It seems that atheists often engage with battles to try to win over the minds of theists. However, many theists, particularly the non-sophisticated ones, operate more on emotion than logic. This is why I think it's so unfortunate to see many atheists certain groups like theists or creationists as "idiots", "retards", or other certain terms I can't use on GameSpot. Not only does this repel theists from atheism, but it also devoid of any logic usually, substituting passion for reason. It's very often I see that an atheist will simply remark how ridiculous a claim may be, without giving it much thought it appears, as though they're perfectly content with analyzing it from the surface only.
I think atheists should be respectful of theists, so as long as the theists do not pose a threat to their safety (which in most cases, they don't). Calling them a bigot because they don't accept same-sex marriage or think atheists shouldn't be allowed to hold office is not helpful. We have to base debate on understanding, not hostility. If we focus on hostility, we'll never get the opposition to understand us and they will likely continue to be an enemy.
Am I alone here or has anyone else noticed elitism going on with the modern atheist movement? It could be that I'm talking about the non-sophisicated atheists, but it seems that atheists in general are more bitter than theists.
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