Thanks. It's some work, and it's good to know some of you guys are willing to slog through the long posts.
These folks (with the exception of the trolls) are doing their best with what they've got. I can see how a different turn here or there (like marrying a Pentecostal girl right out of High School) might have landed me on Drich's side. I'm glad I had the opportunity to think my way out of fundamentalism, but I know I was fortunate. I know I'm not (in principle) any better or smarter than them, just luckier, so it's easy for me to empathize.
I don't expect to change the mind of the person I'm responsing to about anything. I might sway a member of the lurking audience, or maybe plant a seed that might start to grow years down the road. And I imagine Drich feels pretty much the same way. We can't expect people to walk in and crumble before our mighty logic, becoming skeptical is a process that can take years (at least it did in my case).
These folks (with the exception of the trolls) are doing their best with what they've got. I can see how a different turn here or there (like marrying a Pentecostal girl right out of High School) might have landed me on Drich's side. I'm glad I had the opportunity to think my way out of fundamentalism, but I know I was fortunate. I know I'm not (in principle) any better or smarter than them, just luckier, so it's easy for me to empathize.
I don't expect to change the mind of the person I'm responsing to about anything. I might sway a member of the lurking audience, or maybe plant a seed that might start to grow years down the road. And I imagine Drich feels pretty much the same way. We can't expect people to walk in and crumble before our mighty logic, becoming skeptical is a process that can take years (at least it did in my case).