Reply #185: Depends on your definition - I'm not really too concerned with labels.

[Exiled in America]

I reject the tenants of theism. If that makes me an atheist (a-theist) that's fine with me, you can call me whatever you want. Though my preference is that you would just call me a fellow human being and not try to worry about what "side" I'm on. I am on no one's side.

But they are wrong. Just like we are wrong in their eyes. Doesn't mean I can't respect them. But why do I need to respect their god (which does happen a lot). Any thread which questions something about Jesus or God inevitably had a couple posts which claim it to be "hate speech."

I don't think they are wrong. I don't think you are wrong. I don't have an opinion about that. I know what works for me life - for me to exchange what I understand and what promotes healthy, happy living in my own life for theism would be wrong for me. But beyond that I neither care to speculate nor think any speculation is fruitful or warranted. So I have no problem accepting that someone else's spiritual beliefs may be entirely appropriate for their context, personhood and experiencs. That doesn't mean they would be right for me to adopt.

And the fact of the matter which sites like an elephant in the room is, unless that's your attitude, you can't have reasoned dialog. You can't "dialog" at all. Coming to a discussion with any attitude of "I'm right about YOUR life and you're wrong about YOUR life" immediately ends all possibility of something worth wasting conversation time over.