Why Atheists have every right to be angry.

Believe it  or not I have never considered myself to an angry Atheist.

I mean I get pissed off at some of the things done in the name of religion around the world, irritated at the fact that those identifying themselves as Christian get a kind of moral free pass, and frustrated that so many people allow themselves to be taken advantage of by religious leaders sometimes.

But I am not walking around with a chip on my shoulder just bruising for a fight.

Trust me I have been that guy, and I am quite a bit more calm, cool, and collected than I was in years past.

So I did not think that I would agree with too many of the points made by Greta Christina on her blog the other day.

But I was wrong.

Here take a look at some of her examples explaining why it is okay for Atheists to feel anger:

I'm angry that according to a recent Gallup poll, only 45 percent of Americans would vote for an atheist for President. 

I'm angry that it took until 1961 for atheists to be guaranteed the right to serve on juries, testify in court, or hold public office in every state in the country. 

I'm angry that almost half of Americans believe in creationism. And not a broad, "God had a hand in evolution" creationism, but a strict, young-earth, "God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000 years" creationism. 

I'm angry that women are dying of AIDS in Africa and South America because the Catholic Church has convinced them that using condoms makes baby Jesus cry. 

I'm angry that women are having septic abortions -- or are being forced to have unwanted children who they resent and mistreat -- because religious organizations have gotten laws passed making abortion illegal or inaccessible. 

I'm angry at preachers who tell women in their flock to submit to their husbands because it's the will of God, even when their husbands are beating them within an inch of their lives. 

I'm angry that so many parents and religious leaders terrorize children -- who (a) have brains that are hard-wired to trust adults and believe what they're told, and (b) are very literal-minded -- with vivid, traumatizing stories of eternal burning and torture to ensure that they'll be too frightened to even question religion.

There is more, much more, and I found myself agreeing with just about all of it. 

And do you know what? It made me a little bit angry.

It is incredibly hard to stand on the outside looking at a world at war over religious differences, at leaders who are directed by ancient religious teachings that have little or no value in the world today, and at the simple minded adherence to a faith that is based on misinformation and oft repeated lies.

You see we live in this world too. And the decisions of the magical thinkers, who often seek and attain important roles in our community, impact the rational among us as well.

And if we dare to disagree. If we dare to point out the obvious illogical thought process that went into the decision making, we are vilified and marginalized until our combined voices are less than the squeaking of a mouse.

That is why we must take our anger, take our frustration, take our bruised and battered psyches, and stand up for what we know is a right, and fight for an enlightened tomorrow.

We owe it to our country, we owe it to our children, and we owe it to ourselves.