My intolerance of your intolerance does NOT make me a bully

I've neglected this blog for some time now. I'm known for doing that but the thoughts I'd like to express here have been rattling around in my skull for some time now and have finally begun to come together enough I'd like to put them down on paper so to speak.

I recently read an article on Huffington Post (which you can read here ) about a video produced by Reach America which shows Christian teens bemoaning how they are treated in public schools, how they aren't allowed to pray (they of course are but what they mean is why can't a government funded school endorse their religion over another religion or lack of religion) and  "...the school system is now a place where...bullies call Christians "hateful," "hypocrites" and "bigots" for their beliefs".
The Christian Right is perhaps one of the most powerful groups in this country. Over the years they have managed to insert their god into The Pledge of Allegiance and onto our money with no resistance. This is the same group that demands that laws reflect their personal belief system even at the expense of the rights of others. Now they are claiming to be the target of "bullies" because they are finally being called out on their bullshit.
After bullying the secular world for centuries they are suddenly painting themselves as the victims because people are finally not afraid to stand up and say "You know what, I don't agree with what you are saying. I don't like the way you treat women and homosexuals and I think it's wrong."
Standing up for basic human decency doesn't make one a bully (it actually makes one a decent human being). If you believe your god hates homosexuals and wants to subjugate women there's probably nothing anyone can say to change your mind but that doesn't mean we have to sit around quietly and let you poison the minds of others. Your right to hold a hateful belief in no way trumps my right to protect my children from hearing such bullshit. Do you have a right to say "God hates fags"? Yes you do. Do I have a right to say "No (s)he doesn't"? Yes I do. I also have the right to say "There is no god to hate homosexuals in the first place" or to ask "if your god hates homosexuals so much, why did (s)he make them in the first place?"
The mindset that we have to respect everyone's beliefs equally is flawed. Bigotry wrapped up in religion is still bigotry and some of us are getting awfully tired of hearing "religious freedom" being offered up as an excuse for hate speech. The long overdue move to marriage equality is causing great pains among conservatives, many of whom argue with a straight face (pun intended) "that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society". Despite overwhelming evidence from the medical and scientific community that this simply isn't true, and despite the fact that conservatives one and only justification for this belief is a book written thousands of years ago, conservative Christians nevertheless expect everyone to not only respect their belief but to agree with it. Try discussing marriage equality with a conservative Christian and you are likely to hear them bemoan the loss of their religious freedoms as the rest of the world tries to shove tolerance down their throat. I think I speak for most of the secular world when I apologize for trying to help you be decent folks. We're sorry.
As stated earlier they have every right to hold that opinion (as far removed from reality as it may be) but they are crazy if they don't expect some much deserved backlash. Patton Oswalt (somewhat famously) said:

“ You've gotta respect everyone’s beliefs.” No, you don’t. That’s what gets us in trouble. Look, you have to acknowledge everyone’s beliefs, and then you have to reserve the right to go: “That is fucking stupid. Are you kidding me?” I acknowledge that you believe that, that’s great, but I'm not going to respect it"

So the rest of the world acknowledges the beliefs of right wing conservative Christians, we really do. We know how you feel because you shove it in our face at every opportunity. We do not, however, respect you OR your beliefs in the slightest.
Just because we have a right to say something does not mean we have a right to say anything we want without repercussion. Kristie covered this point much better than I would back in August of last year (which I would recommend reading  by clicking here).
As much as I support everyone's right to say, within the confines of the law, pretty much anything they'd like this does not mean anyone cares that you get your feelings hurt when others disagree with you. It also means if what you say is so offensive to others that they call you out on it that you don't get to cry "bully".
Just like the last child in class who believes in Santa Claus is likely to be teased, if you send your children off to public school with a head full of nonsense they are likely to be ridiculed. When those beliefs aim to restrict the rights of others you cannot expect your child to not be ridiculed.
Dan Pearce shared the following video yesterday : Love is all you need? (TRIGGER WARNING: self harm, suicide). It's a very interesting take on the bullying of LBGT youth accomplished by role reversal . For years the Christian Right has argued that "homosexuality is a lifestyle choice" as a reason to justify their bigotry. After all if someone doesn't want to be discriminated against they can just not be gay, correct? Once again a claim that runs counter to what the medical and scientific community says but to be honest so are most of the claims they make. Being religious IS a lifestyle choice. You choose it, counter to any arguments of reason, and then you use it to justify your bigotry.
It would be bad enough if the Christian Right simply used their constitutional rights to promote their doctrine of bigotry but they go a step further with a constant push to dismiss the rights set forth in the Constitution for their own gain.
Another recent Huffington Post article (here) details how one Arkansas School District cancelled an elementary school graduation rather than comply with the law. Kristie has an excellent response to this that you can read here. Add to that the backlash one student in Oklahoma is experiencing after he complained to the FFRF concerning an unconstitutional display of the 10 commandments in his school (Raw Story Article here) and what you see are example after example of the Christian Right attempting to once again bully their way into the public sector, where they have no place.
While I personally believe that religion has no place in civilized society and that any good it does is vastly outweighed by the harm it inevitably causes I am still willing to admit and support the right of anyone to believe in any god they choose.
The day the government comes into your church, mosque, or synagogue and tells you and yours what you can or cannot believe is the day I become your ally. I don't respect your beliefs and I certainly don't respect your bigotry but unlike you I acknowledge that the government has no place in religion any more than religion has a place in government.
In the meantime however you're going to have to give up playing the bully card and admit that like it or not you have to accountable for your words and actions. You can't preach hate and intolerance while trying to paint yourselves as a religion of peace. Not only does it not work but it makes you look like a fool.
Go on preaching intolerance if you feel you must but for goodness sake drop the surprise when none of us are buying it, stop whining that we are finally pushing back, and give back the bully card to the truly bullied. Also please keep your beliefs out of our government and schools and keep them in your home and church where they belong.