Advice For Those Who Have 'Questions For Atheists'

[Esquilax]

Depends exactly what question you are asking I guess. If you're asking "why do you believe that" then however half arsed the answer may seem to you, we've answered the question as best we can, no matter how your rephrase it my answer is not going to fit the question shaped hole in your head.

If you're asking "why do you think I should believe that" then of course that's a different kettle of fish altogether.

Yeah, I get that, I've just been in too many situations where, in discussions of religion, the answer one gets back has a pretty gaping logical hole in it. When you point that out, more often than not you'll get platitudes back: "Oh, it's what I believe." "You haven't had the personal experiences I've had." "If you just sincerely asked god, he'd show you..."

And my personal favorite, "You clearly know nothing about the bible, because if you did, you'd agree with me."

When I see (some) of these questions getting repeated, it just feels like an attempt to get a different justification that is sufficient for the claim being made. Religion is one of the few subjects where its adherents feel it's okay to answer a question without really answering it.