I hope you don't get blasted for this post. It's honest and vulnerable and you're asking sincere questions. Already atheism is starting to work for you.

To answer your question, can fundies be "genuine human beings?"

I think yes and no, honestly. Some fundies I know or have known have genuine compassion for their fellow man, and really believe that their fairy tale is going to make the world better. I would describe them as people who believe they are genuine.

The inherent dishonesty at the core of fundy Christianity is its most dangerous aspect, though. They are taught to believe that people are evil, that most of what is fun in the world is evil, and most importantly, that people who disagree with them are especially evil.

I suggest that you read a particular book if you have time. It's called "The Authoritarian Specter" by Robert Altmeyer. It describes in scientific language the personality types that are most likely to be fundies, and the truth of the matter is, many of them are inherently not very nice, and would be shits even if they weren't Christians. In other parts of the world, they're extremist Muslims, or whatever.

And look, if you're reading this and you want to call me out and say I'm being unfair, read the damn book first, or I'm just going to tell you you're ignorant of the subject and need to do your homework before you come to the debate.

Thanks, Hambydammit.  I'm not as young as the OP may make me sound. I've just had a long, lousy time coming to terms with my fundy upbringing as well as a long, lousy time dealing with chronic illnesses. I feel I've never had a chance at anything approximating a "normal" life.

After I finished my degree and got a teaching credential I crashed and burned and haven't been healthy since. I've tried to make numerous "new starts." The realization I was an atheist hit me in 2001. The realization I wasn't a Republican hit me shortly thereafter. I hadn't believed in god in years, but hadn't really made it "formal" in my brain.

I held up this teacher as proof that not all fundies were nasty people and he proved to me that fundies can't be trusted. I'll never trust one again. All that nicety-nice crap hides a load of bullshit, at least in my experience...and I've known way too many fundies.

Right now I feel trapped in fundyland by circumstances and the only outlet I have is to make obscene references to what fundy teachers might be doing in their offices.

My mother and teacher go to the same church. Someone who borrowed my piano book waited on me in a restaurant yesterday. One of the few students in the musicianship class is best friends with my brother's stepdaughter. I'm really hating the feeling of being trapped in this insular fundy enclave.  Every time I turn around I'm reminded I'm trapped.  I feel like gnawing my own foot off.  A crass remark doesn't seem all that bad in light of the way I feel. *shrug*

Your anger is justified. You trusted someone, and they betrayed that trust. What's worse, you've had someone tell you that his breach of trust was "needed". Justified. I'm sorry you had to deal with this.

I worry sometimes when I have theist friends that I'm their "token atheist friend" as proof that they don't judge, and secretly hope to convert me one day. But then I get over my paranoia and hang out with my buddies, and all is cool...

Until I hear stories like this.... O_O 

Speaking further of age, I was an undergraduate nearly TWO decades ago. That means I'm older than you. Being older doesn't necessarily mean being wiser, although I hope I am wiser than I was when I was an undergraduate.

I look much younger than my actual age. A couple of people have miskaken me for being "twenty-something." That's good because I sometimes feel as confused as the twenty-somethings must be. When you're raised fundy, you usually suffer from some kind of arrested development. It may at least partially explain my insinuating the fundy music professor was jacking off in his office.

I think the chronic illnesses are finally catching up to me, though. The reflection in the mirror has been looking older and sadder.

This week I've been deeply disturbed by my failing health. My left eye is blurry and painful and despite four trips to various doctors, I still don't know why. Sinusitis is part of the problem, but some of it could be plastic plugs from post-LASIK migrating to other places in my face. I don't know because I can't contact the eye doctor.

The initial antibiotic failed on the sinusitis and as I sit here, I'm fighting hives from an allergic reaction to the second antibiotic.

I'm just grumpy.

As for the music department, it seems to attract a lot of Christians. An extremely liberal prof used to be next door to the fundy music teacher and she was constantly after him for borderline abuse of separation between church and state. She urged me to complain to the president about the attempted proselytization. It, too, was pretty borderline since it happened off-campus. Still, I felt he abused his position as a teacher to get to me. He definitely broke his promise.

Since then, I've been watching him around the kids as much as possible. I think he knows I've been watching him. If I catch him proselytizing kids, the gloves come off. We have enough brainwashed kids at the college that were homeschooled. We don't need more. I caught a bunch of them putting "Bush" stickers and balloons on the liberal teacher's door.

"But she likes it when we do stuff like this," they sputtered.

I looked at them, askance. "I don't think so."

"But...but she's a liberal," they said.

"So?"

"But...but she's really liberal."

"And your point is?"

They took most of the stuff down and put it in the trash. I helped them by ripping off the last remaining "Bush '04" sticker.

This is my community. I wish the liberal lady prof had taken me with her to Santa Cruz.