To speak or not to speak?

[Beta Ray Bill]

Over and over, time and again I hear or read things from people that royally piss me off.

1.
Just the other day, I was getting off the ferry and overheard the two young men walking behind me badmouthing secular morality and that atheism was stupid. It took all of my energy not to spin around and take a stance in front of those men, but I was meeting someone and my son was with me. Not a good time to debate, but boy did I want to.

2.
I have a "friend" on Facebook who is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. He and I don't get along well, but he is an old high school friend so I don't delete him. However, he sure likes to praise the perfection of his faith and the stupidity of atheism. I debated him once on FB, and he went frantic. It was obvious that I was winning, and breaking him, but my sense of morals kicked in and I stopped the debate right then and there. I gave a hefty apology and promised never to debate him on Facebook again. I don't believe I have the right to de-convert anyone that doesn't want to.

3.
Just today, my FB friend put a link to some Orthodox blog that explains how stupid atheism is. I was so tempted to slap a link to a pro-atheist, anti-Christian essay I know of, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself down to his level. I sure wanted to, but I had promised myself no more Facebook debates.

So, basically, I have told myself (using my "inferior" morals) to keep my debating to this forum. But god-be-damned, it sure is hard to stay calm and reasonable when I keep hearing and reading so much anti-atheist bullshit! I'd love to take down these haters, but I just don't think it's my place to. No one has the right to impose their beliefs upon another, IMO.

I wonder if the Christians will ever learn that?

[Silver]

I do not mind imposing my point of view onto others who publicly display their own points of view online. Then, I do not much care for whether the other individual is negatively affected by what I have to state either. It is the internet, for goodness' sake. I am not going to remain silent and have my point of view ridiculed because someone may feel hurt by something I state online. It is not my responsibility to tread lightly around the ignorant because they are too weak to handle the truth.

[AtheistCreed]

Over and over, time and again I hear or read things from people that royally piss me off.

1.
Just the other day, I was getting off the ferry and overheard the two young men walking behind me badmouthing secular morality and that atheism was stupid. It took all of my energy not to spin around and take a stance in front of those men, but I was meeting someone and my son was with me. Not a good time to debate, but boy did I want to.

2.
I have a "friend" on Facebook who is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. He and I don't get along well, but he is an old high school friend so I don't delete him. However, he sure likes to praise the perfection of his faith and the stupidity of atheism. I debated him once on FB, and he went frantic. It was obvious that I was winning, and breaking him, but my sense of morals kicked in and I stopped the debate right then and there. I gave a hefty apology and promised never to debate him on Facebook again. I don't believe I have the right to de-convert anyone that doesn't want to.

3.
Just today, my FB friend put a link to some Orthodox blog that explains how stupid atheism is. I was so tempted to slap a link to a pro-atheist, anti-Christian essay I know of, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself down to his level. I sure wanted to, but I had promised myself no more Facebook debates.

So, basically, I have told myself (using my "inferior" morals) to keep my debating to this forum. But god-be-damned, it sure is hard to stay calm and reasonable when I keep hearing and reading so much anti-atheist bullshit! I'd love to take down these haters, but I just don't think it's my place to. No one has the right to impose their beliefs upon another, IMO.

I wonder if the Christians will ever learn that?

Sometimes life sucks so bad you just want to explode (not Islamically).

But I sympathize with your frustrations.

Those people are just brainwashed and uneducated, the only way to fix their problem is to sit them down in elementary school with a good educational system and start over from the beginning. This, of course, would require at least 12 years of schooling, and who has time for all of that?

I suspect that the current model for society is intended to keep people religious and brainwashed, so that we will not run short of low wage workers, essentially slaves... It's quite unethical but that is how the powers want it. Until we have an alternative that is strong enough to gain momentum and overrun them, the big money will not allow the education systems to pop out a generation of free-thinking atheists.

[Captain Colostomy]

If they aren't concerned about obnoxiously spouting off their views, why should you? You can't coerce beliefs, anyway. Either you, or they, see merit in the opposing person's argument, or you don't.

AtheistCreed- Lol. Whut?

[CleanShavenJesus]

1.
Just the other day, I was getting off the ferry and overheard the two young men walking behind me badmouthing secular morality and that atheism was stupid. It took all of my energy not to spin around and take a stance in front of those men, but I was meeting someone and my son was with me. Not a good time to debate, but boy did I want to.

I would've said something if you weren't with your son or going to see someone. Not even as an atheist, just as someone who knows that nobody's belief system should be ridiculed so publicly.

2.
I have a "friend" on Facebook who is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. He and I don't get along well, but he is an old high school friend so I don't delete him. However, he sure likes to praise the perfection of his faith and the stupidity of atheism. I debated him once on FB, and he went frantic. It was obvious that I was winning, and breaking him, but my sense of morals kicked in and I stopped the debate right then and there. I gave a hefty apology and promised never to debate him on Facebook again. I don't believe I have the right to de-convert anyone that doesn't want to.

Right move.

3.
Just today, my FB friend put a link to some Orthodox blog that explains how stupid atheism is. I was so tempted to slap a link to a pro-atheist, anti-Christian essay I know of, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself down to his level. I sure wanted to, but I had promised myself no more Facebook debates.

I'd delete that guy. No reason to start things over the internet. That's dumb.

[Simsim]

I mainly don't debate religions but I debate the religious way of thinking. The issue for me is not to make people atheists but to make them accept human rights and the secular state. This made me not losing my liberal theist friends who are against bigotry and extremism and are supporters of a secular country.

[Minimalist]

I wonder if the Christians will ever learn that?

No. They will not. Obnoxious motherfuckers never think they are being obnoxious.

[Faith No More]

If someone feels the need to open their mouths and spew bullshit, I have never had a problem with pointing out the flaws in said person's bullshit, online or in real life. I'll sometimes let it go if it's not the proper time or place to get into a heated debate, but the internet was practically invented for that. It's probably a good thing I don't use facebook, because my parents would see me verbally bitch-slapping people left and right.

Stupidity is fair game, especially in a public forum. And the more vociferous it is, the ruder the reality check they deserve. That's my philosophy.

[Walking Void]

Sometimes life sucks so bad you just want to explode (not Islamically).

May You explode with a rep point for saying that.

[AtheistCreed]

If they aren't concerned about obnoxiously spouting off their views, why should you? You can't coerce beliefs, anyway. Either you, or they, see merit in the opposing person's argument, or you don't.

AtheistCreed- Lol. Whut?

lolwutwut

It's possible man. Keep people religious and stupid so they keep buying potato chips and prefer to see Miley Cyrus naked than a scientist.

We need to buy more science pron.

In all seriousness though, the average person is lacking due to public education being sub-par, we're in a complacent society of sheep.

Conspiracy or not, the fact remains that if we removed dogma and had a more progressive free-thinking society, we would be years ahead of our current selves.

I could be wrong, but it seems like a logical outcome.