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Topic: "Strategies for Dialoguing with Atheists"  (Read 774 times)
jmars
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« on: April 30, 2008, 04:09:14 PM »

Hahahaha....I love how they presume to know how an Atheist will respond to each of their points.  They'd be wrong about me. 

"Even if the atheist refuses to admit the possibility, you have made your point and he knows it."


http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Atheism.html

There are several more hilarious articles at the link on the bottom of the page.

Also, Secular Humanism; a religion?  Roll Eyes

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-sum/sum-r002.html

This certainly sounds familiar....

Quote
Not all humanists, though, want to be identified as "religious," because they understand that religion is (supposedly) not allowed in American public education. To identify Secular Humanism as a religion would eliminate the Humanists' main vehicle for the propagation of their faith. And it is a faith, by their own admission. The Humanist Manifestos declare:

"These affirmations [in the Manifestos] are not a final credo or dogma but an expression of a living and growing faith."[4]

Those darn Atsecular humanistsheists!


 Roll Eyes Roll Eyes Roll Eyes Roll Eyes Roll Eyes Roll Eyes
« Last Edit: April 30, 2008, 05:04:38 PM by jmars » Logged

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johnno
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« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2008, 07:12:02 PM »

Oh no they are playing the logic card we are all up the creek now. lol
As an atheist it makes me sad that my opposition is so out of touch.  Extrordinary claims take extrordinary evidence.  It is not my responsibility to prove the negative. 
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« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2008, 08:29:33 PM »

Oh no they are playing the logic card we are all up the creek now.

I don't know about that.    This is more like kids playing at logic, wearing a hat made from newspaper with "Logic Police" written on it, and demanding that they be given cookies under the weight of their "me wants 'em" argument.
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CurtC
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« Reply #3 on: May 01, 2008, 09:43:23 AM »

What about the worst offense, right in the title? "Dialogue" is NOT a verb!
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IrishJazz
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« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2008, 10:05:32 AM »

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...it is impossible to distinguish evil from good unless one has an infinite reference point which is absolutely good. Otherwise one is like a boat at sea on a cloudy night without a compass (i.e., there would be no way to distinguish north from south without the absolute reference point of the compass needle).

What a great point. Without theological guidience how would we know not to kill and eat babies?

Using an absolute reference point is the central problem with religion. Sure it tells you which way to go, but, unlike an actual compass, the religious direction finder is not dynamically linked to reality. It's like using the picture of a compass in a book to navigate. Sometimes that leads to great things- the Sistine Chapel, much of Bach, Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." But it also can lead to the Inquistion, pedophile priests, and baby-eater Pat Roberston. 

We are on a boat at sea on a cloudy night. But we have a compass- the scientific method. We aren't afraid to change direction if warrented. And, if we are still lost in the wilderness. at least we have an ever-improving idea where we are.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2008, 10:07:28 AM by IrishJazz » Logged

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Apeiron
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« Reply #5 on: May 01, 2008, 10:16:28 AM »

I love how their first point argues that there is no way to be certain that there is no God. Don't they realize it goes equally for their position? Don't they realize that pretty much every atheist is in fact an agnostic technically for that reason?
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« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2008, 10:21:11 AM »

I love how their first point argues that there is no way to be certain that there is no God. Don't they realize it goes equally for their position? Don't they realize that pretty much every atheist is in fact an agnostic technically for that reason?

They enjoy throwing up the straw man of the "Atheist who is absolutely certain there is no God"... of course, there may be a few atheists like this, but not many.

This is why I think it's a good idea for to use the term Agnostic-Atheist, meaning that you do not claim to have definite knowledge about the unscientific question of god's existence, but choose to live your life as though god does not exist until some evidence comes along.
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« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2008, 10:59:01 AM »

I love how their first point argues that there is no way to be certain that there is no God. Don't they realize it goes equally for their position? Don't they realize that pretty much every atheist is in fact an agnostic technically for that reason?
And more significantly for arguing with them, every theist is technically an agnostic according to their own view. Everyone is an agnostic! Hmm, seems like it's then not a very useful word.
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« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2008, 11:19:24 AM »

And more significantly for arguing with them, every theist is technically an agnostic according to their own view. Everyone is an agnostic! Hmm, seems like it's then not a very useful word.

I say that all the time!
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« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2008, 12:16:33 PM »

What about the worst offense, right in the title? "Dialogue" is NOT a verb!

Actually, it can be used as either a noun or a verb. Look it up.
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« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2008, 12:31:32 PM »

What about the worst offense, right in the title? "Dialogue" is NOT a verb!

Actually, it can be used as either a noun or a verb. Look it up.

True, but...

di·a·logue     Audio Help   /ˈdaɪəˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[dahy-uh-lawg, -log] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb -logued, -logu·ing.
–noun
1.   conversation between two or more persons.
2.   the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc.
3.   an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, esp. a political or religious issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement.
4.   a literary work in the form of a conversation: a dialogue of Plato.
–verb (used without object)
5.   to carry on a dialogue; converse.
6.   to discuss areas of disagreement frankly in order to resolve them.
–verb (used with object)
7.   to put into the form of a dialogue (usage considered totally gay)
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« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2008, 12:36:25 PM »

What about the worst offense, right in the title? "Dialogue" is NOT a verb!

Actually, it can be used as either a noun or a verb. Look it up.

True, but...

di·a·logue     Audio Help   /ˈdaɪəˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[dahy-uh-lawg, -log] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb -logued, -logu·ing.
–noun
1.   conversation between two or more persons.
2.   the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc.
3.   an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, esp. a political or religious issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement.
4.   a literary work in the form of a conversation: a dialogue of Plato.
–verb (used without object)
5.   to carry on a dialogue; converse.
6.   to discuss areas of disagreement frankly in order to resolve them.
–verb (used with object)
7.   to put into the form of a dialogue (usage considered totally gay)

Oooookay. Just defending English, here, not the people who use it for evil.
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« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2008, 12:43:31 PM »

Ack.  Please stop.  Don't make me break out that joke about prescriptivism again.
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« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2008, 12:48:14 PM »

Ack.  Please stop.  Don't make me break out that joke about prescriptivism again.
Oh, it's too late to back off now... Far too late...

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MisterMarc
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« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2008, 01:06:53 PM »

Ack.  Please stop.  Don't make me break out that joke about prescriptivism again.

Is that the one where the guy asks the English professor where the library's at?
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