How should an atheist respond to a religious person who asks, "Why do you hate God?" What are some appropriate and inappropriate ways to answer this question?

Logically, an atheist might say, “I don’t hate God for the same reason I don’t hate Zeus, Odin, or the Tooth Fairy—I don’t believe they exist. It’s hard to muster hatred for something I see as fictional.” It’s like asking someone why they hate Bigfoot. I don’t hate Bigfoot, mate—I just don’t think he’s crashing in the woods waiting to be found.

Ah, the classic “Why do you hate God?” question—the conversational equivalent of asking, “Why do you hate unicorns?” It’s a delightful blend of presumption and confusion, assuming that disbelief in a deity is somehow synonymous with harboring personal resentment toward one.

At the end of the day, the most effective response is one that highlights the fundamental misunderstanding behind the question: atheism isn’t hatred of God—it’s simply non-belief. Asking why an atheist hates God is like asking why someone hates a movie they’ve never seen. But hey, if all else fails, you can always smile and say, “I don’t hate God, but I do hate answering this question for the hundredth time.”

Is it wrong of me to feel uncomfortable that my friend thinks my brother is hot?

Psychologically, this question often stems from a misunderstanding of atheism. Many believers assume disbelief is rooted in anger or rebellion, rather than a simple lack of evidence. A thoughtful response might be, “My atheism isn’t about anger; it’s about evidence. I’m open to changing my mind if there’s proof, but so far, that proof hasn’t materialized.”

Appropriate Responses:

Inappropriate Responses: While tempting, saying something like, “I don’t hate God, but if he’s real, he’s got some serious explaining to do about mosquitoes, Nickelback, and my last relationship,” might escalate tensions quickly. Another no-go might be, “I don’t hate God, but his fan club? Now that’s another story,” unless you’re aiming for a full-blown debate.

Hello, I have a question about astral projection. I started to get interested in this a little while after my mum passed in april. I thought I may be able to see her and speak with her if I managed to achieve astral projection. Since this interest, every time i sleep on my back I go into sleep paralysis. However, I cant progress into astral projection because it is very scary for me as I feel like I'm suffocating when this happens. I panic and force myself to wake up. This only ever happened about once a year before this. It sometimes lasts a long time. This has happened about 3 times per week since my mum died, as mentioned on a previous post. I no longer try to go into it anymore(due to the suffocating feeling), but it still happens. I read that sleep paralysis is the pathway to astral projection. Why has this started to happen so frequently since simply taking an interest in it? Is this connected to the afterlife? I am concerned about it as I now cannot seem to stop this happening. Could it be my mum trying to communicate? Im asking due to more knowledge around this in this group.

Humorously, you could reply with something like, “Hate God? Nah, I’d be more upset with Santa—at least God never promised me a PlayStation 5 and then ghosted me every December.” Or, “I don’t hate God, but if he is real, we might need couples therapy—because the silent treatment has gone on way too long.”