Attn: Christians, We've Heard Them Already

[Angrboda]

I don't feel like catching up on this thread, so pardon any duplication.

I see tired old cliched arguments on both sides of the issue, theist or atheist. I think a lot of times, it's people who are learning these things for the first time, or discovering something new. Regardless of who is doing it, it appears to me as that this is the way that many people work through and learn new concepts. And if the person themselves is new to the idea, then discussing it with them gives them an opportunity to learn both what the standard responses are, and maybe a few novel twists they might not have thought of, in addition to personal experiences related to it. It never ceases to amaze me to watch the patience and originality of Rhythm stepping through the logic of an argument with someone. I think that's wonderful, and I don't think it's all for nought. Forums, largely, exist as an outlet for the social impulse. However, it's often said that deconversion is a gradual process, not a sudden, watershed event; that it takes many small discoverings to roll the stone away. If rehashing an old argument with a theist helps move that process along, I'm all for it. And if it frustrates you, then you don't have to participate. (A sampling of the issue from the other side is arguing with a theist and having them resort to the cliched "You won't be ready to understand until you've read X, Q, and R." It's condescending, and it cuts off dialog.) There are some theists who aren't actually listening, and rehashing old arguments with them is generally pointless; those people are pretty obvious. But don't pass up giving someone a learning opportunity just because you've heard it all before.

/soapbox

(ETA: I think, too, that many times, atheists have a non-existent to poorly fleshed out understanding of the issues as well, and it benefits them as well to watch an argument hashed out "live" as it were, and to be able to learn by doing/participating.)