If you had a button that would turn all theists into atheists and agnostic?

[Shell B]

No?

Of course people have developed opinions based on other peoples opinions. I'm sure we both have too. But we've nearly all been exposed to some sort of religion so even if you are just following another atheists opinion, you still know about religion which can counter that opinion. if you've got a comparison you then need to make a choice.

You said all atheists think for themselves. As a statement, even in context, it is clearly and demonstrably untrue. Atheists are human beings, not superhuman beings, with the exception of me, of course.

This definition is definitely a matter for debate - not too seriously of course because in the grand scheme of things its not that important. The definition of atheism as you say is "Non belief in god or gods" That's it. Just that. I'd agree too.

However to not believe in something, an idea (god) needs to be proposed to you. You then reject that proposal because there is no evidence to back it up. You refuse to believe.

To not believe is not the same as to not know, just as to believe is not the same as to know. If you are a newborn baby, or feral child, you don't not believe in god, you just don't know of any god.

Do you not believe in something you've never ever thought of? No you just don't know, because you never thought or heard of it. Anyway...not a biggie really.

It's not a biggie. You're right. However, I'm quite a literal person. You can't believe in something you have not heard of yet.

All atheists have made a choice. Even if brought up atheist, nobody escapes the tentacles of religion. So there is still a choice to make and evidence to examine, and that needs some reasoning.

You have clearly not spent a lot of time around idiots. Let's take a racist kid for example. Their parents tell them *insert racial slur here* are bad. The kids begins to believe these people are bad. He meets this people, interacts with them and has enough opportunity to think independently about it, but never bothers to do so. Momma says *racial slur* are bad, so it must be true. I personally believe that there are atheists out there who simply never bothered to question what they were told. Whether the choice is there to make or there is evidence to examine is irrelevant if this hypothetical atheist bothers with neither. I think that is the best I can explain.

We don't want theists to know that.

Eh, they need some fodder.

Point I was making was not that you disagreed, but that you took my comment too seriously, that's how it felt.

Meh. You're not the first person to take my manner of speaking to mean I am angry. It happens all the time.

We were talking about an imaginary red button that I said jokingly "no problem", "let's press the button!", which you managed to call "logically absurd" (well yeah!) and "disgusting"

I didn't call you or your argument logically absurd or disgusting. I was talking about a hypothetical.

And no, I wasn't patting myself on the back either, it wasn't about getting one over on you, I was just a bit shocked by your reaction actually.

I don't see what is so shocking. I just stated my opinion.

If you feel I have trolled you in some way with the last comment which caused you to say "noob patting yourself on the back", then I apologise. But look at my reaction to yours in context.

I don't feel like you trolled me. I simply do not see what is wrong with my comments compared to yours. You were joking. I was stating my actual opinion about the hypothetical that was posed. Your personality may be different than mine, but it doesn't mean I was taking things too seriously.