My reply:

"so I guess that is all that you have done with your life thus far???"

Wow this is quite a grotesque assumption, if I've ever seen one. Frankly it shows me you did nothing but glance at my page ever so briefly. Wouldn't want to appear to have to much of an open mind. I'm married, have a child and work a job, and currently studying martial arts, plus I'm trying to buy a house. But, I guess you wouldn't know any of this, since you were to engrossed in the fact that I've insulted your invisible sky daddy in some fashion.

"Spending valuable time trying to get people to go to hell by looking at this bullshit?"

Actually, I don't spend all that much time on myspace. Maybe less than 15 mins a day. Unless I get an absurd message in my inbox. Then I spend the next 20 mins trying to make sense of illogical, irrational drivel. I'm trying to get people to go to hell eh? No, thats not my intention (nice strawman fallacy by the way). I'm simply providing people with evidence that's its okay not to believe in God. Then again the God you so higly place on a pedestal, allows people to exist knowing that they'll eventually end up in hell. Yes excellent God to worship. An all-loving being who basically creates people to go to hell. I envy you. Of course you don't realize that your soul is in just as much jepoardy for not believeing in Allah as mine is in for not believeing in God.

"so sad. Since you dont beleive in the afterlife your time is shorter than mine and you should spend yours more usefully. I wish you better."

Your right I don't believe in the afterlife, because I require something called evidence, it's in the dictionary. And it's sad you do without a shred of evidence to believe that way. Again I don't need the thought of an afterlife to make my life worth living. You should spend a little more time on being rational when you assert absurd claims. Try bringing some evidence for your irrational beliefs next time. Baseless claims aren't helping me spend my time anymore usefully. You wish me better? You can shove that up your ass. I'm quite happy with my life (no invisible friend required). I'm sorry its not up your high standards. Then again I choose to live rationally.

Yeah, we're trying to get people to go to a place we don't believe exists (so we have some company I guess? )

::

I just had a conversation with a long time online friend last night. When I mentioned being an atheist she asked some questions. I answered and directed her both here and to the ffrf site. Wasn't sure what she believed, but it turned out she isn't really sure, but she thinks religion sucks. She was trying to set me up with someone and I mentioned I was an atheist in case this woman wouldn't be OK with that. I guess she' one of the people who doesn't believe in a god but isn't quite ready to call herself an atheist. I didn't try to say that though.

Her Reply:

"Ok. I owe you an apoligy. I was worked up when i first emailed you. I respect anothers beliefs, but because my beleif in god,your my space offends me and Im sure you expected it to do that to some people. So dont act surprised by my email. And why would you have to give people evidence that its okay not to beleive in god? Most people that dont beleive in god dont give a shit about having to have proof that its okay? im a little confused with that one. So you seem to think we came from apes or something??? Yeah I did just glance at your profile because seeing it pissed me off, and i was unaware you had a family because the myspace was 99% athiest bullshit and spoke about 1% of your family. So dont get me wrong... I respect your opinion, but expect others to respect mine. I think this world and country are going to shit because less and less people are putting there faith in God, and there are people out there like you that have to TRY and make people unfaithful. i give you my opinion because it makes me sad to see this stuff and I wish everyone would put there faith in God, but why do you have to TRY so hard to show people there isnt a God? If there isnt a God, then there just isnt and why give people proof, because at that point it doesnt really matter. You kinda see what Im saying?"

Same old same old. Least I got an apology.

My reply to the first message:

"Ok. I owe you an apoligy."

Apology accepted.

"I was worked up when i first emailed you. I respect anothers beliefs, but because my beleif in god,your my space offends me and Im sure you expected it to do that to some people."

Your right I do realize it will offend people. I respect them as people, I respect their right to believe, but I do not have to respect their beliefs. I expect the same of them. You can be as opinionated as you want about my atheism. All I can do is defend it as rationally as possible. In fact, I would be dissapointed if they didn't try too.

"So dont act surprised by my email."

I was appalled by your email because of the amount of personal attacking that you did.

" And why would you have to give people evidence that its okay not to beleive in god?"

Because, a good portion of the country believes that atheists are terrible people and don't have a justified reason not to believe in God. In fact several polls have concluded that atheists are the most untrusted minority in America. The fact that in several states an atheist cannot hold a postion of office, unless they profess a particular god belief. This isn't because of voters, but lies in the very state's consitution.

"Most people that dont beleive in god dont give a shit about having to have proof that its okay?"

This is not particualry true. I would deem a person who adopts atheism without any evidence or rational reason, quite irrational. Most of the atheists I know are quite capable of defending their postion with logical and rational evidence.

"So you seem to think we came from apes or something???"

No actually we didn't come from apes. We came from ape like ancestors. The common ancestor of modern apes. We branched off in a different evolutionary direction then modern apes.

"Yeah I did just glance at your profile because seeing it pissed me off, and i was unaware you had a family because the myspace was 99% athiest bullshit and spoke about 1% of your family. So dont get me wrong... I respect your opinion, but expect others to respect mine."

I get quite irratated at some of the irrational arguements (sometimes outright lies) presented by theists. In their offense against evolution. But I try to listen anyway, because maybe they have something to say that hasn't been said before. The whole idea of being open minded is too listen and look for evidence that can change your position. Again I respect you as a person, I respect your right to believe, but I don't have to repsect your beliefs. It's healthy to have your opinions challenged. I look honestly enjoy it when people do.

"I think this world and country are going to shit because less and less people are putting there faith in God,"

I'm not sure how you came to this conclusion. Considering that most people that hold a position of power more than likely hold some form of christian god belief. At least in America.

"and there are people out there like you that have to TRY and make people unfaithful."

I'm not making anyone unfaithful. I can't force my opinions on anyone. All I can do is present the evidence, do with it what you will.

"i give you my opinion because it makes me sad to see this stuff and I wish everyone would put there faith in God"

I apperciate your opinion. I'm sorry it saddens you but, some of us require evdience to believe the way you do.

"but why do you have to TRY so hard to show people there isnt a God?"

Because I've seen the effects of beleveing in a religion that tells you to believe and do irrational things. Things, for which there isn't any good logical or evidential reason to do so. Remember 9/11? Ask yourself, what good reason would those men have to fly two planes into the world trade center. Because of the beliefs they held. They believed that if they martyered themselves destroying the enemy's of Allah. Then they would be awarded in heaven with 72 red eyed virgins and a river of milk. Christianity is no better. It's history is just as bloody. The crudsades, the holocaust, the witch trials, and the inquistion. All products of religious irrationality.

"If there isnt a God, then there just isnt and why give people proof, because at that point it doesnt really matter."

Apparently, it does matter. Because people of religion are still trying to shove their "holy" scriptures down others throats. Apparently it does matter, because people of faith are waging a war against science and evolution.

"You kinda see what Im saying?"

I do, but disaggre with most of it.

It's very important to hold the moral high ground and staying calm. I wouldn't debate someone if I realized I would be unable to be civil about it.

Here's my reply to the second message:

"but I cant help but notice how much research you have put into their not being a God and reasons why there is not, so I am curious if you have put in just as much research into seeing if there is a God."

Well, of course I have. Your seeing the product of my research. Of course you wouldn't see the work that went into it.

"Did you just decide one day "There is no God"? or have you done your research? Have you read the bible and found proof contradicting what is said, or what??"

No I didn't just decide one day there isn't a god. Actually I used to be a theist like yourself. I haven't read the bible front to back. Although I did have bible study with my family. Actually this is one of my goals is to read all three religious texts. The bible, the koran, and the torah. But, I have studied certain areas of the bible. Mostly it's contradictions and errors. In fact I encourage you to check out this site: http://members.aol.com/ckbloomfld/

"I respect anothers beliefs, but because my beleif in god,your my space offends me and Im sure you expected it to do that to some people."

That's the fucking problem.

If you had a site promoting a political view, econmomic view or environmental view, would people ever take it so personally?

Does anyone really get personally offended when their political views are challenged? Yes, we'll bitch and moan and spout vitriol on occasion, but we tend to see it as simply an ideological disagreement, not a personal attack. With religion, it's always personal, and I struggle to understand why this is.

This is why the gloves have to come off. This is what Sam Harris talks about in "End of Faith", what Dawkins conveys in "The God Delusion" and what the RRS tries to get across every day - religion is not entitled to a free pass. It deserves no more respect than any other belief and should not be treated with kid gloves. We get nowhere when we shy away from ridicule when it is appropriate. We get nowhere when we give respect where it is not due. We certainly get nowhere when we treat certain irrational claims more delicately than others, simply due to mass appeal and tradition.

. . .I think they're getting at some moral problem here, like "if god doesn't exist then I just can't go on." So at that point proof does become an issue. Part of the proof is that our morals are not derived from scripture so we don't need god to have morals.