Bryan, not to defend the dumbasses in every nook and cranny of the world, but could you rephrase that as “Dumbass County, Ontario?” We don’t want to rile up the [del]rednecks[/del] Southern gentlefolk of the board and I’m sure Canada has its share of dumbasses. 
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers]
More likely, 24-hour news networks with a lot of free time to fill. “And here’s video of a chair-throwing brawl in Dumbass County, Georgia, prompted when local teacher Mal Content refused to organize a Christmas festival…”
[/QUOTE]
I think you mean Dumas county.
Just be glad I didn’t go with my first choice, and I would so love the opportunity to pay tribute.
It’s not just that both sides think they’re right. They know they’re right.
Regardless, that thread serves as a pretty good indicator of who the self important jerks are on this board (other than DtC, as that’s already common knowledge).
Bryan, sorry we can’t use your jokes this year, but we have an opening for work in the sequin mines.
At least in politics there’s usually the opportunity for common ground. “I think taxes should be 20%, you think they should be 5%, let’s go with 12.5%.” Not so much with religion. “I think God exists, you think He doesn’t, so let’s go with a metaphorical God.” Provided you don’t actually believe God is a metaphor, there’s little common ground to be had.
That aside, I have to go with OtakuLoki’s answer, though maybe slightly modified. The people most likely to engage in discussion are those with a strong opinion on the subject. Strong opinions tend to be polarized and held by strong-willed people. Strong-willed people aren’t usually given over to seeking common ground, but instead prefer their opinion to be accepted as correct. People who don’t really care, who are willing to find common ground, or are willing to simply live and let live usually don’t feel the need to jump in. There are exceptions, of course, but I feel safe in saying that this is a general trend.
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
Some sort of surge in atheist self-confidence?
[/QUOTE]
I think it’s more a response to the surge of power of Christianity in government.
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
It seems that in the last few years atheists have begun actually attacking faith in an attempt to…
[/QUOTE]
That whole “fighting ignorance” thing.
[QUOTE=Lazlo]
It’s not just that both sides think they’re right. They know they’re right.
[/QUOTE]
Because the atheistic side has all the evidence, and the religious side is crazy.
When one side insists the sky is blue, and the other insists that it’s really plaid if you just believe hard enough - the first side is in the right, no matter how much the delusional side whines about it.
DT, I know you get tired of hearing this, but – I wish you could stay the fuck off my side.
I hope I haven’t been a dick on the subject. The SDMB is the one and only environment in which my beliefs have been the majority view; very different from my daily life surrounded by Baptists. Being in the majority gives me (I feel) an obligation to listen seriously to the minority viewpoint.
I’ve known lots of nice people with various beliefs that seem delusional to me. It’s no reason for me to hold them in contempt. Whether you’re religious or not, there’s a difference between saying “This is what I believe” and saying “You’re an idiot or immoral for not believing the same.” We’ve had some threads where the latter attitude doesn’t show up, and those can be quite enjoyable.
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
Because the atheistic side has all the evidence, and the religious side is crazy.
[/QUOTE]
All that time on this board in all those religion threads, and yet you’ve still managed to learn absolutely nothing. Such a shame.
Whatever your inter-personal relationship with a person who has deply religious beliefs, if you equate your interaction with ‘social stroking’, every time that you say, positive things to them, regardless of their beliefs, you are affirming the supernatural wackiness that they base their lives on. IMO.
[QUOTE= Orual]
Because they are so very, very very smart. Only idiots could look at the universe and come to other conclusions about its nature than they have.
And the mocking and derision of those who are different from them makes them feel good.
[/QUOTE]
Not like YOU, of course. 
[QUOTE= me]
As one of the “targets” or “objects” of your Pitting, I can tell you that it doesn’t really get to me unless someone says, in essence, “your silliness entitles me to be a douche to you,” and then actually IS a douche to me.
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE= Der Trihs]
First, because religion really is utter idiocy; the sort of thing almost no one would buy without the ‘religion’ label slapped on it. Second, because it gets irritating to be treated with contempt by fools and lunatics, and watch them screw up over and over again while pretending their idiocy is a virtue. And third, there’s no point in being polite, since polite disagreement tends to result in about the same response as insults or worse, if it’s aimed at religion. And fourth, believers tend to have inferior judgement and shaky ethics at best, thanks to being irrational.
[/QUOTE]
Like so.
[QUOTE=Der Trihs]
Because the atheistic side has all the evidence, and the religious side is crazy.
When one side insists the sky is blue, and the other insists that it’s really plaid if you just believe hard enough - the first side is in the right, no matter how much the delusional side whines about it.
[/QUOTE]
Yep, there’s another. Thanks for taking the Asshole-Bitch poll.
I am currently an atheist and I went through the self-righteous phase where I actually thought all theists were morons. Then I grew up (emotionally and mentally, for I was already a physical adult at the time). I was raised Catholic and throwing away my faith did not come lightly. I went through years of introspection and finally accepted that I had to place my “faith” in empirical evidence. Not everyone can do that - it’s a huge, huge deal.
Now, as an adult human being, I recognize that faith and religion give comfort to many of my fellow humans. I do indeed think they’re incorrect, but as long as they don’t proselytize, I’m not going to force my viewpoint on them and belittle that which they cherish.
When all is said and done, I try not to be an asshole.
[QUOTE=Baldwin]
Whether you’re religious or not, there’s a difference between saying “This is what I believe” and saying “You’re an idiot or immoral for not believing the same.”
[/QUOTE]
The difference being that atheists aren’t supposed to point out the latter, but it’s just fine for the theists to claim that atheists are stupid, evil, liars, or traitors. Our society is built around the lie that religion isn’t blatantly stupid, and we are all expected to pretend in the lie.
And they ARE fools. Pretending they are not won’t make them less foolish, or make them cause less damage. Religion isn’t some harmless little quirk.
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar]
All that time on this board in all those religion threads, and yet you’ve still managed to learn absolutely nothing. Such a shame.
[/QUOTE]
The “shame” is that there’s nothing to learn. Religion’s just a collection of delusions. At best. You can study garbage for as long as you like, and it’ll still be garbage.
[QUOTE=Lazlo]
Now, as an adult human being, I recognize that faith and religion give comfort to many of my fellow humans. I do indeed think they’re incorrect, but as long as they don’t proselytize, I’m not going to force my viewpoint on them and belittle that which they cherish.
[/QUOTE]
And it’s just too bad all of the misery and death and destruction they cause in the service of their insanity, huh ? If, say, the Catholics kill a few million people by lying about condoms that’s just fine, because it comforts them. If the Rapture believers push for fewer environmental laws because there is no future, the resulting damage is no big deal, hmm ?
The self indulgence of the believers comes at too high a price for me to just shrug and pretend it doen’t matter.
[QUOTE=Gatopescado]
That whole “fighting ignorance” thing.
[/QUOTE]
The whole “know your enemy” thing has limits, of course. There are those fighting on “our side” who seem to be operating under deep, deep cover. May have even “gone over,” as they say. Easily distinguished by their brightly colored shirts, defiantly worn backwards.
This is why I try to keep my head down in (and out of) religious threads.
[QUOTE=Baldwin]
DT, I know you get tired of hearing this, but – I wish you could stay the fuck off my side.
[/QUOTE]
DNFDT
My attitude on religion vs. religious people is, well, complicated. One of my favorite online articles of all time actually sums part of it up quite nicely.
[QUOTE=Lazlo]
Yep, there’s another. Thanks for taking the Asshole-Bitch poll.
I am currently an atheist and I went through the self-righteous phase where I actually thought all theists were morons. Then I grew up (emotionally and mentally, for I was already a physical adult at the time). I was raised Catholic and throwing away my faith did not come lightly. I went through years of introspection and finally accepted that I had to place my “faith” in empirical evidence. Not everyone can do that - it’s a huge, huge deal.
Now, as an adult human being, I recognize that faith and religion give comfort to many of my fellow humans. I do indeed think they’re incorrect, but as long as they don’t proselytize, I’m not going to force my viewpoint on them and belittle that which they cherish.
When all is said and done, I try not to be an asshole.
[/QUOTE]
This. Not sort of this, not a lot like this. Exactly this.
I’m curious about Miller’s comment that on the SDMB the relative number of atheists vs theists is reversed. Do we have a cite on that? I know we have a significant number of vocal atheists and a few belligerent atheists, but is the relative number documentably different than the world at large?