Has General Discussion Been Hostile to Religious Believers recently?

[thucythucy]

65. Why no option for agnostics?

Or did I miss something?

I'm an agnostic, and I believe much of the discussion here has been very hostile to believers.

It isn't people questioning the homophobic, sexist, or otherwise objectionable portions of this or that scripture or practice. I think there's lots that can and should be criticized in that regard, and that hypocrisy is always a fit subject for satire and criticism.

But to me it verges into overt hostility when people proclaim that all believers are either evil or stupid or mentally ill. As opposed to all the logical, mentally healthy, intellectually and morally superior atheists.

I was just on a thread where a poster told me he (or she) thought Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was "gullible" for having faith. Another poster, on another thread (the one that said religions have a "problem" with "smart people&quot told me he thought Dr. King was basically bullshitting about his faith. Because Dr. King--obviously a highly intelligent man--couldn't possibly really be religious, could he?

That basic supposition that all believers are deluded morons is what bothers me. And in purely political terms, I can't see how attacking the beliefs of millions of voters is a winning strategy. One particularly prolific atheist poster wrote an OP saying progressives should be more like conservative Republicans in our willingness to attack Islam. There are literally millions of Moslems in this country--last I saw they outnumbered Jews. How attacking their basic faith --- and I'm not talking about violent homicidal zealots here, but average, law-abiding, American Moslems--is somehow going to gain us more votes is beyond me, and was never really explained in that OP. Let alone members of denominations like the United Church of Christ, or the Metropolitan Community Church (with a predominantly LGBT membership) whose members tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic.

I have many good friends who are atheists, who are believers, and who are, like me, on the fence. I used to recommend Democratic Underground to ALL my friends as a great place to get news and read the views of other progressives. But no more. (Ditto with regards friends of mine who are feminists, but that's a whole other OP). I would feel embarrassed and uncomfortable recommending this forum to my progressive friends of faith, given the fierce antagonism and hurtful caricatures I see of believers.

All of which makes me very sad.