Regarding your statement, "I would have to assume that these same people would not own televisions, allow their children to attend public schools, or be able to leave their homes without wearing blindfolds!": Well, duh! You have heard of homeschooling, right? There are also parental controls on TV & computers, and although the blindfolds aren't literal, they're definitely in place.

People control in every way the reality their children live in; especially those who live in fear of having their constructed world view challenged. Most of the "religious persecution" claims I've heard from Christians really boil down to that - having their beliefs contradicted in any way.

Don't forget that when it came out that Mother Theresa questioned the existence of god for most of her life, she was actually celebrated even more by the Christian world. She now helps bolster their argument that "crises of faith" can & must be overcome. A big part of the religious meme is about undermining doubt (i.e., free thought).

After reading a lot more of these comments, I'd like to add some things. When I was having a lot of endlessly frustrating conversations with my fundamentalist Christian friend, it was obvious to me that many churches and Christian organizations are fostering the idea that there is an actual unified atheist agenda. Atheists are being demonized in order to further religious and political goals.

Since atheism is defined as a lack of belief in something, I don't agree that there is any kind of unified "atheist movement." The only thing atheists have in common is the lack of a belief in a deity. However, there are Buddhist atheists, Jewish atheists, atheists who believe in other sorts of spiritual existence, etc.

Finally, there isn't one kind of Christian or one kind of Christianity. There is no one definition of what a Christian is, and it certainly isn't within the purview of atheists to try to assign one. In fact, probably the biggest reason for inventing an atheist strawman argument is to try to unify Christians around a central premise. Encouraging paranoia and a feeling of persecution is as old as the religion itself.

Finally, I think that what atheists think of Christians is a very relevant question. If nothing else, it points out how diverse those of us are who have nothing else in common but a LACK of belief in something. I think it's important for Christians to understand that while they might demonize us, for the most part our feelings toward them lean more toward indifference.

Most of my friends are not Christians. In fact, I've even dropped an old friendship because of the constant religious conflict. I've found that it's impossible to have rational discussions with people who do not base their arguments on logic. I've also found that while I can disregard other people's beliefs, most Christians cannot accept and respect my non-belief. The friend I've drifted away from simply could not let go of the concern that I was doomed to an eternity of damnation. Heaven save me from people who believe they know what's best for me.

Basically, though, I dislike Christianity, not Christians. Christianity is so ill-defined that Christians can essentially believe any range of things. Most people are more a product of their upbringing and life experiences than their religion. In my experience, most Christians have never even seriously thought about what it is exactly that they do believe.