Are Atheists "Forcing Their Beliefs" on others?

I constantly hear the phrase "atheists are forcing their beliefs on others" from theists and even some atheists. I certainly can't speak for all atheists and what they might do to warrant this accusation from theists and other atheists, but this idea of "forcing beliefs" is utterly ridiculous.

What I do is blog, try to make people think, promote critical thinking and skepticism, and encourage intellectual honesty. No one is forced to read anything I type, listen to anything I have to say, or have any conversations with me. If a theist is going to make a wild claim around me, I'm most likely going to challenge it/ask for clarification/ask a question if the situation is warranted. If I ask a theist to answer a potentially "difficult" question like, "Do you think non-believers deserve to go to Hell" and then criticize them for not answering the question, I'm not "forcing" anything...I'm simply calling for intellectual honesty.

If people read my information, listen to what I have to say, or engage me in a conversation, what do they really have to lose? Understanding is had by discussion with others and engaging with others' ideas. If your religious belief is important to you and/or you are concerned about having as many justified beliefs as possible, your best bet is to engage the arguments of those who most fervently disagree with you.

Although many people might call me a "militant atheist" (another ridiculous phrase), I would like to think that I'm quite mild in presenting my information. I have discussions, blog, and challenge wild claims. Oh no! I'm not knocking on doors of theists or standing outside with a megaphone yelling "Belief in gods is irrational!" I'm not going to elementary schools and telling children that Santa Claus is a myth. I'm very much unlike people who actually do force their beliefs on children via indoctrination.

Adults, I would think, are primary consumers of my work. If I were to give a presentation to children, I would give a presentation on critical thinking and science that was age appropriate. Instead of "telling kids to be atheists," I would teach them how to think, not what to think. How many priests and leaders of religious school programs for little children can possibly say that? When I was younger, I was told that God was real on authority, not good reason. There are certainly some youth teachers out there who aren't indoctrinating and some Catholic schools that may have a non-indoctrination approach, but indoctrination is usually the name of the game.

Reading what I have to say won't force you to do anything...you might not even decide to think and might just turn the blinders on and ignore my arguments. You hear arguments, listen to advertisements, and are the target of persuasion in many areas of life. If you walk into a furniture store, for example, sales associates are going to try to persuade you to purchase furniture. Would you charge them with "forcing their beliefs" on you if they told you that a certain couch is a good buy? Would you ever tell a teacher who presents information about why evolution is true that he/she was "forcing beliefs" on you?

We're consumers of information and draw conclusions on our own accord. We [hopefully] don't just listen to what others say and uncritically accept everything they say. We look for flaws in arguments, we ask questions, and we make decisions. It's very clear that others don't force us to believe or not believe in certain propositions. We make decisions based on what we hear.

It's nonsensical for theists or atheists to charge atheists with "forcing their beliefs" on others. People come to their own conclusions and decide what is reasonable and what is not.

Claiming that atheists are forcing beliefs on others is ludicrous.