I am a serious businessman and as a hobby develop websites that promote communication amongst people. The websites I have built include chat sites, web developing help sites, and recently this atheist social network. On all of my sites, I have been a proponent of free/open dialogue between the rational and irrational no matter how absurd the argument was and instructed my freinds/moderators to allow debates of any nature to occur regardless of whether they were offensive or not.

Today I felt hate in, what I deem to be, its purest and most ignorant form. Two freinds, of many years, that I supported on more than a dozen occasions retaliated because of a post that just linked to this atheist social network.... http://www.officiallyatheist.com.

I must admit that I knew that both of these friends were Christians and religious but the hate I felt was of a very unreligious and unchrisitian nature. It confused me because I was completely naive to how angry a religious person could get just because a view point that differed from theirs or because a proposal of a few questions, that require some critical thought, made them feel uncomfortable. I realized that this action of outcasting/marginalizing by theists was a definite flaw that a percentage of the religious population shared. I tried to reason with them asking, "Would I react as you did if you had posted a pro-religious site?" to which I recieved no answer because they knew the answer, no.

Don't blame me for what I believe....

As an atheist, I want to hear all sides of an argument before I make a decision because I was taught that only with empirical evidence from both sides can an informed and sound decision be made. This open mindedness and attitude of welcoming a debate of ideas is, in my opinion, what makes useful progress possible. I did not become an atheist because someone taught me about this belief system. I became an atheist after researching and experiencing numerous religions for myself and realizing that their teachings would always conflict with what I thought was morality and equality in its truest form, among other things.

I know other ahtiests may feel this retaliation if you choose to declare your belief but I implore you atheists not to be deterred by it, for It displays a weakness in others, and not in yourself. Furthermore, to me, it is just another reason that I think religion is a dividing force instead of a uniting one.

Just remember to keep your cool and be civil like any good scientist/debater.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Attributed to Voltaire.