I am lately finding it very difficult to tolerate religion and practicers of religion (with a few exceptions.) This is the result of pure exhaustion from listening to all of the tired arguments for God, creationism, et cetera, which have been consistently proven time and time again to be absurd.

It's getting to the point where I don't even want to associate with somebody who is religious and I spend a lot of time, often unsuccessfully, trying to convert them in hopes of seeing even the smallest glimmer of intelligence or critical thinking.

Even "moderate christians" who, on the surface, would seem like down-to-earth reasonable people are beginning to get on my nerves. How am I supposed to take anybody seriously when they believe in fairy tales?

Try being a little more private about your atheism. As far as debates go, try just sitting back and doing nothing but pointing out logical fallacies in their arguments.

I have two thoughts on this.

First, keep sowing seeds and be patient. Most atheists I know who had any "distance" to travel took many years to come to the right conclusion. It is very hard to extricate one's self from a belief system.

Second, find an outlet for your frustrations. Write music, essays, debate, or do a blog. Get involved with atheist activism or advocating church-state separation. I've found that expressing myself in a forum like that is a great way to take the edge off the frustrations and feel like you've made an impact.

I hope this helps.

--Don