(January 19, 2017 at 5:09 pm)Jesster Wrote:If society accepted it in adults, it's exactly the same thing. The only real difference is we don't teach it as fact to adults, we really probably wouldn't accept adults who believe in it.(January 19, 2017 at 5:07 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: I think we may be on 2 different ships. I'm talking specifically about equating someone's beliefs to beliefs in things that would make them crazy in our society.
You can think someone's beliefs are in error/ridiculous/false, while still not equating it to belief in the tooth fairy. Because when you do that, you are essentially calling them crazy, bc in our society, only crazy ppl believe in the tooth fairy.
It's like my example with cheating on your spouse. You can tell someone that cheating on their spouse is wrong/ridiculous/crappy. But when you equate that act to something that only a messed up person would do, like having sex with children, then you are essentially calling them messed up. Because only messed up adults would have sex with kids.
Does believing in the tooth fairy make you crazy? I don't think it does. I think it's a misinformed fantasy that even intelligent, sane people could believe. That's why I equate it to a belief in gods. I think it's right to call out tooth fairy beliefs in the same way it's right to call out god beliefs. It's the beliefs I am pointing at and not the person with the beliefs.
That's kind of the point we are trying to make, right? Look how society doesn't accept these other obviously magical beliefs in adults, and since Christianity is essentially the same sort of thinking, why does it get a pass?
It's silly and childish, just like believing in the tooth fairy or Santa as an adult would be. That IS the message atheists who make this comparison are trying to send! And yes, it actually probably is a bit insulting. As I said in my probably TL;DR post earlier, I was insulted when it was presented to me when I believed. I don't think we are trying to be intentionally insulting, just trying to get them to see how silly it is. It worked for me (though it took time), but I think it backfires for post people, who can't see past their own hurt feelings and emotional needs.
“Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end?”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
