Internet Smackdown Aftermath

[Zone]

I wouldn't ever say you can't or shouldn't say anything.

You wouldn't give what you consider to be good advice?

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.

They will have to see it in terms of there being many different religions believing entirely different things and a few people who don't have a religion. And everyone has to live and get along together regardless. In any case most of these religions do teach this in some form including the Bible when it talks about how to treat the alien in your midst and loving your neighbor as yourself. The Quran teaches religious respect as well but it does have harsh injunctions against atheism and polytheism. It also implies Islam ought to have superior dominance. So that's the only major religion I think it's worth keeping an eye on. Moderate Muslims and the Sufi and all that business are fine though it's worth making a distinction.

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.

All you really need to do is tell them what their holy books actually teach them. You can do this with the Quran as well but like the Old Testament/Torah you have to be selective.

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.

You don't throw insults back at them you just point out what they're doing wrong and quote them some passages from their holy books. They will tend to shut up a bit when you do that.