(December 10, 2012 at 7:08 pm)median Wrote: Religion is for the intellectually lazy, the gullible, or the emotionally vulnerable. They need to read this book!
What I find intriguing is the interplay between these attributes. I have some empathetic understanding of those that are gullible and/or emotionally vulnerable. In my experience conversations with theists of this sort can be fruitful; not for conversion, but for understanding. Gullibility alone can be overcome simply through conversation and explanation. Emotional vulnerability takes more effort to overcome in that unravelling the basis for the emotional attachment must be understood and addressed first, but it can be done. I have a lot of tolerance in most cases like these.
I quickly lose patience with most that are intellectually lazy. If intellectual laziness is combined with gullibility and/or emotional vulnerability, there's no hope. I have an acquaintence that recently told me that he's sticking with god because he doesn't want to take the time to consider evolution, cosmology, non-religios ideas of ethics, etc. I would usually dismiss meaningful conversation with people like this; however, when we meet he constantly probes me on topics he has already said he doesn't understand and doesn't care to. I think he actually does care, but is overcoming some embarassment to engage. I'll have to see is he can overcome.
