you – a school board member or county commishioner perhaps – “chose to believe” in the Old Religion? Norse gods – Wodin and Thor, Asgard, Hel, and Ragnarök? (Remember, the Old Religion was a perfectly acceptable mainstream belief of millions of people for centuries. There are followers today.) It is clearly a ridiculous belief.

Imagine further that they want to include portions of their own personal religion in the laws and ordinances that govern *you*. Maybe no alcohol sales on Wednesday (Wodin’s Day).

Would ridicule be an acceptable tool in your arsenal to oppose this person, if all else failed?

Or would you meekly submit to the ridiculous, religious-based nonsense law because you “respect their alternative belief”?

Really?
Brent Rasmussen’s last blog ..Ancestral Magnitudes

I spent many years as an athiest and found angry atheists (which there are certainly many) to be extremely problematic to the athiest population. This anger only fuels what Christians believe, that people without God are not happy. Learn to be a happy, joyful atheist and you’ll never have a problem revealing your lack of beliefs to anyone.

I also take issue with the previous comment which celebrated mockery. Not cool, dude. Not cool. Yet another atheist stereotype that I spent years trying to fight against. I won’t go into the psychology behind ridicule but it certainly suggests a lack of confidence above all else. Believe what you choose to believe but respect the alternate beliefs of others.

If it makes you feel any better I often time find myself angrier as a Christian than I was as an atheist.

Even so, my anger has nothing to do with my non-belief. I don’t believe in god because there is simply no evidence for his existence. It’s the same reason that I don’t believe in Santa.

My anger, on the other hand, is due to the many horrible things that religion does on a daily basis. Sure, religious people always try to excuse such things by blaming it on individuals who are fallible and “sinful”, but I don’t buy it.

I can dredge up countless examples of people who commited horrible acts because they TRULY believed in a horrible religion. Atheists find such examples all the time without the least bit of effort.

When I see the injustice, intolerance, hatred, child abuse, indoctrination, and ignorance caused by religion, I do tend to get a bit angry. And, you know what, I’m okay with that.

In fact, I’m going with Pat Condell on this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjO4duhMRZk
Todd’s last blog ..shadowspeak: @fred8gravy It’s the word of god and cannot be altered unless it affects the money. Controversial doctrines mean less income, so bye-bye.