Why atheists care about religion

I don't believe in God. That's no secret. If you've read my blog or had a conversation with me on the topic, you're aware of this. I work hard to be respectful of the people I know and love and their right to believe what they wish, and I avoid arguments with them simply because I like to maintain the relationships I have with them. But that doesn't keep me quiet everywhere, and that doesn't stop me from caring.

But why DO I care? After all, if I don't believe, then what does it matter? Why do I as an atheist, or all atheists, seem to spend so much time talking about something we don't believe in? Religious people seem to find this concept silly, and on the surface I can see why. I don't put a title on my lack of belief in fairies, nor do I write blog posts about it, have heated discussions online, join activist groups, attend conferences, or read books about it. And since I respect each individual's right to those beliefs, what does it matter?

I've wanted to answer this question for quite some time, honestly, and get into the nitty-gritty of it. But today, my Twitter friend @natheist favorited a new (well, maybe just new to me, I didn't check the date) video by the AWESOME @gogreen18 (who is awesome, to clarify, for being brilliant and well-spoken, all while happening to prove the stereotype that gorgeous women can't be either is complete bull) that just so happens to say everything I wanted to say better, more compactly, and with prettier eyes. Take a look:

That's it, in a nutshell. That's why I care, why it all matters. Historically, and currently, religion tends to impact my life and those of the people I love more than most other forces, and it's my opinion, and that of a consistently growing number of people, that it does so negatively. Now perhaps you're one of those who believes in a god or spirituality in some more generalized or personal sense, and one who doesn't buy into this organized religion thing. Then perhaps you're one of the people who doesn't directly harm me. But when you believe your holy text overrides my rights as someone who hasn't bought into it, you impact my life. And that's when I have to start doing something about it.

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Now Laci's video was prepared in response to the following video by imrational which covers some of the same issues, as well as some others. I thought it only fair to include his video which started this chain. It does a good job of clarifying further some of the issues that we, as atheists, face in a so-called Christian nation, led by people who now claim to be persecuted for being Christian, with no sense of irony over how much unreasonable control they've held for so long.

And there you have it. Two people who managed to do the hard work for me, all with better audio/visual skills, and one of which who's much more pleasant to look at than my ugly mug.

Questions? Comments? Bring 'em.