RE: Ask one of Jehovah's Witnesses
June 5, 2015 at 3:59 am
(This post was last modified: June 5, 2015 at 4:01 am by robvalue.)
I wrote in a little piece of paper "No cold callers please" and taped it under my door bell, because I was getting rather sick of being bothered in general. It seems to have worked, I've since been left in peace. If anyone does cold call, I'll just point to the piece of paper, flip them the bird and slam the door
Nah not really. I'd be my normally polite self and say I'm not interested. Then I'd swear a lot when I'm back inside.
I'm also having a big problem understanding how knocking on my door is "waiting for them to come to you". Well, anytime you knock on someone's door you have to wait for them to come to you, right? But I'd consider it rather a loaded scenario since you just banged on their door.
Nic: you "seriously doubting" Becca is very strange. It brings up an interesting point though about scepticism, which I need to write on my website. Scepticism, when done properly, is usually applied according to both the importance and the likelihood of claims. This is a claim of relative unimportance to you, although the irritation is obviously important to Becca. The claim is not a particularly unlikely one, people can bang on doors at any time. You find it a little odd, sure. But you're taking the stance that you "seriously doubt" it. That's a lot of scepticism for a very small claim.
Now compare this to Christianity, and maybe this will benefit you. The claim that all the supernatural stuff in the bible happened, and Jesus existed and is God, and still exists, and is watching over us, and there are certain actions which lead to certain kinds of afterlives... is a claim of huge importance, and overwhelmingly unlikely when compared to what we know and have experienced. So this is at the absolute maximum on both accounts, so should require the full force of someone's scepticism. Given you doubt Becca's claim even though you have direct eyewitness and current information about it, wouldn't it be fair to say that you should doubt a whole lot more extraordinary claims in a 2000 year old book, backed by nothing but it's say so?
This is a genuine attempt to help you, as you've been asking for one. It's not meant to be a criticism, although I think repeatedly asserting how much you don't believe Becca was uncalled for.

I'm also having a big problem understanding how knocking on my door is "waiting for them to come to you". Well, anytime you knock on someone's door you have to wait for them to come to you, right? But I'd consider it rather a loaded scenario since you just banged on their door.
Nic: you "seriously doubting" Becca is very strange. It brings up an interesting point though about scepticism, which I need to write on my website. Scepticism, when done properly, is usually applied according to both the importance and the likelihood of claims. This is a claim of relative unimportance to you, although the irritation is obviously important to Becca. The claim is not a particularly unlikely one, people can bang on doors at any time. You find it a little odd, sure. But you're taking the stance that you "seriously doubt" it. That's a lot of scepticism for a very small claim.
Now compare this to Christianity, and maybe this will benefit you. The claim that all the supernatural stuff in the bible happened, and Jesus existed and is God, and still exists, and is watching over us, and there are certain actions which lead to certain kinds of afterlives... is a claim of huge importance, and overwhelmingly unlikely when compared to what we know and have experienced. So this is at the absolute maximum on both accounts, so should require the full force of someone's scepticism. Given you doubt Becca's claim even though you have direct eyewitness and current information about it, wouldn't it be fair to say that you should doubt a whole lot more extraordinary claims in a 2000 year old book, backed by nothing but it's say so?
This is a genuine attempt to help you, as you've been asking for one. It's not meant to be a criticism, although I think repeatedly asserting how much you don't believe Becca was uncalled for.
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.
Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists.
Index of useful threads and discussions
Index of my best videos
Quickstart guide to the forum