Why are deists so annoying?

[Napoléon]

Rational inquiry is an intellectual tool. Don't try to make a religion out of it.

Where was I doing that? Overdramatisation much?

When attacking beliefs which can can be falsified, it's useful. When inquiring into beliefs held emotionally, and admittedly so, rationality is a blunt instrument of about as much use as paperweight in a hurricane.

Bollocks.

Since when did DP state his beliefs were entirely emotional. If he did that I would have no reason to badger him.

This line of thought would also indicate it's not useful to criticise some theistic viewpoints, because they're not entirely falsifiable. Riiiight.

Human emotions may not advance science, but they are undeniably real. And intellectual discourse is rarely useful in changing them.

What does this have to do with the price of bread? We're not looking to 'advance science', I'm just trying to further understand why an intelligent, rational person like DP, would hold an irrational belief. This has less to do with human emotion than you're making out I think.

You see, you are indulging in the same irrational behavior yourself. "Because I'm a cunt who can't let a point drop," is not a behavior I have much hope of discussing with you rationally, though I can give you a number of rational reasons why it's not only not useful, but positively damaging. For example, try rationally convincing a teenage girl that her boyfriend is a prick and see how far that gets you.

But if the boyfriend is a prick is there not a chance the girlfriend would realise? I don't buy at all this notion that simply discussing this, isn't useful. Just seems like yet another excuse for people to not justify what it is they say they believe. I call bullshit on that line of thought. People should be questioned. Even if their beliefs are emotionally motivated. I absolutely do not buy one bit that it is entirely damaging.