Why does the mere existence of atheists so trouble some people?

[MineralMan]

I've always wondered about that one. We atheists make up an incredibly small minority of humans, and yet, so many seem frightened by our existence. Mostly, atheists keep to themselves and don't usually draw attention to their non-belief. What is there to say about not believing something, really?

And yet, over and over again, atheists are held up as some sort of threat. A threat against what? If a person believes that some supernatural entity exists and is responsible for the existence of everything else, it would seem to me that would be a powerful enough belief to make a tiny group of atheists pretty irrelevant. It doesn't seem to work that way, though.

How is one's belief threatened by someone else's non-belief? If a belief shared by literally billions of people is threatened by a few people who don't share it, then how compelling can that belief be, really? If you believe that your deity is all-powerful, then what possible effect can a few people who disregard that deity have on anything at all? An all-powerful deity would have no problem just getting rid of those few non-believers, you'd think.

I'm an atheist. Despite my good opinion about myself, I'm pretty much a non-entity on the planet. I influence few, and don't try to influence more than a few. I don't mind if others believe stuff I find impossible to believe. That's nothing to me. That's their deal. I'm not concerned about life beyond my lifetime. I'm perfectly happy to have been born and I won't be around to be sad when I'm gone. I'm just another mammal on the planet, among countless billions of mammals. It's interesting, this life, but that's a personal perspective - the only kind I can have.

Tell you what: If my non-belief causes you concern, then just ignore it. I'll gladly return the favor. I won't tell you what to think, and you can not try to tell me what to believe. I'll continue to do the stuff I do, all of which is harmless to you, and I'll be glad if you'll do the same. If you don't pray for me, I won't think for you. It all should work out just fine. How does that sound?