ShadowStarshine: "Atheist does not mean Rational" (response)

I've seen many irrational atheists. Some people become atheists to be rebellious against what they believe controls them (of course these are not real atheists). I think most people in general are not well thought out. Respect should be earned, not afforded. That said, it is easier to gain my respect as an atheist than it is to gain it as a Christian, Muslim, Scientologist, etc. What a person believes says a lot for who they are. Being an atheist in a country dominated by theists shows that a person many be more of freethinker than most (but obviously not always). I try to judge people on an individual basis, atheist or not—in practice it is more accurate—stereotypes can be misleading.