# How many atheists/non-Christians would be offended by this? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-atheists-non-christians-would-be-offended-by-this/196996 "2003-08-22T19:25:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Eirik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b19c9b/32.png) [@Eirik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eirik)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-atheists-non-christians-would-be-offended-by-this/196996/61 "2003-08-24T19:12:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Podkayne \* > \*\* > I’m surprised that you started a thread asking, _Do you feel this way?_ and then when some people honestly answered yes, you responded by calling them closed-minded. If you thought it was “petty,” why did you even start the thread instead of just dismissing this out of hand? I mean, it just seems like a rude way to pay folks back for responding to your question. \*\* I’ll admit that I do feel that people who get offended over small things do feel petty to me, and what I wasn’t sure about is how small a thing would offend. To me, this seemed like nothing more than an innocuous display card. I used it a few times a day, and never got a comment. The problem I guess I have is that the atheists that I know personally are also extreamly forgiving and open minded. They don’t like religion or expressions of it, but they also wouldn’t blink at this card. I’m sorry if my feeling that it’s a petty response to get offended over something like this is rude. It is how I feel, though. But I also don’t want to intentionally offend in my office, so I won’t use the card. Like I’ve said, I’m not religious. It’s not a problem for me. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-atheists-non-christians-would-be-offended-by-this/196996/62 "2003-08-24T19:27:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m sorry if my feeling that it’s a petty response to get offended over something like this is rude. Feelings in and of themselves are not rude. It’s _expressing_ the feeling that can be rude. I’m just saying that you have to _agree_ with their opinion, but in general it’s kind of poor form to tell someone who’s offended that they really shouldn’t be offended, especially when you went out of your way to ask for the opinion in the first place. The traditional response in that case, actually, is “Thanks for your input. It was helpful.” And it’s rude to correct the manners of anyone other than your child or a close friend, and in even in that case you should do it discretely and, oh, say, on a public message board. So I’m ruder than you in any case. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-atheists-non-christians-would-be-offended-by-this/196996/63 "2003-08-24T19:29:01Z")
Oh, fercrissakes, of course I mean: you **DON’T** have to a agree . . . ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-atheists-non-christians-would-be-offended-by-this/196996/64 "2003-08-24T19:43:24Z")
Atheist checking in here… It wouldn’t worry me in the slightest. I would no more think that you were trying to convert me to Christianity than that you were trying to convert me to baseball or the white pages. Besides, despite my atheism–perhaps even because of it–i’ve read the Bible myself and found it very interesting. It’s just that i view it as a human, historical document rather than as the word of a/the god. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-atheists-non-christians-would-be-offended-by-this/196996.md?page=3)