(September 19, 2013 at 11:08 pm)Beta Ray Bill Wrote:

(September 19, 2013 at 10:48 pm)cato123 Wrote: In my experience, those that invoke 'civility' as a term of engagement have given up the argument and are seeking beneficial terms of surrender.

Well, that means I'm fucked. I've tried to be as nice as possible on this forum, but all I've received from Christians is a lot of shallow-minded, arrogant bullshit. I'm not looking to make enemies, but I'm slowly learning that there are no religious "friends" here to make. Or even respect.

I'm very friendly. I would never accuse someone of shallow-minded, arrogant BS.

(September 19, 2013 at 10:37 pm)Lion IRC Wrote:

(September 19, 2013 at 9:45 pm)Minimalist Wrote: ...Dear, dear, Waldork.
...Anyone who treats ancient writings as completely accurate or unbiased is a fool.
...you are one of many fools around here.

The ability to interact civilly is clearly very important.

Have I mentioned that you can go fuck yourself and your religion, lately?

(September 19, 2013 at 11:49 pm)cato123 Wrote: Fucked? Perhaps you deserve it. Instead of being 'nice', try being yourself. AF.org is not a safe haven for politeness. Say what you mean and mean what you say. I've been here for awhile, but I'm ok with the fact that not everybody likes me. Tough shit. I say this regardless of religious affiliation.

In short, get over yourself.

This is just an excuse to be a complete fucking asshole to every theist or person you disagree with on the forum, as Min has aptly demonstrated. All it does is make conversations end because people don't tend to appreciate being told they're loony fuckers every other post.

The answer to religion is discourse. It's like a virus of the mind that penetrates into the minds of the young and grows and reproduces, and without education and discourse it spreads. And once it makes its way through a culture it can take the most advanced people of a age and reduce them to nothing. we seen that in the middle east, civilization that were glorious when European lived in nothing but huts, reduced to pathetic Islamic republics. We see it in our own history, The iron will of the church repressing science and humans rights through out the Renaissance, until people like like Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, napoleon, and until finally in a act of arrogance the pope defied the Italian army that sought unification of their nation. But now we are a culture with the power to end our own world and I for one fear that Monotheists who await the end with hope will turn revelations into a self for filling prophecy.
So must do want we can to make them listen to reason, and they often turn angry when we confront their belief's because the virus is so deep they cannot comprehend a world without it, but they will with time. That is why we should be kind to these people, they think we are evil, let our actions and words show other wise and maybe just maybe they will come to reason.

Then they should stop being loony fuckers. They are in total control of their degree of looniness.

(September 20, 2013 at 2:16 am)Minimalist Wrote: Then they should stop being loony fuckers. They are in total control of their degree of looniness.

Unfortunately calling them loons won't make them stop, being rational with them will work on some.

(September 20, 2013 at 2:43 am)Lemonvariable72 Wrote:

(September 20, 2013 at 2:16 am)Minimalist Wrote: Then they should stop being loony fuckers. They are in total control of their degree of looniness.

Unfortunately calling them loons won't make them stop, being rational with them will work on some.

Rationality isn't normally in their vocabulary, but it never hurts to try. Calling them loons may hurt feelings, but it keeps one from beating around the bush for too long.

Attempts to shame atheist members into increasing their threshold of tolerance for stupid, is stupid. It's up to the individual to determine this, y'all included. A lot of these guys have a history that informs their choices, and who are we to decide how they should speak?

I personally can only bash my head against the same wall so many times. If someone else can beat my count, goody gumdrops for them.

(September 20, 2013 at 2:45 am)BadWriterSparty Wrote:

(September 20, 2013 at 2:43 am)Lemonvariable72 Wrote: Unfortunately calling them loons won't make them stop, being rational with them will work on some.

Rationality isn't normally in their vocabulary, but it never hurts to try. Calling them loons may hurt feelings, but it keeps one from beating around the bush for too long.

But it will make them avoid future contact with atheists because in many cases they are preconditioned in hating us to some extant, thus we reinforce what the church wants, hatred of atheists. Where as of they get to know us even a little that preconditioning cracks because it does not take long to see we are not evil
But if you call them loony (which some are) then they never get that chance and go on hating us. Which is sad because having a atheist around is a huge asset to making Christians lose the lie.

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(September 20, 2013 at 3:10 am)Captain Colostomy Wrote: Attempts to shame atheist members into increasing their threshold of tolerance for stupid, is stupid. It's up to the individual to determine this, y'all included. A lot of these guys have a history that informs their choices, and who are we to decide how they should speak?

I personally can only bash my head against the same wall so many times. If someone else can beat my count, goody gumdrops for them.

Do not what to shame any one. What I am trying to say is that this is a serious threat and calling them loony will make it worse. That said I have seen what some Christians on here say and yes they disgust me.

(September 20, 2013 at 2:43 am)Lemonvariable72 Wrote:

(September 20, 2013 at 2:16 am)Minimalist Wrote: Then they should stop being loony fuckers. They are in total control of their degree of looniness.

Unfortunately calling them loons won't make them stop, being rational with them will work on some.

I could say placating those with entrenched, irrational beliefs won't shake them up, but tough love via stern rebukes might.

Depending on the individual targeted, we both stand a slim chance of being right.

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(September 20, 2013 at 3:10 am)Lemonvariable72 Wrote: Do not what to shame any one. What I am trying to say is that this is a serious threat and calling them loony will make it worse. That said I have seen what some Christians on here say and yes they disgust me.

Is this a good time to whip out the "offense is taken, not given" quote? Athiests taking offense by proxy seems silly. I also don't think you know what a serious threat really looks like. Now your last sentence claims you realize some theists are 'disgusting'...so what's the problem?