Please note that I did not and would not say that all atheists are rigid, intolerant crusaders against belief. Here's what I said: It seems to me, that a good number of people who call themselves atheists, go well beyond simply not having a belief in God - they actively deny that God exists. And, I might add to explain what I mean by actively deny,, these people seem driven to redefine, refute, and ridicule religious belief.

Most religious people believe what they believe, because it works for them - not because they feel compelled to prove themselves right and somebody else wrong. Most atheists are the same - they don't believe because believing doesn't work for them, and then they go on with life and do their best to get along with the people they encounter.

But there are a few fundamentalists among both theists and atheists, and these people just don't seem to fathom the concept of accepting and respecting people who see things differently. Maybe that's the primary aspect of a fundamentalist mindset - an obsession with proving oneself right and others wrong.

-Joe-