Do you argue with religious people?

[Brian37]

I'm wondering how you go about talking with others who are religious, when they bring up Jesus in a discussion, or whether you just let whatever fly. If you do argue, what is your approach, and do you regularly end up making the other person want to fight about it, or upset them to the point where they don't want to talk with you anymore.

Well, since brass knuckles and pepper spray would be cruel, the main reason we should confront theism verbally only, is to mainly keep religion off a pedestal. Human rights are a given, but ideas by themselves do not deserve to be challenge free. The right to make a claim is still a separate issue than the ability to demonstrate the credibility of the claim.

I personally don't get into it with theists to convert that individual on the spot. I do it more of a display for other atheists to see arguments and give them confidence in their own voice. I also do do it simply as an act of maintaining a long term society where taboos are not set up by any religious label. 

If our species never questioned social norms our species never would have left the caves. I think it is more important to challenge ideas long term than it is to think you can convince some individual on the spot.