Few will admit it but the real reasons are inevitably emotional. They are angry, they've been hurt, they see the evil in the world and can't reconcile it with there being a God, etc.
And some people adopt Atheism to help pass themselves off as "intellectual."
While there is absolutely no basis for what Ivy is claiming regarding why people become atheists, PB's theory does prove to be true in some cases. Many atheists believer they are intellectually superior to EVERYBODY, but they're really nothing more than jerks.
Thanks, buddy .
And many of these Atheists become so overzealous in their belief (or non-belief), that they become as fanatical as some fundamentalist religious types. And in that case, their Atheism almost becomes a religion in itself. And that kinda defeats the whole purpose of abandoning religion in the first place.
Just live and let live. I'm a Catholic. I have a strong respect for Judaism. But Jews and Catholics don't proselytize. The idea of standing on a corner and handing out flyers, or ringing doorbells, is ridiculous to me.
If you're a believer, pray to your God and shut up about it. If you're an Atheist, you're entitled to your beliefs (or non-beliefs) as well. But when you start protesting every time a Deity is mentioned in a school play, or the Pledge of Allegiance gets you foaming at the mouth, then you're a fanatic in you're own right.
Like I said, just live and let live.
"I got news for you. If it wasn't for the toilet, there would be no books." --- George Costanza.
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