Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by TNT666 on September 13, 2011 at 2:01am

Now stop that! You've given me a giggle fit!

Permalink Reply by Nerdlass on September 13, 2011 at 6:42am

Sequel, three words:

 

Atheist. Flash. Mob.

Permalink Reply by Charles Cusumano on September 13, 2011 at 9:32am

stick it to em’. They don’t like it one bit!

Permalink Reply by egan thomas penney on September 13, 2011 at 10:06am

this is why we can't have nice things. how is it helpful to behave exactly like them? he's justifying everything they believe about us.

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on September 14, 2011 at 9:37am

Not necessarily.  For all the preachers know, he could be a Muslim or Pagan.

Permalink Reply by egan thomas penney on September 14, 2011 at 10:14am

no, they expect people from other religions to be visibly different from them.

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on September 14, 2011 at 10:19am

Uhhhh, not following you, then.  How does acting just like them justify their belief that other religions are visibly different from them?

 

Or do you mean that they think Muslims are all brown and speak with a middle-eastern accent?  Please elaborate and clarify.

Permalink Reply by egan thomas penney on September 14, 2011 at 10:24am

i mean when they see a white guy who wears a collared shirt and tie and does not wear beads or tie dye or some other such thing, AKA "dresses like a christian", but is not christian, they assume atheist. the preachers won't have even considered that he could be from another religion (except "atheism" of course)

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on September 14, 2011 at 10:31am

Hmm, possible.  I've known several Pagans who wear suits and ties, though.  The women tend to add lots of new-agey jewelry, but the men don't effect much.  It has to do with the corporate culture giving women more leeway in their dress.

 

What about Scientologists?  They're usually more straight-laced than atheists, and they also get quite vocal.  I guess you could cross off the Pagans, since we haven't seen much about them in the media, lately, but Scientology has been advertising a good bit.

Permalink Reply by egan thomas penney on September 14, 2011 at 10:46am

scientologists try to appeal to christians, they don't attack them. christians expect atheists to be mean and bigoted, "antagonistic".

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on September 14, 2011 at 10:51am

Hmm, that's a point.

 

Okay, so they know it's us.  I still don't understand why we shouldn't do this.  We can't deconvert these sorts of preachers.  Unless they come to it on their own, as Dan Barker did, they can't be helped.  They're too far in.

We can possibly save those watching, though.  The aggressive approach will reach some, and the gentle approach will reach others.  Both are useful.  Some people examine their irrational beliefs when they're mocked for them.

Permalink Reply by egan thomas penney on September 14, 2011 at 12:52pm

they won't examine anything except how much of a dick you are if you take pleasure in upsetting other people. it reaches nobody. particularly when the prejudice already exists that religion automatically deserves respect. if you act exactly like the religious, you don't have the excuse they have in this culture where they are given leeway because of "respect". the ONLY way to respond is with a calm, passive, thorough explanation of the facts. if there is the slightest sign of anger in your approach, or if you are simply a sociopath like the guy in the video, you do not deserve to be listened to. someone who has to be so violently forceful about their views is displaying both an intense fear that they are wrong and an intense need to be right. it's faith. facts do not need faith.

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