This weekend, the liberal columnist E.J. Dionne explains that those he calls “neo-atheists” are just as arrogant as any of the faithful. Dionne quotes some intolerance from atheists as evidence. I think all people are a frustrating mixture of good and evil, truth and lies — we are all human beings and must accept our own humanity and that of those we disagree with. Faith — present or lacking — is not the only test of character or its flaws. We need to rediscover empathy in which we don’t have to be exactly alike or in complete agreement in order to grasp each other’s pain or joy. These are coarse times as we come to walk the walk of diversity, equality and democracy, and figure out how to put up with each other. When an atheist kills somebody over their beliefs, send me email. It’s not news when the faithful do it. mjh

E. J. Dionne Jr. – Answers To the Atheists

The neo-atheists, like their predecessors from a century ago, are given to a sometimes-charming ferociousness in their polemics against those they see as too weak-minded to give up faith in God. …

As a general proposition, I welcome the neo-atheists’ challenge. The most serious believers, understanding that they need to ask themselves searching questions, have always engaged in dialogue with atheists. …

The problem with the neo-atheists is that they seem as dogmatic as the dogmatists they condemn. They are especially frustrated with religious “moderates” who don’t fit their stereotypes. [mjh: this atheist welcomes any moderates. It’s the zealots that are loony.]…

What’s really bothersome is the suggestion that believers rarely question themselves while atheists ask all the hard questions. …

As for me, Christianity is more a call to rebellion than an insistence on narrow conformity, more a challenge than a set of certainties. … That’s why I celebrate Easter and why, despite many questions of my own, I can’t join the neo-atheists. [mjh: that’s OK, E.J., we’re not proselytizing; we don’t get bonuses per convert, on earth or in heaven.]