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Permalink Reply by paul babcock on June 9, 2011 at 5:37am

You are doing a good and necessary thing. But wrong to expect reasonableness from these theists. The bible is full of obvious contradictions, starting w the contradictory versions of the creation myth.

Yet plenty theists will go to any end to square these circles. Expecting them to treat you any differently is just wishful thinking.

It isn't going to happen. Tho one does have to keep trying. It is the only way to change any minds. I used to be a theist and eventualy my mind was changed. Others will as well.

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Permalink Reply by booklover on June 9, 2011 at 6:37am

Is there a reason you would want to hang-around people like this, on the internet or otherwise?

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Thompson on June 9, 2011 at 9:57pm

This link should help you counter any fundie arguments:

 

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

 

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Permalink Reply by David Anam on June 10, 2011 at 12:18am

You can't really "prove" your point to them, as they will find some reason to discount whatever argument you make, regardless of how accurate it is. I would say the key is not to win the game, but to play well. The person you are arguing with will probably never concede, but a well-reasoned argument and a cool temper could make an impression on any silent observers who are perhaps more on the fence.

 

On the side, "thou shalt not kill" is from the notoriously poorly-translated King James version of the Bible, while more modern Bibles use the more accurate translation "thou shalt not murder." Killing is presumably acceptable if done in a lawful manner, such as sentencing a homosexual to death as ordered by God. In most cases, the Bible is only contradictory if you try to interpret it to mean something civilized. Taken as blatant bronze-age barbarism, most of it makes sense.

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