Stupid Freakazoid Tricks

One of the challenges of being an out-and-proud atheist is responding to smug freakazoids who demand you explain how-without-god "mysteries" the rest of us figured out in high school science class.

PZ Myers gets them constantly, and every once in a while responds publicly with a smack-down that's more polite than the mouth-breathers deserve.

The whole thing is well worth your time, but here's the conclusion:

You don't get it. I'm not in agony. I'm feeling damn good. Your god is a god of misery and promises of relief from horrible, awful pain; your god is a delusion for broken people. If ever I am in a situation where I am suffering (an inevitable state, since I'm not pretending that I'm immortal), I should hope I wouldn't be so brain-damaged that I believe a retreat into fantasy is the solution. I believe in reality, and hard work, and the redeeming power of knowledge; I don't believe in magic.

May God Bless you and your family Mr. Meyers

I would really appreciate any feedback you might have and thank you for your time.

OK.

You started by claiming you wanted to ask a scientist a question, and then instead of asking anything, you made a series of ignorant assertions, ranted about your goofy Jesus idol, and closed by misspelling my name. And now you want feedback?

You're an arrogant ass, Mr Abell. Your faith makes a lot of noise about humility, but I've found almost all of its followers to be poisonously full of themselves, and you are no exception. I get letters like yours on a daily basis, and I assure you — all they do is repeatedly emphasize to me that religion breeds stupidity and lazy thinking and unconscionable pomposity. You are an anti-proselytizer. You are a walking, talking, preaching object lesson on why I despise religion. If you want to convert people, a better strategy for you would be to shut up and go hide in a cave where no one might listen to you and be frightened away from your daft pratings, because all you do is affirm my conviction that faith is for fools.

Read the whole thing.