An atheist in Congress? Say it ain't so!Follow

I would if I was replying to a statement such as "KKK people don't march".

Yossarian said, again...I've personally had atheists try to convert me. Lots of times. You can keep trying to redefine it if it makes you feel better but it won't become less true just because it bristles you to be told that you do the same thing those wacky Christians do.In the case of Christian v Atheist, I do. Which goes for either side. Folks like you are as tiring and boring in these conversations as the fire & brimstone types. I'd feel the same mixture of ennui and amusement if I was having this conversation with an evangelical Baptist.

You keep saying it's all because of my faith though

Edited, Mar 14th 2007 8:29am by Jophiel

I thought you didn't believe in hyping up a gross assumption. You're assuming that some sort of adherence to spirituality didn't travel the same path as the lack thereof. Automatically negating others' thought process as ludicrous is what you do, but it's still a gross assumption that your conclusion is the only one.

Obviously some sort of adherence to spirituality didn't travel the same path as the lack thereof. The path to the lack thereof travels the path of Scientific Method and Objectivity. It's impossible to adhere to that path and arrive at 'some sort of adherence to spirituality' at the end. The very concept of 'spirituality' REQUIRES arbitrary belief in unprovable things for which there is ZERO evidence.

I'm not 'negating' someone's thought process. I'm 'negating' the idea that one can equivocate two conclusions, one arrived at through willfully ignoring evidence and one arrived at through observing it.


I respect anyone's right to think as they please, even yours.


I'm not sure what this even means. You respect people's right to think as they please? You respect people's right to believe whatever they want? So you respect homicidal racists right to think killing black people is ok because they're black and you repect NAMBLAs right to think what they do, etc.

Bully for you. I don't. I respect their right to say whatever they like. I refuse to respect people's right to think things that are clearly wrong to me. I wouldn't expect other people to respect my right to think things that are clearly wrong to them. What I would expect is that they explain to me why they think I'm wrong. To not do so is much more disrespectful to me.



I don't have to agree with it, or think that it's directed at me, personally. It can cause me sadness and regret on their behalf, as it does in the case of gays in the military, for example, but I don't see the need to impose my concept of what's right on people.

You do, though. It's what human beings do. You argue for what you think is right, you teach those around you what you think is right.

ARe you seriously telling me that if Joph Jr. shows up one day saying "All women are ************* that you'll just shrug your shoulders and say "Oh well, you're entitled to think what you like."

Please.

If I had to hang out with him and he sniped over and over and over every single time something vaguely connected to civil rights or blacks came up? Probably.

Keep trying to come up with tougher and tougher comparisons! You'll corner me yet!

Edited, Mar 14th 2007 8:43am by Jophiel

Sure you are. You're using your concept of what's valid to negate anyone that hasn't arrived at your conclusion. It's the very essence of intolerance.

Oh, I'm sure. I won't respond to the rest because, again, it's a gross extrapolation of a line of thinking that doesn't apply.

What a frustrating life you must lead. See, I have learned through experience that people will all think what they like. They will look at me and judge me in their mind for whatever reason, but as long as that judgement is kept between their two ears and not force-fed to me by laws or dictates, I'm jim dandy with it.

You can say it's what I do all you like. Even now, if that were true, I'd be trying to convert you, but I've attempted no such thing. I simply have no interest in it.

Are you equating me and anyone else to a child? Really, how neocolonialist of you. Just for kicks, here's my view:I'm not sure if you are a parental figure to anyone yet, but let me tell you, I can teach him in his childhood, with Joph's permission, all I like to try to respect women, but if he turns out to be a chauvinist pig once he's an adult, there's precious little I can do about it. Same with religion, same with anything else. Once a person is an adult, they can recant or adhere to any teaching, and they're within their rights to do so.

Does it cheapen your atheism to admit that you try to convert others to your mindset, same as the Christian folk do?

Have any atheist ads?

Again, I'm not sure why you're so invested in redefining the argument away from "people from both sides actively try to change the mindsets of others to match their own". Oh, yeah I am. It's because you can't admit that your actions are the same as those of Mr. Watchtower.

Again, I'm not sure why you're so invested in redefining the argument away from "people from both sides actively try to change the mindsets of others to match their own". Oh, yeah I am. It's because you can't admit that your actions are the same as those of Mr. Watchtower.


No, Gbaji, I ALREADY admitted it many posts ago. The actions are the same. They just don't stem from positions that can be equivocated. I'm not sure why you choose to focus on that and ignore the bulk of my posts.

I don't know what you're trying to prove. He didn't equivocate the positions, he equivocated the actions of the people in those positions. Two completely different things.

Good. I'm glad we had this talk.

Yeah, thank god.

:)

So you are. Got it.

Oh, I could state my opinion, but to believe I could convert an adult to my way of thought about women's rights based on undermining their intelligence and ability to rationalize is simply not my way. I try to teach more by example.

Sure I do, if they don't bother me. This isn't a hypothetical to me. I've been denigrated as a christian, a woman, and a hispanic. You live with dignity and you do the best you can. I've never had the kind of power a white-upper-class male has, so I know I can't win 'em all.

Well, "equalling tiring" is subjective. I'll admit that your threshold for listening to people dither on about how God is fake may be much greater than your threshold for listening to evangalizing. Mine are about equal, depending on mood.

*Shrug*