I'm far from an intolerant atheist. Most of my faithful friends and acquaintances don't know where I stand on religion. I just smile and nod politely when they talk of churchy stuff.

Then again, I have to be polite, don't I? A majority of Americans of faith consider me the lowest of scum. While you and I might share the vision represented in your first sentence in principal, in reality I find myself occasionally having to speak up and represent when "them godless folks" get maligned publicly.

I often find after I speak up, afterward I actually get closer to those that complain of the godless forces. I get the feeling (and have been told) that no one actually seems proud of atheism, so no one has actually told them of atheist beliefs. When they find such a mellow guy getting riled up on this one topic and out of the blue "coming out" as it were, it gives them a human face to place on the whole nebulous concept of "the other" out there to get "us." Like a well-liked relative or friend who comes out, these people seem to have more charitable thoughts toward the godless, something that wouldn't happen at all if I remained always polite and respectful . . . "tolerant" of the bashing I get, as you put it.