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"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.

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.

Yes, but to those of us who don't believe, it is incredibly condescending. Consider a Christian told by a Muslim that they were not living a moral life and that they should convert to Islam for the well-being of their eternal soul. And that Christian is then told that although he thinks he understands the nature of God and the universe, he is actually completely wrong. The Muslim knows this for sure because he has been told so by God, and he does not even consider the possiblity that he might be wrong. So what a Christian might perceive as disrespect for believing in the wrong God, following the wrong book, and believing in the wrong morals, might just be an effort on the part of that Muslim to look out for the well-being of his soul. And yet, I'm not sure many Christians (or any believers of a system) won't view it as disrespectful to be told that everything they believe in is wrong.

Now change Muslim to Christian and Christian to atheist in the above example, and you might get an idea how many of us atheists feel when proselytized to on a regular basis.

No, it's not a case of perception. There is plenty of outright hostility for all atheists on this board, not for anything any individual among us has done, but merely for being members of this unorganized grouping of atheists, a small number of which are strident and vocal in their anti-religiousness. Nonetheless, I will continue to treat individual Christians with respect, despite the fact that as an atheist I get little but abuse from Christians as a group.