Also Satanism is a branch of Christianity. Satanists believe in God, they just think he’s a shit and Satan offers an opportunity to combat him.

I though Satanists were technically atheists and only saw Satan in a symbolic sense representing independence or something like that?

That’s another problem right there. Atheists YOU know.

Well there are an awful lot of unbelievers in the world and I’m never going to know all of them so you’ll forgive me for judging a group on the members that I’ve had contact with.

I think there are a whole lot of atheists out there you don’t know who make atheism into something very occult-ritualistic-lifestyle-ish.

OK, please stop there. First atheism isn’t much of anything in itself. Atheism is NOT a belief in gods. The only reason that Dawkins, Harris, Mehta, etc have anyone buying their books is because the position of unbelief is viewed as unusual and people seek to understand it. One day, maybe in a generation or two, when theistic belief is considered abnormal by the majority they’ll look back at these books as a curious anachronism.

I mean people actually believe in gods and other people write about how they don’t and how unbelief is a good thing. How very curious for people to behave like that.

they do not share the stipulation of freethought and skepticism you seem to assume it takes for someone to be an atheist.

Not at all, skepticism and freethought are simply correlated well with atheists. Perhaps atheists are more likely to be freethinkers or perhaps freethinkers are more likely to tend to atheism. There will always be exception of course. Some people raised without faith will certainly be gullible and buy into spirituality or Wicca but at least they won’t also have the beliefs in gods to go with it.

There is at least one Satanist serving in the British Army, and I think these self proclaimed Satanists aren’t exactly the “evil” kind.

Now… if they were to list Scientology, I’d be all for it.

Dearie me Tom…most atheists that I know are not mad at xtianity. They have simply found so many fallacies in it that they were able to reject it as a valid view point. Then looking further at theism in general were able to do the same. The only mad comes when we are misrepresented and vilified by religionists, and when religionists use their creeds to justify public policies that are dangerous and/or misleading.

I hope you’re not assuming I’m Christian or a theist here. I’m an atheist

…most atheists that I know…

That’s another problem right there. Atheists YOU know. I think there are a whole lot of atheists out there you don’t know who make atheism into something very occult-ritualistic-lifestyle-ish. I don’t know how to say it right, but they do not share the stipulation of freethought and skepticism you seem to assume it takes for someone to be an atheist.

This is dangerous, I’m simply pointing it out. Unintentional as it may be, glorifying atheism is a mistake.

I don’t know any atheists who are angry at any gods though. Nor do I know any that reserve their opposition merely to the Christian viewpoint. Although many have good reasons to feel negatively about Christianity.

Well atheism is certainly an alternative to Christianity.

NO it’s NOT. THAT is the problem right there. It is an alternative to THEISM. When people get mad at Christianity, sometimes they become atheist as an “alternative,” along with the satanists and wiccans. It isn’t really a very rational choice for these people, but an emotional one. They’re mad. So I am totally not surprised, nor that peeved that atheism is lumped in with those other belief systems. I am mad at enough other atheists about their reasons for being atheist that I think they deserve being lumped in that category.