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  1. #1
    Member WillH's Avatar
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    If you still debate religion, how do you stomach it?

    I am an atheist and have been so since I was 13. I spent my teen years arguing with or harassing christians. It didn't take long to realize that when it comes to religion, very very few people are willing to listen or change their minds. Basically it just seemed like a waste of time, and all it accomplished was it agrivated them, me, or both of us. Since I was 18 every time I go to debate with a christian I change my mind because I know it will be pointless and annoying because in the end we base our beliefs on very different premises.

    Christians ussually base their beliefs on personal feelings about what "seems" or "feels" right to them. Evidence to the contrary is disregarded, or if it is acknowledged it is of little importance because you CANNOT disprove a personal spiritual experience they once had where they "felt" gods presence.

    Atheists on the other hand tend to base their opinions on scientific discovery, skepticism, rigorous debate, and the scientific method. Personally I don't put much faith in personal experience/opinion, nor do I put much faith in first hand accounts of miraculous occurences hundreds or thousands of years ago.

    I have great respect for those who carry on the fight for secularism and continue to try to convince religious people to question their beliefs, but I am dumbstruck as to how they don't lose their motivation, or they don't get so frustrated and annoyed they go do something less stressful. Richard Dawkins is someone I listen to from time to time. I've read some of his books and watched some of his shows.

    Yahoo answers seems to me to almost always be a pointless place to debate religion. Questions are not true questions, but sarcastic comments or rhetorical in nature.

  2. #2
    Senior Member marcus's Avatar
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    You may never understand how/why I believe in God and I may never understand how/why you do not. Once you experience the Grace of God you are transformed and you will never want to live without it.

  3. #3
    Junior Member NotBananat's Avatar
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    That's the fun of it, yes.

  4. #4
    Senior Member CArl's Avatar
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    Obviously you haven't learned much judging by your characterization of Christians as being all feelings and atheists as all rational . No wonder you are discouraged. Are you even interested in truth or only self confirmation?

    read-

    "Jacobs Ladder : Ten Steps to Truth" by Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy at Boston College.

  5. #5
    Junior Member Tylor's Avatar
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    The secret is to not debate. Just smile and say "Believe what you will and I shall do the same." Guaranteed to piss anyone of any religion off.

  6. #6
    Junior Member Jenster's Avatar
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    it can get tiring. That's why I usually chose not to debate but correct or answer honest inquiry. I am a Christian. I see no conflict between my great faith in God and Jesus Christ and my love of Science and fact. One of my Dad's favorite sayings is "where's your source?" We were taught not to take any ones word on anything but to study it and decide for ourselves what was correct. Atheists like to claim "Solid science" as a platform but Science is NOT solid. Scientific discovery is an ongoing process and as we learn the "facts" change to fit our new level of knowledge. The scientific Method can, in a personal and modified sense, be applied to God, which is those "feelings" and experiences you are so quick to dismiss. But you can not prove human evolutionary theory, you can not prove the big bang, or even global warming, I mean climate change. I have yet to have a conflict between science and God. In fact, I find the more I learn about the wonders of our world the more faith I have.

  7. #7
    Junior Member joeymo's Avatar
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    I keep myself in shape by arguing with an old friend who is a jehovah witness. They have a rabid appetite for arguing their false religion.

  8. #8
    Member Diablo's Avatar
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    it makes the world go 'round.

  9. #9
    Junior Member shartofturin's Avatar
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    I do little debating, as christians love nothing more than to hear themselves yammer. I believe even sarcastic or rhetorical Q&As have value if they force one to inwardly question the reasoning process behind their beliefs, to face the absurdity.

  10. #10
    Junior Member Sarai's Avatar
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    I really just clicked on this purely out of curiosity and I must say I am truly annoyed that I did. Anything that starts off by saying "I harassed people because of their beliefs" is just a pleasant little indicator of what type pf person is writing this. I respect peoples right to choose whatever belief or disbelief system they so happen to fall under. However to just say you are rude and ignorant to someone because of their personal belief is arrogant. It is the equivalent to a bible beater or a jihad crazed Muslim. If you want to debate it means that you also have to be open to the other persons side as opposed to being stubborn and saying there is no possible way for the religion to be right. What you want is an argument. I doubted my belief system for years and I have studied religions from all over the world. So if you really want to have a debate study both sides and not just scratch the surface of one of the most prominent religions and on top of that do not expect people to have an intellectual debate if all you want to do is berate them and tell them there whole belief is wrong. I suggest you pick up a book called the Case for Christ, it is written by a man named Lee Strobel who was a prick of an atheist and decided that he could disprove an entire religion. Strobel as a man of facts went out and now is a prominent figure in the Christian community because while he was writing his book he found and validated many facts and details. As for the facts and everything a lot of what people have always believed about the bible are changing just like science and history because at the end of the day if there really is a God we either believe or don't and for that reason everyone involved has to be open to every side and every possibility. I do not know if God is real I personally believe he is. Maybe it is just a feeling, but I also believe in science and I think they go hand in hand. My biggest thing is so what if people believe in God and Christ. We are taught to be kind to help and love others, I really do not see how that is a bad thing. Now you might counter and say what about the wars and the bible beaters and people like westboro baptist and to that I can simply say is that people are people and not matter what religion, race, or creed people will find a cause or a belief or even a passion that will justify hate, war, murder ,judgement, or any other human shortcoming. That is one thing that does not need divine reasoning. People are flawed that is a fact. One of us could be right or all of us could be wrong and we will not know until we are dead, unless you are right then we will just be nothing.


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