what do y'all think? (the atheism thread)

[Deckard]

In all honesty I rarely talk about religion in everyday life, let alone spread anything. I have family and friends who are religious and I have no desire to raise the issue with them. I would say something if I thought they were damaging themselves or others. But their comfort and happiness is more important to me than the particulars of an academic debate on religion. I don't think that's tip-toeing around the issue or being 'scared' to offend them; I think it's just consideration.

If they raise the issue themselves, then I might respond. But mostly I don't feel anything productive can be gained from a face to face religious debate. It's generally less effective than written debate anyway, because (a) emotional reactions are more instantaneous (b) the response time is shorter, and (c) some issues require lengthy elaboration and clarification that lend themselves better to written than verbal debate. So there's a difference between that kind of 'everyday life' scenario, and a platform specifically intended for debating, such as this one, where people are (generally) stepping up to debate, explore and challenge. Which brings up full circle to your original dilemma! In this respect, does a social network count as everyday life - or internet debate? It's a thorny one. Perhaps it ultimately depends on who's in your friends list.

Originally Posted by bryantm3

if your (non) belief system differs because you don't believe you have a hold on the truth...

The one truth I hold is that no-one who claims to hold the truth really holds the truth, apart from the person who declares that...
(and loop back to beginning of sentence)