"No one is less tolerant than those demanding tolerance."

I wish to be an equal-opportunity skeptic. I don't like any of their religions or any of their gods. And I can take threats of going to hell in stride cuz, hell, I don't believe in hell.

Reading Doug Marlette's article on being a tool of satan, where he observes "No one is less tolerant than those demanding tolerance." I thought to myself that is a profound statement, it really struck home with me.

There is only one thing I feel I am completely intolerant of; ignorance. Now, I'm not saying that I know everything (heck, if was omnipotent, I wouldn't be an atheist, because I believe in myself...), but I do my damnedest to do a bit of research on any given topic before I wish to talk about it. And I feel infinitely embarrassed when I realize I'm mistaken on something I thought to be true that wasn't.

But stories like Doug Marlette's make me all the more protective of my points of view in my every day life. Here, I am generally anonymous, and I'd be afraid to voice some of my opinions to family, friends, neighbors, for just these reasons. The tolerance police might otherwise come after me.