Atheism, Theism, Science & Philosophy

[Love]

PS, Love, while I might be ignorant of the finer points of philosophy, having absolutely no interest in it isn't “lazy." It's just that I consider it less useful than even knitting, which I also have no interest in. Careful how you bandy “ignorant and lazy" around when you dislike the fact that someone doesn't hold your pet hobby in high enough regard.

I was just being honest about how your complete disregard for philosophy came across to me. The way it seemed to me is that you were trying to have a philosophical debate without having any real knowledge about the primary subject, i.e. rationalism and competing philosophical ideas, such as empircism or relativism, for example. That's the point I was trying to make.

Also, it is not a "pet hobby". To me, I feel it is an area in which all human beings should engage, primarily because it can have a profound impact on the way we see things; I believe it enriches our capacity to engage in critical thinking.

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Well, as others have said, you'll need a thicker skin than the one you currently have to endure this site. There's a lot of highly intelligent individuals here to discuss things with, but a great many of the atheists on this site have little patience for theists in general....not because theists are invading our private sanctum or some shit but just because many of us have long since torn apart the arguments constantly brought before us and we have grown tired of repeating ourselves or pointing out the obvious to individuals who claim to be reasonable while refusing to see reason. But as I pointed out; if you value philosophy so much, I truly wonder why in god's name [my wit, it knows no bounds] you chose Christianity of all things. That'd be like me, the guy who loves bacon, partying, drinking, smoking, and making love going and becoming a fundamentalist muslim...and still doing all those things.

Indeed, I understand what you're saying. I would like to respectfully disagree with you because I do actually have a very strong character. Without going into detail (and I do not want any sympathy), my life, like many others, has been exceptionally difficult, and I have gained a great deal of strength and wisdom from some of the things I have had to deal with; what does not kill you, makes you stronger as they say. Therefore, I actually believe that people have also midjudged my character. I was simply trying to be assertive at the start by insisting that I will not tolerate bullying. It is not anything to do with not being able to tolerate personal attacks or aggressiveness, but more to do with my wish to focus on having, dare I say it, "rational" and civilised conversations as opposed to wasting time on what I perceive to be futile and petty "oneupmanship" exchanges. This was my primary reason for "ignoring" members whom I felt were only interested in bullying rather than a real debate. Well, today has been a learning experience. It has made me think about concetrating on the argument instead of the tone, which is quite difficult for me.

I will answer the question about "Why Christianity?" shortly.