Why I am an Atheist

I cut this excerpt from an article saying they would be making things like this a crime: Baptist Church dragged U.S. flags on the ground and shouted insults at Doyle's wife and other survivors outside a mortuary in Martinsville, Ind. Church Rev. Fred Phelps said American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays and accepts homosexuality. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger Denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws. The church members carried signs and shouted things such as "God hates ****" and "God hates you." Ugghhhhh!!!! Who goes through life thinking such hate is ok and acceptable? The thing is, other people of faith would say this guy is wrong, but his reality is that his views are correct. Everyone thinks they are the ones with the answers.

I'm waiting for someone to ask Fred Phelps when god is going to seek his vengeance on the Netherlands.... I admit I have no respect for anyone who uses some twisted self-serving interpretation of "god's word" to justify exclusionary attitudes, ignorance, and hate. I would hope that religious people would oppose what I think is a perversion and abuse of religion and speak out against it but that doesn't seem to happen.

I hate to admit it but this guy is from my neck of the woods. He recently spoke at a Gay Rights Forum event at the local community college. It was put on by the Equal Rights Coalition. I think the event was pretty well done, actually, it was done in a Transformative Mediation-type style. I gotta tell ya, though, the guy is sick. I almost didn't stay for the whole thing because he bothered me so much, and I'm typically pretty unflappable. He was probably the most disturbing human being I've ever been in the same room with.