Words like these are fairly common here. They are no doubt written without much fear of judgment. More common, they act as a beacon to rally the like-minded. In this community, once someone has identified themselves in such a manner they can be assured of back-up. At Dailykos, mocking the religious is a team sport.
But why not mock? Are believers so thin-skinned that they cannot handle the scrutiny? Surely taunts like these land only on the belief itself, not on actual people....right? Such is the cover that some kossacks afford themselves when they engage in this boorish behavior.
To the people who think in this manner, I ask this question: What do you hold to be sacred? What gives your life meaning? Is it your mate? Your children? Your commitment to social justice? Nature? Your love of animals?
For millions of people, faith is one of the central answers to the above questions. Many here in this very community see their faith as an integral part of who they are. It is what animates them. To mock their faith is to mock them in one of the most personal ways possible.
But you cannot be responsible for that, can you? You are simply holding their beliefs to the scrutiny they deserve. You are exposing faulty belief systems.
Faulty beliefs must be exposed, mustn't they?
Would you tell a new mother of an average looking baby that her child is not beautiful should she mistakenly say otherwise?
You see, what is truly at issue here is the entire notion that this place is a community at all. If it is, what do we owe each other? I do not assert that you owe me to believe the same things as me, or even to respect my beliefs. But what I do insist upon is that you take me at my word when I tell you that something is deeply meaningful to me. And if you cannot respect it, at least respect me enough to refrain from mocking it openly. If you want to gather alone with the rest of the folks who think like you and call me a fool, I suppose I cannot stop you. Just as I am free to judge you for your lack of understanding of exactly what it is that folks like me actually believe.
Our thoughts are our own domain. I do not seek to convert, nullify, contradict or even challenge your world view. I merely demand that you treat me as you would demand to be treated. If you cannot or will not, you surely deserve any scorn heaped upon you.