(May 2, 2016 at 10:31 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote:(May 2, 2016 at 9:02 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: Wry,
Are you trying to convince us that you are right? Honestly, why are you here? Please understand that you will likely never persuade an atheist that God exists by using the bible. So...what is your angle here?
I often wonder why they come here to debate. I mean, as you well know I'm up for a good debate, but why that?
You only ever see them on threads attacking science [Edit to Add: which I find odd, since most of the scientists I've known in my career and personal life have been Christians], telling us false information about ourselves (because their pastors and religious-book writers lied to them, I think, and not because they see themselves as lying), and making terrible and illogical claims that they are so certain are sound that they don't even listen to us explaining why they're leaps of (il)logic.
What I never see is Christians who visit the "shit that happened to me because people are bigoted against atheists" threads, or looking at our talk of personal/life problems, or where we talk about our favorite cars (etc.) for social purposes. That tells me they are not interested in us as people, but as objects-- unfortunately, as objects they can misrepresent in their own minds to justify the way they speak to us, most of the time.
I will give credit where it is due; we have a Muslim and a few Christian posters I've seen really treating us like people, wanting to share in our human experience, and willing to see that while freedom from religion is what makes an atheist, our humanity is otherwise the same as theirs.
Yeah, I agree it feels as if they perceive us as objects rather than individuals most of the time. In fact, I'll go a step further and admit that I have become desensitized to their individuality. I suppose it's an unconscious reaction to the robotic and predictable style of interaction they use with us; like computers spitting out a closed set of pre-programmed objections/assertions. When we attempt to actually engage in what they are saying we get, "does not compute." as a response, or no response at all.
The bible argument is particularly disturbing because it feels like it's meant to be a "gotcha" set up by the theist: "so...what you're saying, atheist, is that there is no evidence for God, huh? Well guess what? The BIBLE! Boo yah! Gotcha!" Then the they abandon the thread, and we are left scratching out heads.
Perhaps they sincerely believe that God is going to imbue them with the ability to change our minds via scripture regurgitation. That's the only reason I can think they'd try to use the bible as a persuasive tool.
We do have a few genuine folks from the theistic camp here, yes.
. Cathy, for one, and Mystic Night (even though I never have any fucking clue what he's talking about) is a sweet person with an honest (though often not rational) interest in discourse. [emoji12]
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”
Wiser words were never spoken.
Wiser words were never spoken.
