Anti-Religious Bigotry

What I find bemusing is the apparent rise in anti-religious bigotry. Maybe it's just another one of those things that we may never have been aware of without t'interweb, I don't know. But I do find it highly tedious.

Why do people describe themselves as 'atheist'? If they don't believe in God or religion then just leave it alone, unless it impacts on them directly. In other words take the libertarian approach. I would never dream of describing myself with negatives: 'Not a socialist', 'not a woman', 'not a Manchester City fan' or whatever. In fact I'm obviously not a City fan, I can write!

Then they become so obsessed with religion, and people who do believe, that they see it in everything believers do or say. Yesterday I had a disagreement with a particularly dumb comment leaver, no names, no pack drill, who was convinced that this recent post, partly about Sundays in France, was a religious call for 'Lord's day observance'. It was purely that I happen to enjoy the quiet, some may say boring Sundays that you get in France with the shops closed. Of course if your life is so dreary that you can't even find something to do on Sunday, other than shoppping, you will get the wrong end of the stick quite easily. That particular clown still seems still to be convinced that he is right. I suppose in days of yore he would have been ducking witches.

Recently an old colleague of mine stepped down as leader of the Libertarian Party under a cloud. I have intentionally not been drawn into the subsequent internet feud and hounding of him, he's gone, end of story. But I have been attacked, albeit in a strangely sad and pathetic manner, on the blog of one of the lynch mob. My sin? Responding to a group email that went to members and former members of the Libertarian Party. This particularly vindictive individual had hounded him in a way that in my view, bordered on bullying and I criticised him for metaphorically screaming that the former leader should go and lead a cult in the Mid-West. Or words to that effect. I said I thought he was being hysterical, or words to that effect. Lo and behold on his tawdry little blog he has accused me of becoming hysterical and that criticising organised religion to me was like red rag to a bull. Or words to that effect. Obviously bullshit to people who participated in our group email exchange. I think, rather than lying, he's just not very bright and has an unhealthy obsession with religion and those of us who are religious. Either way, if you want to have a go then fair enough. But at least be accurate and preferably, honest.

Now I've got that off my chest I'm off to do some work. Oh, and by the way, I do have good friends who are atheists and even one who supports Manchester City. I suppose I'll now be linked to those people with dodgy views on race who claim to have black friends. At least by the two nutters mentioned above I will!