Do atheists hate christians or other religions?

[Ceisiwr]

I've been interested in religious beliefs, mythology and related matters since I was a child, and enjoy an interesting discussion with religious people so that I can understand their belief and why they believe.

I put forward my views on religious beliefs and I read those of others. I know that those with deeply held religious beliefs aren't going to change, and it isn't my intention to get them to change. However, it does show that there are other views.

I sometimes explain how I came from being a devout Catholic to realising that faith was based upon nothing but itself, that science explained nature satisfactorily without needing supernatural beings, and that religious beliefs were no different to those of ancient beliefs in gods and goddesses.

I try to answer based on my knowledge of scripture, theology, mythology and religion. And I sometimes try to trace religious beliefs, and Bible stories, back to the earlier myths from which they derive.

I think I do so in a neutral manner most of the time, although I might express an opinion concerning actions of a few religious people or organisations that adversely affect freedom of choice and civil and human rights, such as the infamous Proposition 8 in California.