Not Being a Dick
http://jezebel.com/how-to-be-an-atheist-without-being-a-dick-about-it-823225375 - interesting things to poke around with here.
My approximate version of this is: I will fucking criticize the hell out of the institutions while trying to be understanding of individuals.
That said, I will be hella cranky about high-up, powerful individuals who wield the power of the institution. So yes, I have issues with the Pope and Mother Theresa and the LDS prophet and Rick Warren and Ted Haggard and so on.
I do have one issue which is that I often get criticised by members of my former faith who attack me for views on the institution I left behind. This annoys because I don't think they get to say what kind of damage I'm holding my childhood church accountable for.
Look, I get it. Even Roger Ebert and Stephen Fry, two notable atheists that I much admired, have said hurtful and gross things to people that I know better than them. When that happens, I try to acknowledge that it was hurtful, and I fully expect my friends to have a right to their feelings. It would be a dick of me to try and erase that those things happened and hurt my friends. And it's dickish for people to expect me to love the institution that taught me to undervalue myself for so long.
....
Also adding that atheists often are held to higher standards than religious people. Look at the words that get tossed around: Angry, militant, strident, arrogant. Seem familiar? I last ran into these when people were describing feminists. (And I suspect PoC run into similar or worse when they criticize the structures that harm them.)
My approximate version of this is: I will fucking criticize the hell out of the institutions while trying to be understanding of individuals.
That said, I will be hella cranky about high-up, powerful individuals who wield the power of the institution. So yes, I have issues with the Pope and Mother Theresa and the LDS prophet and Rick Warren and Ted Haggard and so on.
I do have one issue which is that I often get criticised by members of my former faith who attack me for views on the institution I left behind. This annoys because I don't think they get to say what kind of damage I'm holding my childhood church accountable for.
Look, I get it. Even Roger Ebert and Stephen Fry, two notable atheists that I much admired, have said hurtful and gross things to people that I know better than them. When that happens, I try to acknowledge that it was hurtful, and I fully expect my friends to have a right to their feelings. It would be a dick of me to try and erase that those things happened and hurt my friends. And it's dickish for people to expect me to love the institution that taught me to undervalue myself for so long.
....
Also adding that atheists often are held to higher standards than religious people. Look at the words that get tossed around: Angry, militant, strident, arrogant. Seem familiar? I last ran into these when people were describing feminists. (And I suspect PoC run into similar or worse when they criticize the structures that harm them.)