I'm an atheist because I have never yet seen any evidence that a deity exists. I'm anti-religion because there are countless examples of how religious beliefs make people behave in ways that are harmful to themselves, their families and those they encounter in daily life. Religion has always been and will always be a toxic, divisive force in local communities, countries and the world as a whole. Virtually all religions are hierarchical power structures, and it has always been the case that at least some of the men (usually it's men) who rise through such structures will exploit their positions of authority for their personal benefit at the expense of ordinary believers.
As far as I'm concerned, people should be free to believe in whatever they want. That includes things for which there is no evidence and which can be disproven by basic logic, simple scientific experiments and unequivocal archaeological evidence.
If religious people are secure enough in their beliefs that they don't feel the need to persuade others to believe as they do and so validate them, then I leave them in peace. I have friends who are believers, and I certainly don't mock them. We know this is a subject we disagree on, and we just don't talk about it.
Where I draw the line and what I will not willingly or silently accept is when people try to impose their will on others because of their religious beliefs. When some "person of faith" starts ranting about the rules everyone should be forced to comply with and the only basis for that are their beliefs and their understanding of some ancient text, then I'm going to call the blinkered, fanatical fools what they are.
Is my father religionist?
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I'm an atheist because I have never yet seen any evidence that a deity exists. I'm anti-religion because there are countless examples of how religious beliefs make people behave in ways that are harmful to themselves, their families and those they encounter in daily life. Religion has always been and will always be a toxic, divisive force in local communities, countries and the world as a whole. Virtually all religions are hierarchical power structures, and it has always been the case that at least some of the men (usually it's men) who rise through such structures will exploit their positions of authority for their personal benefit at the expense of ordinary believers.
As far as I'm concerned, people should be free to believe in whatever they want. That includes things for which there is no evidence and which can be disproven by basic logic, simple scientific experiments and unequivocal archaeological evidence.
If religious people are secure enough in their beliefs that they don't feel the need to persuade others to believe as they do and so validate them, then I leave them in peace. I have friends who are believers, and I certainly don't mock them. We know this is a subject we disagree on, and we just don't talk about it.
Where I draw the line and what I will not willingly or silently accept is when people try to impose their will on others because of their religious beliefs. When some "person of faith" starts ranting about the rules everyone should be forced to comply with and the only basis for that are their beliefs and their understanding of some ancient text, then I'm going to call the blinkered, fanatical fools what they are.