RE: Time invested in disbelief
January 19, 2010 at 7:55 pm
(This post was last modified: January 19, 2010 at 8:13 pm by TruthWorthy.)
(January 19, 2010 at 10:11 am)Eilonnwy Wrote:(January 18, 2010 at 3:07 am)TruthWorthy Wrote: What is the point of devoting so much time to learning so much about something we all (for the most part) have no belief in? I hate "god" more than the next atheist, I'm just trying to understand how this process isn't frivilous.
Even if I don't believe in the Bible, I study it because so many other people do believe in it. As an American, I see fundamentalist Christians trying to destroy the constitution and so I find it to be very important to understand the reasoning behind it and argue against it. This forum, as silly as it may seem to you, is a way to hone these arguments and continue to learn.
So the practical reason for developing and understanding the various arguments is about being prepared for psychological warfare against extreem religious movements; while your interest in religious studies is 'incidental'?
(January 19, 2010 at 10:39 am)Knight Wrote: For starters, many theists have very strong misconceptions about atheists/nonbelievers. Anyone who does not believe in the deity they do is somehow ignorant or evil. When you have ample knowledge to counter the ignorance idea, common people can starting coming out as atheists to show that we don't have two horns and a tail, as Dawkins has said.
I slowly progressed from a devote Christian to a deist (of some sort...I called it energy), and finally to an atheist. I had simply lacked a proper understanding of the Big Bang, Evolution, etc.. I also had not thoroughly read the Bible until that point, though the debating encouraged me to do so in order to "gain the advantage" I thought...the opposite happened, thankfully (or unfortunately from the Christian perspective).
This is mostly about raising awareness, and education. I have to agree that ignorance plays a large part in belief, only I don't think education alone can de-convert a person to atheism. I have clung to, and buried myself in various beliefs (mostly christian one's) and I used to be very emotionally invested in it. Strangly enough, I'm more emotionally invested now than when I was a believer.
Coming soon: Banner image-link to new anti-islam forum.
