Why I’m Angry: An Anti-Theist’s 78 Reasons

52. I am angry that the moment you step outside of Christianity, not only do you lose all credibility — you are seen as worse than a regular unbeliever who has never heard the Gospel (due, in part, to scriptures like that in Hebrews 6).

53. I am angry that many Christians lie (as many former believers have confessed) and insist they are not afraid of hell, which allows them to publically ridicule or demean honest Christians who say that they have a supposedly irrational fear of a place that’s infinitely worse than their worst nightmares that they would be in for infinity if they didn’t believe in God. These same Christians will turn around and say, “The reason I don’t do XYZ is because there are laws against it, and you’ll go to prison.” OK — so you can understand fear of prison but not fear of hell? Either you haven’t given much thought about what hell is, or you’re lying through your teeth.

54. I am angry that, in many churches, worship is set up like a giant trance session — the room is fairly dark, people are told to close their eyes, they are told to raise their hands, they are told to forget about everything else, the people who are most “lost” in the trance are the models for the rest — effectively brainwashing individuals week by week with a skillfully crafted, nearly hypnotic, environment.

55. I am angry that Jesus’ advice to not worry about life is actually followed by people (to their detriment) who SHOULD worry about life, and that his statement that if you seek first the kingdom of God, “all these things will be added to you” creates, in many segments of Christianity, poor people who think the answer is following God more when it is actually stepping back and being rational about the world. I am further angry that when people who trust in these scriptures most say, “I followed God. Why is this happening to me?” they are told by people whose didn’t invest as much in God as them but happen to be in a better position (partly because they WERE more rational) that they need an attitude adjustment and need to be further dedicated because they are worrying too much.

56. I am angry that evangelical associations like the International House of Prayer use the squeaky-clean, “revolution”-type, trendy Christianity to take missionaries to countries like Uganda and preach messages about the “crime” of homosexuality that they cannot teach in the United States, resulting in so much anger against homosexuals in Uganda that there are strict laws against homosexuality that many Ugandans are fighting to make stronger (for example, life imprisonment for one homosexual act, and capital punishment for multiple homosexual acts).

57. I am angry that if I were to die right now as non-Christian, many of my friends and families will think that I was burning in hell every moment of the rest of their lives. Worst funeral ever. I am further angry that this phenomenon has already happened countless times and will likely happen countless more times.

58. I am angry that the United States has a long history of being seen (falsely) as a Christian nation that is therefore better than other nations and should be protected and have as much control as possible (the “City on a Hill” concept), because this has caused untold destruction to other countries and to people — like Native Americans — in this country. I am further angry that we fail to see our hypocrisy when Muslim nations say the same thing. This mentality goes back to the crusades and it is STILL happening.

59. I am angry that the military is full of religious chaplains, but literally bars atheists from the job position.

60. I am angry that the Boy Scouts of America don’t allow atheists to serve as Boy Scout leaders — and only a couple months ago allowed atheists to be Boy Scouts at all (many Boy Scouts who were atheists had to lie).