Why Do Atheists Criticize People's Beliefs?
May 24, 2017 at 12:42 pm
(This post was last modified: May 24, 2017 at 1:20 pm by Valyza1.)
(May 24, 2017 at 12:19 pm)Harry Nevis Wrote:(May 24, 2017 at 8:29 am)Valyza1 Wrote: Brilliant. Stop someone from jumping off a bridge by shooting them.
I don't get the analogy. I'm talking discussion and you're talking suicide/murder.
Perhaps the analogy is too extreme, but ridicule is not discussion. There's nothing corrective about it. It is merely a declaration of judgement and to apply it to someone's belief in no way works to dissuade them from it, and may, in fact endear them more to it, because you're presenting it's opposition in a very unattractive light.
Either someone is misguided in their beliefs or you are in criticizing their beliefs . If the first, then pointing out their error in reasoning is your best hope. If the latter, then obviously, you need to reflect on your own. In either case, where is ridicule helpful? Also, in either case, it will never be 100% clear which one it is, if not both.
