[TheRaisin]

I think it's odd to generalize an entire belief system with a statement like "Atheists should be tolerant, but they're not." For the most part, I am intolerant only of intolerance and those who are intolerant. I will admit to losing my cool sometimes when I just really can't stand both the ideas someone is putting forth and the manner in which they're doing it, but for the most part, I am tolerant. And Nepharski, you are an odd one to talk about lack of tolerance.

A religion is defined by dictionary.com as a system of beliefs centered around a supernatural force or god. So by that definition, atheism would not be a religion. But I think the way we lable an idea or system of beliefs is trivial. The English language is gobbledygook. We should not attach so much importance to words (or at least have more homogeneous definitions that don't differ from reference to reference). So. Screw it.

Atheism? Worship of humans? What a jackass. Teachers need to educate kids, not opinionate them. I hate people like that.

I also have a kind of gigantic problem with religious schools. Somewhat irrational. I just hate them.

On a just barely related note, in Washington we recently had to put down an insidious motion called the charter schools act (or something very close), which would have, in effect, created essentially private schools receiving public funding. The argument was that tax dollars should follow students and not schools (quoting almost directly here). This would have taken even more money away from the already poor public schools we have around here. It pissed me off so much. I know schools differ from state to state. I think I must have been unlucky in being born in Washington.