I’ve heard this epithet flung around by several people all over the boards but have no clue what it is. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks.
I’m just passing on what I heard in another thread; I cannot verify the accuracy of this.
Apparently there’s a story (possibly apocryphal) about some prominent atheist, possibly Madalyn Murray O’Hair, sneezing in the presence of a Christian, and when the Christian said, “Bless you,” Ms. O’Hair responded by grabbing a pair of scissors or something and attacking the offender’s hand rather than accept the sentiment of health and well-being.
The last time this came up, various people attempted to verify via Google who the atheist was, the circumstances of the event, and so on. As I recall, it was impossible to confirm that the event actually happened at all.
In any case, that’s the genesis: A “hand-stabber” is an atheist so virulently anti-faith that he or she will reflexively resort to violence in order to keep the religious at bay.
The term was imported to the SDMB by Libertarian, who perhaps will be good enough to either correct or expand on my hearsay above.
Funny, I would have thought it referred to extreme fundies trying to reproduce the stigmata on their own persons.
But I’ll buy this explanation too.
Cervaise has it pretty much as I heard it, except that she stabbed his hand with a pen.
Cite?
Here you go. (Note that it is explicitly an oral reference.)
Wow. I think I just saw the back of my own head.