Reply #101: I see it differently.

[July]

If I think God is not real, or that religion is a myth, I am not insulting any Christians, I am following my own conscience. I also have no trouble supporting the right of Christians to believe something that I do not believe. I won't be forced to agree with them, though. I don't offer my views to everyone, even when asked about them, but I don't feel that stating what I think -- even if it profoundly differs from what Christians think -- is insulting Christians' beliefs. I do often feel that Christians expect me to tacitly agree with their premises, though, when they say they are "insulted" if I don't share them.

And let me offer this anecdote to show it to you from the other side. My teenaged son recently told a cousin and his grandmother that he is an atheist. The responses were: "That's ridiculous!" and "That doesn't make sense!" I would venture to guess that my son felt insulted at that time.

The gap cannot be bridged. In my opinion, all we can do is respectfully state our (very different) views, or keep off the topic entirely.