Not everyone who practices spirituality does so out of ignorance or superstition. Most of the folks I have met who want to be in touch with their ancestral spiritual beliefs or even the spiritual practices of cultures that are not of their ancestors are seeking truth beyond the superficial existence of what we can absorb with the physical senses. While there are some people who wish to believe that religion is equal to superstition and ignorance, it is more ignorant to make assumptions about ANYONE you don't know and their experience. If you are going to preach that everyone is entitled to justice, then that means you need to practice it yourself by recognizing your own prejudice and overcoming it.
This is my biggest gripe with what I call "Militant Atheism", the context being that these are the folks who, by some means or another, attempt to marginalize others by making them feel bad about believing in or acknowledging the presence of divine beings. Most of the people who know me recognize that I am a relatively grounded person with ample intelligence. When the spiritual path I follow found me and I recognized it, it took me a long time to "come out" to them about it, largely because I knew what their reactions would be. In the end, I only really lost one friend to Paganism and quite frankly, that person is so busy figuring out their own shit that it's probably better for them if they are not busy trying to sort through mine. It is sad to say that there is a prevalence among bitter people to assume that theirs is the only correct worldview while they steep themselves in negativity.
I know a few Atheists through both my personal and professional life and there is nothing that really separates them from anyone else. Many of those I know tend to find that life is just as full and meaningful without the presence of divinity as those who do. Atheism of course is a belief that the material universe is all that exists. This is often stated in terms of "Atheists don't believe in god or spirit" or some other context in which the belief is directly related to spirituality but that trends toward misconception. The "reality" is that Atheism exists, not to counter spirituality but outside of it altogether.
This is all well and good when we're talking about your average everyday Joe that cares more about his cup of coffee than they do about the resurrection or the benevolent wisdom of the trees. It is quite another thing though when the aim of someone is to pretend that they are superior to those who follow a path of spiritual growth. Having experienced this type of arrogance firsthand from a surprising source, I can tell you that it is more about their anger than it is about belief. When what they believe is less important than making you feel like an ignorant, superstitious fool, the only thing that is really talking to you at all is a whirling little dervish of anger that does not really care to enlighten you. The aim of such people is to crush you, to make you feel small and vulnerable, to inflict pain.
It is the same thing you will find in nearly any person who has too much negativity and refuses to embrace methods to which they can discharge that energy in a productive way. It is far easier to sit behind a computer screen and hurl insults than it is to actually engage with someone as an equal. That shit may work online but in real life you have to think on your own and that can often be terrifying to people who have no real courage. I won't lie and say that I do not find it amusing to think that a person who posits that nothing outside the material world exists and uses that concept to insult me and my family, cannot even say it in my physical presence. Instead, they seek the shadows of an online community to make their insults and fail to understand why that is an absolute lack of courage or adherence to a set of determined beliefs. However, I digress...
There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Confidence has everything to do with understanding something and gaining that knowledge through experience. Arrogance on the other hand has everything to do with believing you are right about something without the benefit of actual experience. You can most frequently see this in online forums and blogs about how evil everyone else is and how you can undermine their lives to make yours better.
In the "Militant Atheist Hell" there is a special place of nothingness for Christians and an entirely more bleak one for folks like myself that have rejected the "truth" of Christianity and found a different pattern hidden in the chaos of the Universe. In the mind of every Militant Atheist is the concept that their lives have been defined by Christian dogma and the release of that dogma leads to Atheism rather than alternative spirituality. It thus becomes a simple equation, if you don't believe in Jesus and you don't believe in Atheism then you must be a lunatic and the only attention paid to us on the part of the Atheist is a generally dismissive shooing and an oft repeated insult implying a lack of general intelligence.
The reality is though that, with a few exceptions, I have found my community to be incredibly open minded about the beliefs, lifestyles and inner workings of others, including Atheists. Having the opportunity to share my time and energy with people like that has allowed me to grow and become stronger as a person. I have come to the point now where most of my friends from way back accept my spirituality even if they do not believe in it themselves and I can talk to them about it intelligently. Just a few weeks ago I had occasion to discuss some of the finer points of a metaphor I use to define the energies of the Earth, Sun and Moon. I'm not saying it doesn't have it's flaws, but I consider it a generally decent metaphor and talking about it intelligently with someone who does not view it the same way and is non-judgmental was a great joy for me.
The thing that militant Atheists need to remember is that when you define your own existence by what others believe, when you resort to bullying people because you have an Ax to grind, then you are the ignorant person, not they. It really doesn't matter what your excuse for doing it is. Most spirituality makes allowance for the existence of an afterlife and I will readily admit that I don't believe that our consciousness disappears when the physical body ceases to function. However, I don't know and I won't know until death occurs. If I am wrong, and I have lived my life in a just manner, seeking to treat others with justice, then making the most out of my life does not cease to have value even if I cease to exist. In the end, it becomes a zero sum equation with the benefits of a life spent well, spent in the time it is most important. Rather than focus on the hocus pocus, perhaps instead you might focus on the good things that means and how it relates to you. I haven't met a single Pagan that would call you an asshole for not believing what they believe...pass it on.
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