"It's not enough to not believe in G-D. You also have to be a d**k to everyone who doesn't think like you."
Unfortunately, the if you remove the word "not" from this sentence, it describes a lot of religious people.
I don't pretend to understand the nature of life, the universe, and everything. I don't find conventional religions convincing, so I don't follow any of them, but I also don't look down on those who do have faith. I'd like to think I'd get the same level of respect from them.
I don't think a truly devout person would look on you disrespectfully, but out of love for their fellow human. What you may perceive as disrespect, may just actually be an effort on the part of that person to look out for the well-being of your soul.
Well that isn't very convincing.
“If I knew God I’d be Him.”
Though it seems from the first few seconds of the creation event when nuclear strong and weak forces, the latter of which electromagnetism segregated from, and somehow also therein gave rise to gravitation, from which there gradually coalesced various galactic types and structures.
And as we live in one spiral galaxy out of billions, two thirds of the way out from its dense center between whirling arms which are relatively debris and dust free; where metals are fairly well concentrated, but rarer in the Milky Way’s outer reaches…. Where too, were we further in, we wouldn’t be able to see the universe outside.
That we live in the habitable zone of a single G2V star, in a system with a large outer planet to sweep up a considerable amount of debris that might otherwise be drawn to the inner solar system and collide with Earth.
That we have a magnetic field which protects us from too much cosmic and solar radiation, and allows us too – geometrically by the more distant stars – to navigate around our planet.
That we have a moon massive enough to stabilize our planetary axis, and which perhaps also couples gravitationally to assist plate tectonics in recycling our oceanic crust and mantle, yielding a balance of nitrogen/oxygen and carbon dioxide to our atmosphere.
That the laws of physics at both the macro- and micro levels should be so fine tuned - and unified! - allowing these processes to be carried out at all.
That we are alive!
It seems inconceivable that there isn’t that God who – being God sets the values of good and evil, and cares that we should prefer that Good.
I'll take Pascal's Bet, thanks.
If someone gave you a hard push and shoved you, you would think them obnoxious. What if that person pushed you out of the way of a bus barreling down on you. You would not think them obnoxious then. You would think them wonderful because they saved your life. The thing about some of us "religious" people is that we live with the knowledge that many around us, some we are very close to, are going to a fate far worth than death, hell. Since we care we want to warn them. What would you do if you knew your neighbor was slipping into hell forever. Some of us "religious" people may at times seem obnoxious, but we just don't want you to be eternally damned because you forfeited your chance for eternal salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ The LORD. He gave His life to pay for all of our sins so that we can live eternally in heaven, in a wonderful, blissful place full of love rather than burning in everlasting destruction.
The thing that disturbs me are the "religious" people who keep their mouths shut. They know that others are in extremely serious peril. Some won't preach the gospel to you because they are afraid of not being liked. It is the Christian who may not be the best at conveying the message but cares enough to try who is your hero. If (and I sincerely hope you do) you end up in heaven, you will some day thank them. If (I very sincerely hope you don't) you end up in hell, it will be the "religious" ones who didn't tell you that you will bitterly curse forever.
"I'd like to think I'd get the same level of respect from them."
You certainly do from me. I don't care what you believe. I'm a Christian, but I don't have any wish to convert you - I support your right to do as you please.