Reason #666 Why I'm an Atheist.

Here's a typical, garden variety, everyday conversation I have on a near-daily basis, broken down mathematically, for fellow nerds:

• Religious Zealot: I believe X.
• Me: That intrigues me. Why, when there is so much evidence for Y, do you believe in X?
• Religious Zealot: Because the Bible says X is true.
• Me: I see, but what non-biblical corroborating evidence do you have to support X, that opposes the evidence in support of Y, which people have accepted on the basis of sources A,B,C,and D?
• Religious Zealot: OMG STOP ATTACKING ME! X IS TRUE!!!!!!
• Me: I'm not attacking you, I'm asking you why you believe X is true simply because the bible says it's true, when clearly, there is a preponderance of evidence based on scientific experimentation and empirical data that definitively shows Y to be the truth.
• Religious Zealot: Y is just a theory! The BIBLE says X is the truth, and I BELIEVE THE BIBLE BECAUSE THE BIBLE SAYS THE BIBLE IS TRUE! Now STOP attacking and hating me, you soul-less, blasphemous, heathen! You're going to HELL for ALL of eternity. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HAVE SUCH HATRED FOR ME!!!!! 
• Me: ... Seriously?

 Here's the thing: I whole-heartedly support anyone's Constitutional right to believe in whatever they wish. Unequivocally. With one caveat: If what you believe begins to interfere with any of the Constitutional rights of any American citizen (be it education, marriage, or otherwise), I , and others like me, will challenge your beliefs. Not only should such beliefs be challenged, it is MY Constitutional right, Which is neither more, nor less important than yours, to do so. 

 When superstition causes a group of people to deliberately seek out and destroy another group of people's rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness using legislation for which religion is the obvious catalyst, it is simply wrong. There is a vast array of other words to describe it, but purely speaking, it's just wrong. It's wrong on a fundamental level in that such religion-based legislation is both implicitly and explicitly forbidden by the single most important governing document of the United States: The Constitution. 

 The same Amendment that gives you the right to practice whatever religion you wish also gives me the right to challenge those beliefs. This amendment, the very first one, also expressly demands separation of church and state. Question is not equal to hatred. "Why?" is not an attack. 

 Religious Zealots, particularly Christians in the U.S., continue to try to strip Constitutional rights away from select groups of other U.S. citizens with ridiculous and hateful legislation like Prop 8 in California, and now, Amendment 1 in North Carolina. When will we learn to respect people, regardless of their birth? With any luck, this abomination will be repealed, and your children will be less ashamed of you. 

 You can NOT base your perception of reality on one single text, simply because that text claims itself to be true. By that rationale, I can argue that I am God. Since you can't disprove it, does that make me right? What If I say, "I am God, and I say that what I just said is true." Now, you're in a bind, aren't you? Do you dare to disbelieve me, and risk an eternity in hell, because I love you so much that I'm going to punish you forever for arguing with me? You can't argue a point with any validity by saying "I believe X because I believe it, so it's true." That's called delusion, and it's a sign of mental illness. 

 Don't believe me? Disprove it.