Some interesting things in this thread I can relate to.
I have defined myself as a flat-out atheist, a weak atheist, an agnostic... it's tough to say "hey that's me: that's my label." The question was asked about why atheists can be very vigilant about talking people out of their beliefs.
Everyone has a different story, like many I was raised Christian as well. And like many it was not fun, hearing about going to hell from your family all the time. Especially from a young age, when you get these messages that you are a dirty sinner, that all natural thoughts and impulses are not yours, but come from the devil, it can seriously screw you up. For me, it was a blessing and a curse. I have always been fascinated by religion, spirituality, philosophy, probably because I desperately needed to find a belief system that could make me feel good and was NOT the evil, terrifying picture of reality I was raised on.
When you step away from that, and start to see it as something that may not be real, there is tremendous freedom in that. Slowly your own sense of self starts to emerge, and it can be a liberating experience once you have given yourself permission to think for yourself. This happened for me about six years ago. And just like believers who feel something good and want to share it with others, what the atheist can feel is so good too, and they want to share it with others as well. Two sides of the same coin.
Atheism is just a word, but that word to me and many others means freedom to live your life, to make your own choices, and realize you can be a moral person and love others without the fear of hell hanging over you.
In a way it's like being born again.
I'm glad I went through that experience. I needed it. I accept myself now, and others in a way that was impossible when life is viewed through a judgmental lens. I think many atheists see themselves in believers, and genuinely want to help other people break away from a destructive mindset (or what they assume is a destructive mindset--they want to save others pain). There's also that added advantage of feeling superior to other people.
Now I'm at the point where I don't care what other people think about god. It's their business. And it's my business too. I don't believe in "god". That's just a word for something bigger. The fact that much of the LOA is supposedly rooted in science helps me to be more open to new experiences with it. I would hate to think that at 30 years old I have shut my mind off to new experiences. I like the fact that I'm more accepting and I like the fact that I'm more skeptical too.
One of the great things about the LOA, to me, is that it works no matter what you believe. It doesn't work for you because you're good, or against you because you're bad. I like the impartiality of it. I like the fact that buddhists and muslims and jews and taoists and atheists alike all get the benefits of it, because everyone deserves the good stuff from life, no matter what club they are a member of.
Quite a long post, just wanted to get that off my chest as I expand my own mind.
