Why is atheism synonymous with religion-bashing?!

Because of some people who do bash it (Hitchens, RRS). That’s what people remember, the controversial people. There can be 100 nice people, and one controversial one, and people will remember the one controversial one and forget the others. It’s why the media shows the more controversial people on both sides. You don’t hear much about atheists who don’t bash but just want their rights respected, and you don’t hear much about decent theists who support things like separation of church and state either, you hear about the Pat Robertsons and that’s who people remember, it’s why religion has become synonomous with stupidity and bigotry and wanting to “shove beliefs down your throat”. It’s unfortunately very human to stereotype. Julia Sweeney seems okay to me, growing up Catholic myself I indentify with some of what she says. But they’re going to apply the “bash” label to her b/c it’s becoming the stereotype unfortunately…..

I don’t think its Julia Sweeney’s atheism that is supposedly to be religion-bashing, but her work Letting Go of God, which arguably does bash religion even as it portrays religious people in a sympathetic light.

They got it all flip-flopped… unless it’s opposite day!

Why is atheism synonymous with religion-bashing?!

Because religion has a lot of power, and yet cannot take any criticism at all. The mere act of not buying their baloney shakes the hierarchy to the foundation.