Dumb Comment of the Day

I rarely comment on the comments on other blogs. But I was reading a post over at Proud Atheists, and saw the following comment that illustrates an attitude all too prevalent on the internet:

I’ve been following your website for quite some time now and I have been extremely offended by the things you say and the way you say them. I would like to send you a few emails privately because i would like to try to turn your “beliefs” around. If I don’t receive a reply from you I will just have to assume that your convictions are not concrete and you’re not confident enough to discuss these issues with me. If you feel as though you can put up a good argument, I’d enjoy the challenge.
Thank you for your time,

What is wrong with this individual? Why are some people always deliberately looking to take offense? Is it just a fun thing to do? If you are a religious person and read a blog called Proud Atheists, The Unreligious Right, or some other blog that clearly and openly proclaims itself as writing from an atheist perspective, it should be pretty obvious that religious beliefs are not going to be treated with a great deal of respect. They might even be mocked and sneered at. Speaking for myself, and I suspect for quite a few other atheists, I am tactful in how I discuss religious issues with people in person. When I interact with other people face to face, I'm not looking to offend them, hurt their feelings, or stomp on their cherished beliefs -- unless provoked by their attitude and attacks. But online, on my personal blog, I'm not about to pretend to have some sort of respect for religious beliefs that I find silly, stupid, or dangerous. No one is forced to read blogs they don't like, or that have a sharply different perspective they find offensive.

If you read a blog post that you disagree with, why not just respond to the topic at hand and try to make a decent counterargument? Is that really too much to ask? I love this part too,

If I don’t receive a reply from you I will just have to assume that your convictions are not concrete and you’re not confident enough to discuss these issues with me.

And people accuse atheists of being arrogant. All someone has to do is read that comment to know that whoever wrote it is unlikely to have much worth saying. The commenter can't be bothered to respond to the post at hand, takes general offense at the blog and the blog owner's entire existence, and writes a stupid, arrogant challenge to have some unspecified argument about "beliefs." Yeah, that sounds like someone you want to have an e-mail exchange with.