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.
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.