Theists on atheist forums

[Catholic_Lady]

Hi everyone. :-)

Just curious what the general sentiment is towards theists being on this forum.
 
The poll question is this: Do you generally enjoy theists being on this forum?

If you answer YES, do you enjoy it becomes it gives you someone to argue with? Do you enjoy it because you feel like you can prove them wrong? Do you enjoy it because you like to have respectful discussions about deep topics with people who have a different point of view? Do you enjoy it because it brings a little drama to the forum and it's fun to watch? Do you enjoy it for any reason I have not listed here? If so, what?

If you answer NO, do you not enjoy it because you can't stand anyone who does not share your views regarding the existence of God, even if they don't talk about it? Do you not enjoy it because you feel like they always end up talking about their beliefs and it's annoying? Do you not enjoy it because you'd rather this just be an exclusive haven for like minded folks? Do you not enjoy if for any other reason I have not listed here? If so, what?

If you answer "other" or "it depends on the theist" please explain what you mean by other, and please explain what type of theist you would generally enjoy and which type you generally would not.

Thanks everyone! Looking forward to seeing your answers.

[robvalue]

I'm perfectly happy for theists to be here. I think it would be great if there were more, in theory.

But I voted that it depends on the theist, because most of them are downright annoying I'm afraid and end up on my ignore list. You're one of the few exceptions

I would prefer to see theists who own their beliefs, who are respectful to atheists, take the time to understand our position and actually want to interact with us as people rather than preach to us. Sadly not many do.

[Longhorn]

Depends on the theist.

It's good to have diversity and opposing points of view, that's what drives discussion. But there are often some people who you just can't have a conversation with either because they start preaching at you or are so dishonest it gets painful. Or there are some who just shit and run, or will only quote scripture/quran and reassert their beliefs. That's unproductive.

Generally yes. But it depends on the person.

[Napoléon]

If you answer "other" or "it depends on the theist" please explain what you mean by other, and please explain what type of theist you would generally enjoy and which type you generally would not.

My 2 cents.

I don't mind theists here if they are genuinely open minded and intellectually honest. (People like Rayaan and Ryft come to mind, although they're not really around anymore). I'd have much more respect for someone who just says "I can't justify my belief with reason, I just have faith", than someone who actually comes here to argue the toss and make out like an irrational belief has evidence or reason. If they are going to do the latter, they need to expect the shitstorm that follows and not expect a single one of us to put up with bullshit arguments and the same old tired shit we see on this forum day in and day out.

What a lot of theists don't seem to get is that a lot of their arguments have already been debunked a thousand times. It's like some of you fuckers haven't even heard of google.

[Jenny A]

It depends of the theist. People here to preach I'd just as soon went away. Theists who are willing to engage in discussion about religion and or morality are interesting to have about and fun the argue with. I get really tired of quote miners though, and other intellectually dishonest people. Theists who spend most of their time in non-religious areas of the forum like politics, science, and humor, are just fine too.

[Faith No More]

Having theists here prevents this place from becoming as much of an atheist circle jerk as it would be otherwise, but it definitely depends on the theist. I'm not a fan of the ones that want to pray for you to get cancer or think that being on a contrarian on every issue makes them a Jesus-like rebel. The mental gymnastics and outright denial of reality gets tiring, but I don't tend to get too deep into the religious discussions anymore. Most of it has been done to death, and the discussions never really get anywhere anyways.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Majority of active theists here today bring nothing to the table and I find them generally quite boring and dull. There are some exceptions, and many of the ones we've had on here have been good laughs that you could interact with.

I agree that we could do with more though, but just ones, as Napo says, that are intellectually honest and not preachy or view being here a 'mission' of some sort (like the majority here, not including you and a couple of others).

[SteelCurtain]

I enjoy the distraction for a bit.

I like theists that play by the rules. I like theists who are generally here to learn about where some atheists stand and what their position truly is rather than dictating our position for us. I like theists that have thick skin and don't whine about colorful or pointed language.

I like pleasant people. I like people on these forums, regardless of their belief, that invest in the community.

[TubbyTubby]

If I'm honest, I do have a bit of a fascination with adults that hang onto myths as being a factual account of how we came to be here, so I don't mind them sharing the forum at all.

To repeat the previous sentiments however, some theists are more palatable than others and quoting scripture is generally unproductive and is treated with the lack of respect it deserves but the squirming, cherry picking and continuous shifting of meanings/translations has a certain charm I suppose (for a while).

[Minimalist]

Some theists are not total assholes about everything else. Not many, mind you....but some.

My best friend is a nutty baptist.  We simply don't talk about religion much.