re: #4 CuriousLurker

I see what you mean… :)

Seriously — until you’ve been an atheist, you really can’t get it. Atheists are about the smallest minority group there is and they get spit on all the time, all day long, and nobody thinks much about it. Most of us have thick skins and fit into the “don’t be a dick” category, some of us are outgoing advocates, and some are what I class as “weak at the philosophical knees” atheists… Those are the most vociferous and nasty.
That said, sometimes being blunt and assertive is the only way to get across the message, and so I see the wisdom in both sides of the debate.
I think real atheists can’t believe - it’s just not in our being. I think weak kneed atheists are former believers who like a smoker who quits become the most vehemently antagonistic towards their former peers.