Starting Point: This is NOT a thread about the existence of God, or gods. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone. In fact, I'm going to try to do my best to stay out of this one, outside of the initial question. Not making any promises, but that's the intent. I'm posting this to learn something. At most I'll ask for clarification, if required.
Rather, this is a discussion around what it would take to bridge the gap we see here, between atheists and theists. We see a lot of angry posting here, that goes well beyond the academic debate of "real or not real", from both sides. Is there a way to deal with that anger, or is this a manifestation of the overly combative climate we find ourselves in generally?
Of course I have my own thoughts, but I'm trying to leave this wide open.
Important note: It is important to acknowledge that not all atheists and theists fall into the "angry" category. Many folks are happy to live and let live, irrespective of what camp they have landed in. If you are not "angry", which we'll define for this thread as going out of your way to disrespect someone for their lack of belief or belief as a starting point, then I am not attempting to say that you are.
So...if you're "angry" at atheists, what would it take your to not be? And, if you're "angry" at theists, what would it take to not be?
Let me preface this by saying I am agnostic, and I define that in the traditional manner of saying agnosticism is about not making a statement of belief on the existence of God or Gods or not.
While the term "angry" can be substituted with any number of expressions, any sort of reconciliation means at least admitting to the underline problem.
No matter how we approach the conversation on a long enough timeline every conversation along these lines participated by both those that are atheist and theist eventually both reject timidity in making their points because they are (and have always have been) inherently adversarial. I would go so far as to say they have always been adversarial to one another just as much if not more so than the various branches of theism are towards each other anyway. And basically all for the exact same reason, competition in the space of belief in something so dominant throughout recorded human history. Now, even as an agnostic we also have our tones as eventually we reject timidity as well going after the arguments presented by either side of the atheist / theist coin.
That said perhaps it is time, but not for reconciliation but rather evolution.
By all of human history, damn near without much exception, we have proven there is not much room for reconciliation not just between just those that believe in whatever God or Gods but also adding in atheists and agnostics as well.
To be brutally honest, why would there be room for reconciliation in the space of social influence?
We can pretend with pie in the sky thinking that it is possible for common ground among all these ideological takes on the question of God or Gods, but in the end control of what people believe (or not believe) in whatever regard has been the singular greatest reason to end life with a close second being how we divide humanity in all the other ways apart from belief. We have a plethora of academia who look at history through a variety of means and all we have to show for it for this subject is complete absence of consensus on these questions and conversations on belief.
Just to get to the point of "angry" in a political forum, up to torture or execution for someone for believing in something different, up to blowing yourself up taking others with you or fly a plane into a building in a haze of religious ideological lunacy are all based on a common thread. The assumption of being right about that opinion on God or Gods.
Perhaps we are right to reject that timidity as it forces evolution even if that is simply some other painful path for humanity to take, because what we have done so far suggests there is no such thing as reconciliation with anything involving belief, or the absence of belief, or refusing to have a take on the matter either way. That other brutal truth between these things, skepticism is based on doubt not the arrogant self given certainty that theism *and* atheism tends to bring to these discussions.
May not be the answer we are looking for, but perhaps that honesty is what will force evolution because we do need to admit why these conversations in a forum turn "angry," and outside of a forum end up being real reason to divide humanity by confines handed down from previous generations.
