So this is my first topic posting......
This month has not been good......argument wise.
I used to be an avowed atheist, and when challenged, I would tell theists in NO uncertain terms they believed in fairy tales.....
However, I got tired. I got SO sick of what people said, when they asked me what religion I was, and I told them, "atheist". The hostility, the scorn, the pity and the INFINITE endless same old stupid arguments. I couldn't DO it anymore. I hung up my "atheist badge" and just told ppl i was "nonreligious" for a few years there to avoid the shitstorm.

But last "christmas", I wished my mother's coworker a "happy holidays". Because she seemed like a sweet lady and I was just on my way out......I (of COURSE) accept christmas well-wishing from people, but I don't feel comfortable actually wishing someone else a merry christmas since I don't believe in the Jesus birthday thing. But the woman WENT OFF. Started screaming about how she "Can wish people a MERRY CHRISTMAS cause that's what it IS, and noone's gonna push down her rights, etc. (you've all heard it before)"......
I scampered out of the office feeling awful. I only wanted to spread some holiday cheer, but instead i got FURY.
After that, I felt really bad that I'd upset her somehow, and made up all these reasons why she must have been having a bad day, or something.
Until I realized, "Wait. I didn't do anything bad. I just don't believe in her god. I didn't do a SINGLE thing wrong, and she was the one who was a jerk. And yet, she's playing the victim."
That's when I started identifying as "atheist" again. Because if some theists have the "right" to be total dinks and shit all over everyone's lives, then so do I.
This anti-atheist backlash as I call it tapered off, and while I've met religious people here and there, noone has screwed with me. So I'm tolerant and sweet. But THIS month? Oh, read on.

Fetish Jew

Standing in line for a fetish club I go to regularly, I was introduced to a young man I'll call Clarence. He was dressed as a vampire, teeth and all, with leather gauntlets and shoulder guards. He looked every bit the Christian Rights definition of "problem goth teen". But, since I fit that description too, I can't say much.
He seemed nice, so we were all chatting on and off.
A few friends lit up and started smoking, some people marijuana, some cigarettes. He coughed obviously and stepped onto the other side of the lineup. We all felt like jerks, cause some people don't like cigarette/pot smoke. Some people butted out, and some just moved away. We apologized to the guy, and 2 of my friends who are the meekest girls EVER, felt so bad.
He said, "Oh sorry, you guys, It's just that I'm Jewish and I can't have any drugs in my body. This is even pushing it." He pointed to his earring.
"I'm not allowed to make any marks upon my body like tattoos or pierce my flesh. Sorry, you guys, I hope I didn't make anyone angry."
I patted his back and assured him, "No, it's ok, we understand. I work with a Mormon guy and he can't drink at work events....so I do understand."
Clarence gets this disdainful snotty look on his face, and says, "A mormon!? Man, I feel sorry for him."
Now, I adore my coworker. He is incredibly cool and sweet. And he's happy. So, at this point I'm a little offended for him.
I reply, "Well, you shouldn't. He's happy."
Clarence replies in a dismissive tone, "Man, some religions are so weird."
Cut to my face, completely fucking FLOORED. I can no longer bite my tongue. I say, "SOME religions!?"
He looks up, with an angry look on his face, "Well, what are YOU?"
Me: "What am I what?"
Clarence: "What religion are you?"
Me: "I'm nothing. I don't believe in anything."
Clarence: "That's dumb. Everyone is SOMETHING! What ARE you?"
Me: "An atheist. I don't believe in any gods. I'm not anyhing."
Clarence : (sighs, exasperated) Well, you can't be NOTHING. What were your parents? That's what you are."
Me: "My parents raised me without religion."
Clarence: "Well, I'm sure they had a religion, they just didn't tell you."
Me: "No, I'm pretty sure they didn't believe in anything."
Clarence: "Well, then you're a second generation agnostic?"
Me: "No, I don't wonder if there ARE gods, I don't believe in them."
Clarence: (no he still hasn't GIVEN up)"Well, everyone's SOMETHING. What are your grandparents?"
Me: "Um, I dunno, they never said anything about god."
Clarence: (quite fed up by now with my apparent stupidity)"Well, if you go back far enough then someone in your family is SOMETHING and that's what you are."
Then his friend turned around and said to him, "HEY, I told you no religious or political discussions at the club."
Thank goodness.

So I was completely flabbergasted by this guys' inability to grasp my lack of belief. He just didn't GET it. He was SO insistent that EVERYONE IS SOMETHING. He kept repeating it over and over with a desperate note in his voice. Like I was being deliberately obtuse or something. He was SO disdainful of Mormons, yet couldn't see the hypocrisy and weirdness in his own religion.

And then when we got in the club he tried to unbutton my shirt. Like, REALLY tried. So much for Judeo-Christian values....
Moral of the story is: "Everyone is something, sometimes that something is a jerk."

Mr. Christian Customer

My boyfriend got yelled at by a Xtian today at work.
My boyfriends name is Dave, he is a strong atheist(born and raised) and he works at a large Canadian bookstore. While he was cleaning the Religion/Occult/New Age section a man asked him for help with the christian books. So dave was polite and helpful, suggested a few popular authors. He was looking for a book by "some sleazy religious writer who looks like a used car salesman", in Dave's words. But the guy kept asking if Dave had read the author, and what other books in this section he'd read. Dave mentioned some books he'd read in his Comparative Theology and Philosophy/Religion classes in university.....(taught by an atheist professor incidentally)
Dave brought up the Gnostic Gospels and the Manichean Texts.......
The guy had NO IDEA what they even were. He obviously had heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as he made a "pfft" noise and rolled his eyes.

Then the guy started asking which bible was Dave's favourite.....
Dave has been doing customer service for a long time now, so he knows how to be polite and steer the conversation away. But this guy WILL NOT let it go. Dave says, "Well, I don't like a lot of the translated bibles, they've all been filtered."
The guy says, "Well, what church do you attend?"
Dave sighed, at this point he's getting ticked off."
Dave: "I dont belong to a church."
Mr.CC: "Well, what faith are you?"
Dave: "I'm an atheist."
Mr. CC: "Youuu....what? You mean you haven't...decided what faith you are?"
Dave: "No, I'm an atheist, I don't believe in god."
Mr: CC: "B-but you said you'd studied religion! How can you not believe in it?"
Dave: "I did. I was raised atheist but reading the bible and studying different theologies merely confirmed the fact that there aren't any supernatural forces. All the arguments for god broke down, and the more i studied it the more I realized my beliefs were ENTIRELY rational. Belief in god doesnt make any sense. It just feels wrong, and logically, it just doesn't work."
Mr: CC: "B-but, but...(getting angry now) are you saying that MILLIONS of people for THOUSANDS of years are WRONG!?
Dave: Well, yeah.
Mr. CC: (totally pissed off)You are completely arrogant and presumptuous.
Then he stomped out of the store furiously.
Dave's expecting a negative comment card from the guy....*rolls eyes*

Moral to this story: "The customer is always right, except when he's a xtian jerk and tears apart employees belief systems and lack thereof."

Here is Dave's myspace. He says feel free to add him.
http://www.myspace.com/ddking

Conclusion

Theists are allowed to push and prod our beliefs out of us, and when we finally admit that we don't believe in anything, they go into attack mode. If we speak out and say they're wrong, then WE are being bigoted and intolerant. I feel worse for David too, because he HAD to put up with it. I worked at the same store for 4 years and "customer service" is just another word for paid doormat.
Anyone else get this kind of treatment?
Is anyone halfway out of the "atheist closet" because they're unwilling to deal with crap like this?

Thanks for listenin.
Hope my first post wasn't too long and boring...
^_^

~Kat