Barb
Carpe Scrotum
As someone who is religious, Jillian, I honestly think you are right and that no one wants to be agreed with constantly. The question I think the OP should have asked is why do atheists feel the need to be on the offensive on Religious Boards? We all come here to discuss points of view and for those who believe in religion it is not something you think but something you feel. To have that bashed and be called stupid merely for sharing your perspective is a bit like having someone throw a fistfull of mud at your lover and calling that person a horrible name. It is a little painful and sometimes seems needlessly petty.
Other than that I have had the unique experience of being on both sides of the fence. I HATED church and religion and everything it stood for. By the time I was 13 if you tried telling me there was a God I was asking you where the dinosaurs had room in their Bible. After Lucy was found I was asking for explinations and demanding proof of this God thing. I liked that science showed you what felt like a clean and clear picture of the past, and with the past mapped it felt easier to move on to the future because questions where answered. I only recently found God in my heart and soul in the past couple of years and am far from a zealot. I have always been fascinated by religion. Why do people flock to it, why do they feel this need to create a system of worship merely to explain things they can't? I can easily understand why atheists would end up on these boards. Again my only issue is why does it have to, seemingly, be out of a disdain for those who don't happen to see the world as Godless?
While some atheists are undoubtedly hostile, perhaps sometimes theists are a bit insecure. If one chooses to present your beliefs and ideas in a public forum, then it is not an attack or disdain when they are challenged. That is the best way to learn and understand. Only those who cling unrelentingly to their beliefs will not see the value in challenging one's ideas and concepts. If people are comfortable that they have reached a sound conclusion, then what have they to fear? Hopefully the atheist will not ask any question or make any point that the theist has not already considered in their desire to know truth. But if there is a unconsidered point, perhaps the theist should consider it when it is mentioned- even if it threatens their beliefs. It is the only way to honestly trust your own beliefs.
I think many atheists feel that there is nothing so dangerous in the world as absolute conviction that one is right. And nowhere is that attitude fostered more frequently than in religious belief. Therefore, any uncertainty introduced makes the world a bit more reasonable.
I always had a problem with the "exclusive use" clause, or the "Dad likes me (us) best" part of organized religion. That's why I could never buy into it once the hat ladies from Sunday school ran down the list of people who were going to hell or, "would not be joining us" in the castle in the sky. My grandma (a nice Catholic lady) called them a bunch of old busybodies, and that I shouldn't let their attitude reflect on my relationship with God. I didn't / don't, but I refused to go to Sunday school anymore. Drag me to service, fine, but that crap was out, and it was all taken from that time on with a healthy dose of salt.