Intent

[Fallibleone]

We're human, we have emotions, and some of the people toward whom were losing our tempers, etc. do things with the intention of insulting and angering Christians.

I saw this in the Holy Huddle room on the thread entitled 'Why do we lose it?'

Questions: Do you ever post comments or say things with the express intention of insulting or angering Christians? Do you think the poster has a point? Do you think loss of temper is a justifiable response?

[Mcstar51]

I think that there is no point angering them for the sake of it but I believe that it is important to open their minds to other possibilities. Some christian fundmentlists live in places where they are not exposed to as much culture as you or I may be and to them their views are totally true.

[Cephus]

Does anyone think that rudeness and insults are a good way to persuade someone of the error of his beliefs?

No, but since fundamentalist theists are incapable of being shown the error of their beliefs, it really doesn't matter, does it? Often anything you say to these people is going to be taken as an insult, simply because you don't roll over and accept that they're automatically right, the only thing you can do is keep pointing out where they are demonstrably wrong and the failures of their arguments for others to see.

[Cathar1950]

Does anyone think that rudeness and insults are a good way to persuade someone of the error of his beliefs?

No, but since fundamentalist theists are incapable of being shown the error of their beliefs, it really doesn't matter, does it? Often anything you say to these people is going to be taken as an insult, simply because you don't roll over and accept that they're automatically right, the only thing you can do is keep pointing out where they are demonstrably wrong and the failures of their arguments for others to see.

Part of the problem is the high amount of mental and ego investment.
Any challenge is taken as some personal attack on their preconceived image of God and what they see as their sacred writings as the actual "word" of God.
The start with the belief that there are no contradictions or errors in the Bible and therefore anything and everything is explained away with what largely amounts to rationalizations and more stories, sometimes even made up on the spot or taken from some apologists that are taken without any critical thinking or questioning and accepted as enough for them but hardly enough for the unconvinced. When the NT writers used passages that couldn't possible have anything to do with Jesus or any Messiah it was because they already believed and see Jesus in every passage no matter how much it was disconnected from their interpretation.
It would be like finding a passage in the OT that mentioned "feet" and then saying, "Jesus had feet, it must be about Jesus because Jesus had feet".
Often we find differing groups of priests that wrote many of the stories and edited others that were at odds with each other. Even this is not acknowledged. One says the children pay for the sins of the fathers while another say they don't, one would say God demanded sacrifices another says God doesn't.
One says Satan caused David to number Israel while another says it was God. Instead of recognizing there are various readings and interpretations as well as a variety of writings from differing points of view or differing propaganda they insist it is all one God and one message and it is just the way it is being read and not any problem with the writings themselves or their methods and beliefs.
Sometimes it is almost amusing to watch someone defend God because they feel God has been insulted when it may only be their views that are insulting and it would seem God should not need defending especially by what they seem to think is some fallen humanity only saved by some undeserved favoritism. Having the “Spirit” explain and interpret for them seems much like not having any writings in the first place.

[Confused]

Does anyone think that rudeness and insults are a good way to persuade someone of the error of his beliefs?

No, but it doesn't stop me from losing my temper at times still. That is a continuous work in progress that will probably still be in progress when I die, LOL.

[Confused]

Anyone who can't tell the difference between insulting their beliefs and insulting themselves isn't likely to ever recognize their errors in the first place.

I think I agree. Some people are just plain lost. They need it so badly that nothing will dissuade them. Talk to the ones who are on the border. Those who are intelligent enough to string a few lines of reasoning together, but still clutch onto belief in the divine.

Hey, no need to down the lost and confused here. LOL. I may not be intelligent enough or even cling on to anything divine, but I can still pack a punch, metaphorically speaking here, LOL.

[Fallibleone]

Does anyone think that rudeness and insults are a good way to persuade someone of the error of his beliefs?

No, but it doesn't stop me from losing my temper at times still. That is a continuous work in progress that will probably still be in progress when I die, LOL.

I have the same problem. I'm almost incandescent with annoyance at times and inevitably it comes across in my posts.

[upallnite]

The "No Atheist in foxholes" crap gets me every time. I had to walk away from the computer for a little while yesterday.

[Confused]

The "No Atheist in foxholes" crap gets me every time. I had to walk away from the computer for a little while yesterday.

LOL, I would have thoroughly enjoyed being a fly on the wall to watch this.