Why Religious People Are Afraid of Atheists

Religious people are afraid of atheists because atheists don't follow their program. Imagine having lived your whole life being indoctrinated with ideas related to following a religion and then having someone challenge the very core of who you think you are. It's probably really scary. When we ask religious people questions, even simple ones, we often get a visceral, angry reaction that comes from fear. Many religious people have been taught to be wary of outsiders or non-chosen people, to the point that they don't know how to relate to anyone outside their own group.

This is a sad state of affairs because we're all people sharing the same planet, regardless of our beliefs or lack thereof. Why would any religion tell its followers to be suspicious of outsiders? As atheists, we're all too familiar with being viewed as strange, untrustworthy, immoral, amoral, heathen people. Religions do this because they have a lot to lose if their followers don't believe their doctrines. The very existence of religion depends on people believing what they're selling. Atheists don't believe, and may even sway some believers toward leaving religion. Religions really don't like that; it's a threat to their existence so serious that they have developed strategies including convincing their followers that non-believers are evil and will be tortured for eternity for not believing.

Any group that has enjoyed unchecked power or status for a long time feels threatened when "outsiders" want equality or simply to be heard or respected. Powerful organizations want to keep their power, even if it means lashing out at powerless groups. Religions tell their followers to lash out at anyone who doesn't agree with them, because they don't want to lose their power which, unfortunately, puts religious people in the position of being fearful of anyone who doesn't agree with them.