A night of tears for both the "believers" and "nonbelievers."

Tonight, Michaelyn, one of my very dear and good friends, posted on her Facebook a link to an article entitled, "Theists Threaten to Kill Atheists, Again." She's an atheist and a beautiful woman who means a lot to me (haha I hope I'm not embarrassing her...She's been a close friend since middle school). I read the article and was instantly disgusted; as Michaelyn means so much to me, I felt a surge of sorrow and a need to speak up.
Normally, I'm not one to raise my voice in religious matters on Facebook, seeing as people's feelings can get hurt or people can react exaggeratedly to a simple statement. From past experiences, I've learned that no matter how kind and considerate someone is, once religion is brought up, that person can turn into something...not pretty. It goes both ways.
I've definitely been the "ugly one" more times than I'd like to admit.
Religion is a very touchy and personal subject that should always be treated with the utmost respect and sacredness, whether or not you personally believe or disagree. Whether or not one approaches religion from a "believer"or a "nonbeliever" perspective, common decency should exist. That is why I was so affronted by that article.
I'm all for standing up for what you believe in--but not when it threatens another's life. You know something's not right when your immediate reaction to an opposing opinion is to CAPSLOCK obscenities and make continuous grammatical and spelling errors. ;) But seriously, disregard for the sacredness of life is not what a believer should proclaim or what a nonbeliever should uphold. We are all living on this Earth together; we might as well try to get along.
---
I've found in my life experiences that pride is the source of all that is evil in the world, no matter the scale. Evil exists through pride; whether by mass killings, rape, abuse, rumors, lies, petty arguments, misunderstandings, family upheaval, crumbling friendships, or even a thoughtless word--Pride is the foundation for these horrible events. It can plant itself in our hearts and before we know it, we're all alone.
I've been there.
(I'm crying).
---
Pride, in itself, is an odd word--it can have both a positive and negative connotation. For the most part, pride is used as an encouragement and comforter. I'm proud of who I'm becoming; I'm proud of my wonderful family making it through the hardest trials imaginable; I'm proud to know and love my friends; I'm proud of my education and where I'm studying; I'm proud of others when they've struggled through hell and come out alive.
Pride, just as with anything else, can easily cross that positive-warm-encouraging line and transform into something like blind rage: Dark, ugly, hurtful, disrespectful, chaotic, and cutting. Once that line is crossed, it is very difficult coming back. You begin to love the hate; You begin to divulge in it; You begin to smother yourself in emnity, looking for any way you can to hurt someone, whether consciously or unconciously. It becomes a habit; a sought after activity; a way of life.
---
Alma 26:11-12
"...I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
"Yea, I know I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."
*Poor in spirit- (See also Meekness)
*Alma 29:9
"...I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."  
*Romans 15:17
"I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God."
---
"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark. In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."-Atlas Shrugged

---
Two very different sources for what I think is the same message: Be proud of who you are, but be mindful of where it comes from. For some, that is from within ourselves; for others, it is bestowed upon us from a higher power. For me, my identity is a combination of both my inner potential and the blessing God's given me to live on the Earth. Take that as you will, but I love you FOR YOU. I love you no matter what you do or don't believe in. If that seems like a stretch, don't let it.
Please return the same respect I'm pouring out to you.
I love you.