Stump the Christian?

[Esquilax]

The education may very well be a better understanding of the Christian doctrine you might be trying to poke a hole in. Like I said, there are no new objections that haven't been heard, dissected and answered by Christian apologists.

Oh, I know. Do you know why I'm an atheist? Because I looked at the answers and justifications that religious apologists of all stripes used, and their misrepresentations, fallacies, and downright dishonesty drove me to the other side. I'm counting on christians going to their best sources, because the paucity of real evidence, and the twisting, self serving doublespeak employed there, is one of the better arguments for atheism there is.

You, as an atheist, might not think the answers are sufficient, but to someone who already believes in God, such answers carry more weight than for those who start from the assumption there is no god.

Who's making an assumption? My whole epistemological model is based around the elimination of assumptions; that has little to do with my atheism, that is a consequence of the way I view epistemology, but I don't make any such assumption when approaching an argument. I reject the need for such an assumption. It just so happens that one making a fair, unbiased and comprehensive view of the evidence will naturally reach the conclusion that one does not need to accept any god claims based on what is available.

Some atheist think that Christianity is utterly absurd. If someone starts from a position of naturalism and materialism

Nope, I don't do that either. Atheism is not naturalism or materialism, for one; as I discussed in another thread today, my wife is an atheist like me, but she believes in ghosts.

or was hurt by someone who claimed to be religious,

C'mon, there's no need to make scummy intimations about our motives, now. I don't make a habit of going around asserting that religious people were just hurt by people claiming to be atheists, nor do I assert that christians were just hurt by, say, buddhists; there's no reason to go there, honestly.

and looks no further than a cursory glance at and what other atheist say about Christianity, that person will have a vastly different perspective than someone who is significantly more familiar with the 1000 different components of Christianity and how they work together into a coherent worldview.

You're making a whole lot of assumptions, here. I'm kinda curious as to why that is; why is it so important to you to assume that we just haven't been exposed to True Christianity, and that's why we reject it? Do you have any understanding of how many of us are former christians ourselves, or from christian families?

Now me, I'm surrounded by christians. Each and every one of my in-laws, which I definitely consider to be family, are christian. My wife is an ex-christian. I've dated christians before I got married. Many of us live in a majority christian country... this idea that we've only got a view of christianity based on what other atheists say simply does not mesh with the facts. Hell, it doesn't even mesh with the forum we're on right now, where christians can freely come and express their ideas. Just because our views on the religion don't match the specific version you believe, doesn't mean they're ill informed views coming from other atheists; in all likelihood they just came from another sort of christian to you. Why would we ever privilege your idea of christianity over theirs?

I am speaking from personal experience, if you challenge a thoughtful Christian (with at least a fairly firm Christian worldview) it will not shake him/her--rather prompt further investigation which may alter a particular view but not shake the core beliefs. 

Yeah, and I still don't think that's a bad thing. I want people to know more, not automatically agree with me. I can be wrong too; the acquisition of knowledge is the only way to cure that, and if something I've said prompts a christian to learn a new thing and come to me with it, and it's not fallacious or otherwise incorrect, guess what I'll do?

I'll change my mind, too!