Do I Really Just Hate God?

In short the answer to that question is "No".

As an atheist I simply just don't believe in God, simple as that, yes I have other opinions that are related to being an atheist but the meaning of the word is simply "does not believe in any deities". If I do not believe in any deities then it is not possible to hate God, how can I hate something that is not there? I can no more hate God than I could hate an evil character in a book or film. For example I don't like the character the Childcatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I find him evil, deceitful and he's helping a king who is cruel to children, but can I actually have a direct genuine hatred and anger towards him when I know he is a fictional character? Of course not, I can hate the characteristics but not the actual person as the actual person doesn't exist, I can say the same of the God of the Old Testament.

I have had heard people of religion say that atheists are "just angry at God" or "they are rebelling against God" as I've already pointed out, you cannot hate a fictional being so what exactly are these atheists so angry about? One thing I could say is that atheists are not angry at a deity but rather some followers, the people who are enforcing their religious laws in to government, trying to stop things like gay marriages or the teaching if evolution in schools just because they believe that this God exists. I would also say that many atheists hate the divisions that religion causes, people simply hating each other just because they can't agree on which holy book to follow or how to interpret a piece of text and that wars are fought and lives lost just to spread their beliefs. Atheists are accused of lacking morals because they do not follow a God, despite many atheists out there who do good things for the society and community and are good, peaceful people (of course there are atheists out there who are bad people too, as with all people) but yet are still discriminated against. I think most of all we all just want to live in a society where people are free to believe what they want (or to not believe in anything), no religion has priveleges over another and laws are based on real morality not just religious dogma.

So whenever a religious person accuses me of "hating God", "being angry at God" or "rebelling against God" I simply ask how can I hate, be angry at or rebel against someone who I believe does not exist? It's like having a vendetta against Jafar from Alladin, it just doesn't make any sense!