The angry atheist, Christians, and our common enemy Islam

[Dannydugster]

How effective have you been in stealing hearts from Jesus?

Like what is your record for deconversions?

 

I have friends that are fundamental Christians and I would like to talk them out of their believe. I have talked once with all of them and once with just one who is more patient with me. I haven't gone through all the arguments yet, I am trying to be patient and let them see the truth for themselves. I briefly made the comparison between islam and Christianity but of course it was immediately denied.

 

Could I present a complete historical detail of an alternate religion, a psychological explanation for its origin and perpetuity, and then point out many similarities between the false gods and the one true and living Jehovah?

 

Have you done this before? Did it resonate?

 

I'm definitely going to talk to them I'm just figuring out how best to do it.

 

Should I treat them as if they are incapable of understanding that they are being deceived, and only ask them questions, and draw conclusions only in my mind? Or should I tell them exactly what I think they are doing even though that will make no sense to them?

 

I used to think mockery of god was evil and the people that do it are crazy. I don't think people will listen I they think I am a crazy person. Like if a psychologist were to explain his theory to his client from the start he might be mind blown and not believe him.

 

I think I should treat people as if they are crazy but don't know it, so I can't just mock their religion. At the same time I think religion should be called out for what it is, a crazy batshit assertion. How do I reconcile these two feelings?

 

If religion is a disease, are there people who are beyond recovery, rationally dead. It is very easy to believe because my friend doesn't understand now he will never understand, yet anything that can be taught will take a long time for some and a short time for others, but it will eventually click in a moment for a new learner. Is there a point at which someone is incapable of understanding a given topic? If so, how can you tell when someone is teachable or not?

 

Someone else on the soul winning bus overheard me talking to my friend about people who grow up in isolation not getting a chance, and pulled an insulting theory out of his ass that someone who lived by himself would not know right from wrong and therefore would be incapable of sin. Well that was his second story, his first was that since he had no one around to tell him god would reveal himself to him.

 

The just above barely perceptable smarty pants tone in his voice was unbearable. But I tried Socrates with a head ache and echoed back a snarky "How do YOU know?" With which he handed me the beautiful blossoming syllogism of FAITH, which I could not refuse and slid gracefully away.

 

I feel like calling people out who just want to keep me in line and not discuss it on their bullshit, but I don't want to be an "angry atheist"

What are your thoughts?

[dsayers]

You already asked this question. I suspect you're asking again because you didn't like the answer you got the first time. But to ask the question again as if nobody answered is unjust to those who took the time. But if you ignored the input you didn't care for the first time, what reason would anybody have to not expect you to do the same here also?

[WasatchMan]

I am of the opinion that the vast majority of religious people know deep inside their minds that they are lying to themselves about religion.  You hear this all the time from people who have come out of religion - that they always knew religion was wrong but kept that thought subverted whenever it raised its head. Social acceptance allows people to maintain a view that they know is wrong.  If everybody around me is able to accept it who am I to disagree? This means that you typically can't "logic" them out of religion.  Heck, their own brain can't "logic" them out of religion.

 

Because of this, it has been my opinion for a while now that the only way to turn the tide against religious people is shame.  They know that holding onto religious beliefs is disgraceful, however they have enough people around them to make it seem respectable. If atheists start standing up with dignity and strength and shame people for having this belief system, they will have not choice but to give the skeptical part of their mind a voice in their mecosystem.  They will not be able to as easily suppress these thoughts when they get flanked from the outside with shame and their internal shame has a chance to win the day and conquer their addiction to mental weakness. As the skepticism rises with religious people, they will slowly find themselves more and more unable to keep up the lie - because they will have less and less social acceptance.  Their external support system will weaken, and at a critical mass will collapse.

 

This is why I have been so critical Stefan's apparent alliance with religion to try to fight against leftism. This alliance provides cover for some of the the worst philosophical concepts known to humanity and that is faith and superstition and instead of eroding religion we end up bolstering it with our alliance. Even if you can make the pragmatic case the leftists cause more harm than the religious, the compromise is not worth it because you helping to perpetuate a lie and building up the battlements against philosophy.

 

I would rather take the tougher road and try to get people to accept philosophy than to ally with faith and superstition for an easier fight against the left.

[Mr. Roth]

In my experience it works best to point out how insanely dictatorial and sadistic Yahweh is, by quoting him. Like Hosea 13 and similar, how he orders ripping the wombs of pregnant women open and bashing their infants against rocks... stuff like that, there's plenty. Move from that onto the ludicrously pointless mosaic laws, like how people should be killed if they were different fabrics simultaneously. Once they cannot deny that Yahweh is a psychotic megalomaniac, you can move onto the nihilistic morality preached by Jesus - and perhaps give the historical context in regards to mass slave suicide and rebellions around the time of the Nicaean council.

[ClearConscience]

How effective have you been in stealing hearts from Jesus?

Like what is your record for deconversions?

 

I have friends that are fundamental Christians and I would like to talk them out of their believe. I have talked once with all of them and once with just one who is more patient with me. I haven't gone through all the arguments yet, I am trying to be patient and let them see the truth for themselves. I briefly made the comparison between islam and Christianity but of course it was immediately denied.

 

How much research have you actually put into understanding Judaism vs Christianity vs Islam?  If I assigned to you, to tell me the similarities and differences between those three religions, would you even know where to begin???

 

I am guessing that you wouldn't, and if you tried, you would receive an F grade from any religious studies professor at a top 20 university.  I know many here don't respect academia, but even in an introductory religious studies class... one where you are required to only know the basics of each religion, I'm willing to guess that you would fail this assignment.

 

You have no education on the tenets of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and therefore you have zero capacity to persuade anybody from their previously held beliefs.  You actually need to give a shit about what they believe in order to persuade them otherwise.  Jesus learned this at an early age, according to all three religions.  I advise you to follow in his footsteps.  Fortunately, you're unlikely to be crucified for it, lol.