Aggressive Atheism ?

Found this at the blog of the inimitable Yellowdog Granny. There is a charge by religionists that there is a new atheism, and that it is aggressive against religion. Frankly, the only difference I see between the "old" atheism and the "new" atheism is that today's atheists are no longer content to keep quiet and hide their beliefs. But their speaking out is much more geared to securing their own right to not believe, than it is to prevent others from believing. That's because they believe in the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion (which must also include the freedom to not believe in any religion).

As far as "aggression" goes, the religionists (especially christians) are far more aggressive than atheists -- because they want the right to force their own beliefs on all of their fellow citizens. Why can't we just respect the right of all people to believe (or not believe) whatever they want as far as religion goes? Isn't that really what our Founding Fathers meant when they proposed the First Amendment to the Constitution?