Arguing With A Theist Is Like Arguing With A Child

[cleanhippie]

Palms, they are everywhere, waiting to slap the faces of reasoned individuals all over the world. Rising out of the these situations are those that elicit a most painful hand print. Blatant cases of pots meeting kettles. The plethora of emotions and speed at which they pass through my consciousness is unequaled in the world of facepalming. First there is shock, then amusement, then understanding, then ire and finally the almost uncontrollable urge to bitch-slap someone naked into next week and hide their clothes before they get there.

By now, you have probably guessed that I am referring to those fundamentalists who hurl projected accusations at Atheists. Think of all the characteristics of the fundamentalist and try to recall a time or two when you, an Atheist, have been labeled as such.

Here is a short list of some of the things we have been called:

Religious
Faithful
Ignorant
Close Minded
Fool
Tyrant
Indoctrinated
Intolerant
Exclusionist
Fundamentalist
Confused
Delusional
Insane
Satan’s Footsoldier
Satanist
Devil Worshiper
Mentally Ill
Dogmatic
Congregationalist
Preacher

--snip--

Arguing with a fundamentalist is like arguing with a child. The Atheist will usually make a statement, back it up with reason and offer a couple of examples and empirical evidence. This is an “Argument From Reality“. The fundamentalist will usually reply with a straw man, red herring or some other logical fallacy, which I call an “Argument From Delusion.

http://atheists.org/blog/2011/10/25/arguing-with-a-theist-is-like-arguing-with-a-child

[dtexdem]

1. Arguing with an atheist is like arguing with a theist.

[Iggo]

3. Except no.

[DonCoquixote]

4. K an R for the reply

Personally, I think the idea of trying to prove God does or does not exist is a waste of time, as you sail into ideas that are not provable or disprovable i.e. "what's the meaning of life?, 42". I have tolerance for all, but if a theist starts telling me to go to Hell, or if a Atheist starts yelling "agnostics are just atheists without guts", then I know that I am dealing with people who have not broken their addiction to mental games. Regardless of what your metaphysical opinion is, we should all agree life to too short to waste on people that seek to aggressively push their ideas down your throat and then punish you if you seek to hold them accountable for the aggression.

[cleanhippie]

6. Who here is trying to prove god doesn't exist?

[DonCoquixote]

10. Your answer:

Fundamentalists of all stripes, be they Holy Rollers, or people quote/misquoting Dawkins.

[cleanhippie]

14. Huh? So you cannot show where anyone here is trying to disprove god?

I'm pretty sure that you cannot, but I'd I'm wrong, I will gladly retract that.

[cleanhippie]

5. Yes, exactly.

Oh wait, no, that's totally wrong.

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. ...except exactly the opposite. nt

[chemp]

8. I resent that!

As an Atheist, I have had to put up with years of bullshit from the religious zealots among us.
I do not have a problem with people of religion, it is with those that bang on my door to preach,
or feel as if their relationship with a god is more important than my personal privacy, that they feel it is okay to
tell me what their god thinks of me, or how my life deviates from said god's rules.
At work, I keep my beliefs to myself. if only the religious could do the same.
I am not a child, I am a professional. I resent greatly having religion thrust at me during all aspects of my life,
yet when I push back in any way, I am wrong.
Comparing me with a theist is vile and unthoughtful.
Atheists do not want to control your lives.
Atheists do not push their believes onto an unwanting public.
Atheist want religion out of their lives, not everyone's.

Keep your god. And keep it away from me.

[RC]

11. Not hardly.

Where is the proof of a Deity? Anybodies Deity?


At the 9:30 position between the rings is a little grey dot. That is us. That is the Earth. And we are not even half way out of our own solar system yet.
Every where you and I have ever been or ever will be, is on that little grey dot. All seven (7) billion of us.
We are lost to insignificance in our own solar system. So how can we be important in our galaxy, let alone in the universe?
And yet some on this grey dot think a Deity cares about us or at least cares about some of us?

[Kurmudgeon]

32. "Palms, they are everywhere, waiting to slap"? cleanhippie having an unclean diatribe.

I see who is here putting things in the most outrageous terms possible.
Isn't that one of the oldest tactics in the book, smear someone to bring them down?
The problem isn't athiests, it's just those with little control of their anger.

[Warpy]

2. It has to do with compartmentalization into a very childlike space

and that space tells them that they will always be kept safe, no matter what. That's why trying to argue with them or even mildly mentioning we don't believe a word of it threatens them on such a visceral level.

I've found the best policy is not to argue at all. Of all the things to argue over, this is one of the silliest and least satisfying. Besides, it's not kind to try to change minds over something so integral to one's being.

However, once they start trying to define me in their own terms, they can expect to be corrected. I don't accept intolerance from them any more than I'd accept it from myself.

[FiveGoodMen]

9. That's what they're supposed to do (according to their book)

"At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

-- Mathew 11:25

They're told to think and act like children.

[DonCoquixote]

12. Slapping

Of course, the author of this piece sails into dangerous waters when they start talking about wanting to "bitch-slap" people. If nothing else that language can turn off many feminist, as well as make people wonder what sort of person they are.

[Sal316]

13. Add to that, his closing statement where he calls them..

"ignorant, childish, intellectually retarded, mentally deficient tyrants" makes him the same as those he condemns.

This is just the grown-up version of "You're stupid!" "No! You are!"

[cleanhippie]

17. Except that it doesnt do that at all.

It's an apt description of the type of behavior he is referring to.

[Sal316]

23. Actually, it does.

He's describing the people.

"...but because exposing fundamental religionists as the ignorant, childish, intellectually retarded, mentally deficient tyrants that many of them are..."

But hey, I guess calling people retarded is ok as long as you agree with who the invective is aimed at.

[cleanhippie]

24. I see your point.

[cleanhippie]

15. Some may consider that a poor choice of words, but the meaning is anything but what you assert.

The author is simy trying to express his frustration, nothing more.

[DonCoquixote]

20. well, as you know

Words can be interpreted many ways. I am all for expressing frustration, but the sad fact is, whenever people hint at violence, it throws spanners into the gears, as there have been many times when we see someone on the news who did get violent, and everybody interviewed is still in "WTF" mode, because they had no idea "the person was serious." Not attacking the sentiment, just giving a tip to avoid giving fundamentalists ammo.

[cleanhippie]

31. If you are seeing that tendency in his article, you are really reaching.

[humblebum]

16. It's comical how you go from "arguing with a theist" to

"arguing with a fundamentalist" - as if they are the one in same. As far as "reality" goes, your idea of reality is constructed utilizing an extremely narrow epistemology specifically designed to assess only a very narrow set of circumstances and events. IOW, you view of reality is tunnel vision and certainly not the dominant POV. I can here the violins playing now.

[cleanhippie]

18. First of all, that's not me, but you know that and claimed it was anyway.

Why should anyone bother responding to you when you cannot even begin to be honest?

[humblebum]

19. You are the one that posted the article and you certainly agree with the contents

so then, why is it that you consider theists to be fundamentalists? I don't consider all a theists to be atheist fundamentalists.

[Goblinmonger]

21. So anything rug posts

he agrees with? Interesting. If you post an article, do you believe everything in it? (careful, you have posted links to some whoppers).

[humblebum]

22. Wouldn't that depend on the poster's response to the article and the

purpose for which it was posted? Bring on your whoppers.

[cleanhippie]

25. Yes you do, you have stated to many, many times.

Again, you cannot even be honest about what you post here, so why should anyone take you seriously.

[humblebum]

26. I do what? And what have I "stated to [too?] many, many times?" nt

[NMMNG]

29. "I don't consider all a theists to be atheist fundamentalists."

No, you just consider them all to be militant members of ORGANIZED ATHEISM who want to take away your Bible and put you in a death camp just like the Nazis would.

[humblebum]

30. Now that is just plainly ridiculous. Never have I intimated that all

atheists are militant, belong to any organization, etc. But, I am highly critical of much of organized atheism. That will not change any time soon.

[rug]

27. Pastor Al resembles, in many ways, a petulant child.

[NMMNG]

28. ....

[ZombieHorde]

33. I have read, and created, some immature posts on DU on many subjects over the years.

Calling atheists "militant" or "fundamentalists" is certainly immature, but "sky daddy" is not a beacon of maturity either.