abaya

You are equating atheism with absolute moral relativism, my friend, which is simply a very flawed argument. Do you *know* any atheists? Are you friends with them? Do you love them? I do, and they are not amoral people, nor are they smiling down on all kinds of human suffering and excusing it as "human freedom." The ones I know are as compassionate and concerned about humanity as the best Christians in my circle of friends. They do not excuse themselves from making moral judgements, by any means. I don't know what kind of atheists you associate with, but it's a pity that your sample size is so biased.

And quite frankly, I prefer the company of atheists over Christians, since I feel the former don't have an agenda to press upon me regarding all of my life decisions (none of my atheist friends are "militants," I should add). They're simply human, not clouded up with ideas of being somehow "touched by God" or divinely ordained to smother their truth over me. I find that kind of person a lot easier to sit around and just BE with, than someone who is anxious to get me out of the fires of hell because I'm inherently corrupted, in their eyes. I imagine Jesus would be something like that... not quick to condemn or preach Bible verses at me, but willing to just sit and be, and get to know me as a person.

I think that if Jesus saw the way that most evangelical Christians went about "asserting" themselves and their faith on the world, he'd get nauseous and throw up his hands at the whole lot. Shoving Bible verses down someone's throat when they have done you no harm is just plain insensitive, and self-righteous to boot. Shoving atheist dogma down someone's throat in the same manner is just as rude; both deserve a place in Dante's inferno, gnawing on each other for all eternity (now that would be justice!).

Sometimes I think it's a pity that I no longer believe in hell.

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran