Why are Christians presumptive assholes?

I've been contributing to a great blog recently, How Good is That? via its comments section. It's in the archives, right there to your right... top item. The guy who writes the blog is brilliant and deliciously controversial.

Some of the commenters are also super fab to read, some because they've considered what they're saying and others because they're so out to friggin' lunch.

One guy's comments have me in a state. At first I thought it was funny that he was calling me a snake and assuming I am male, but then I thought about and realised that he's exactly the type of religious person that makes people like me go "Hell NO!"

So, for the record some details about me.

First, briefly, although most people - religious types particularly - call me an athiest, that is not the case. I don't use the term because in order to be an athiest, one has to allow for the existence of a floaty god thingie in order to then say "I don't believe in god."

For me, it isn't a question of not believeing in a floaty god thingie. THERE ISN'T a floaty god thingie. I don't know what the term for that is but, for me, it isn't 'atheist.'

Now, for the rest of it:

After I wrote a previous response to a commenter (after he called me a snake), I realised that this Todd feller represents exactly what I much dislike about religious types. Two characteristics in particular: assumption (yes, there’s an ‘ass’ in that) and arrogance.

So Todd – and everyone else who’s reading this one and Jim’s excellent blog (and my comments on it) here’s who I am.

Eldest daughter of a family comprising seven sisters, an adopted (Chinese) brother and a step brother (two blended families).

FIVE of my cousins – all first cousins – are currently active, working ministers. My grandfather, great-grandfather and great-uncle and the five greats behind him were all ministers – 8 generations and soon to be nine.

My mother, father and step dad were all sunday-school teachers and the men were deacons. My Uncle is the only seller of church hand bells IN MY COUNTRY.

One of my first cousins is the head of the largest church organization in my country (and no, I won’t say which to protect HIM). Two of my second cousins will be ministers shortly.

I grew up in a church – literally: my father turned the sod for the building and helped build it. I went to kindergarten there and my mother had a school in the building, which was directly across a little city street from my house. I sang in the adult choir from the time I was 13 and was baptised at that age.

The bible was the first book read to me and was a daily presence in our home. I can still read it, if I must, in English AND French.

So Tom, because you’ve presumed that I am an uneducated, uninformed neophyte, I just want you to know that your presumptive, assumptive, uninformed stripes are GLARING.

The main difference between the presumptive, assoholic religious type and me – and Jim – is that, despite what is utter hokum to us, we would defend the right of said people to believe what they will until such time as it infringes on us. I think it’s garbage but I appreciate the commitment people have to their faiths.

Now. Go read something other than your bloody bible. You MUST be able to defend all aspects of an argument in order to argue well. This Todd dude can’t. I can.

To quote my brilliant youngest child, “My mind is so blue right now, even I’m not allowed in.”