(September 16, 2013 at 3:55 pm)Captain Colostomy Wrote:(September 16, 2013 at 3:38 pm)Zone Wrote: If they want have a debate an Internet forum you can give them the full works as long as it's not done aggressively or with insults thrown at them, unless they're asking for it.
Um...that's not your decision to make. I'm not against a civil discussion, mind you, but I can make my own mind up on when insults, etc., are warranted.
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I wouldn't ever say you can't or shouldn't say anything. But throwing insults against theists isn't going to make people sympathize with us, because in the end the majority of the world is theist and all they are going to see is an atheist bullying a theist, regardless of who started the fight. It's completely unfair and wrong that that is the way it is, but that's the world we live in.
That's why I think we need to take a page out of MLK's handbook. The reason MLK promoted non violence, even if violence was being committed against you was because he understood that the majority of America was white, and if they saw a black man fight back against a white man that the only thing the rest of America would see was a black man fighting. All people need is an excuse to revert back to their biases and prejudices, and fighting violence with violence gives people that excuse. But its a lot harder to find that excuse when you see one side acting violent, and the other side just taking it without fighting back.
I think we need to take that same approach with atheism. The more we throw insults at theists the more the rest of the (largely theist) world categorizes us. Like I said ultimately, you can do whatever you want...just my 2 cents.
