Comments on: An Experiment http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/ Helping Mankind Overcome Religion Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:56:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: rmadison http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1372 rmadison Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:38:51 +0000 http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1372 font test [i]font test[/i] [b]font test[/b] [quote]font test[/quote] <em>font test</em> <strong>font test</strong>

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]]> By: DUB http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1300 DUB Sat, 03 Sep 2005 04:31:22 +0000 http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1300 Remember, our exposure to xians is a moot point. That's most of our everyday lives. Exposing xians to us...that's the crux of the exchange. How many of us finally read or heard something one day that actually manifested exactly what we'd been thinking? Someone else was thinking it too, AND managed to put it all together. It all made sense. To many, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Remember, they have moments of introspect too. I guarantee that something they read here will turn on some lights in their head. The reason so many of us even bother with "preaching" to theists is because we have a feeling - we just know! - that somewhere deep down they have to get it. They just have to. Because we did.

Remember, our exposure to xians is a moot point. That’s most of our everyday lives.

Exposing xians to us…that’s the crux of the exchange.

How many of us finally read or heard something one day that actually manifested exactly what we’d been thinking? Someone else was thinking it too, AND managed to put it all together. It all made sense. To many, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Remember, they have moments of introspect too. I guarantee that something they read here will turn on some lights in their head.

The reason so many of us even bother with “preaching” to theists is because we have a feeling - we just know! - that somewhere deep down they have to get it. They just have to.

Because we did.

]]> By: ebonmuse http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1297 ebonmuse Fri, 02 Sep 2005 22:13:12 +0000 http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1297 Hey Brian, I couldn't agree more with your earlier comment. We definitely do need to do more to show that atheism is fully compatible with meaning, happiness, purpose and all the other things that make life worth living. Intellectual arguments against theism can only go so far; if a person believes that belief in God is the only thing that makes his life meaningful, then it's unlikely in the extreme that any rational persuasion we can muster is going to sway him, no matter how compelling. On the other hand, I find that shattering those kinds of stereotypes, not just by argument but especially by example, can do more to change people's minds about atheism than any number of reasoned arguments. If you're still searching for reading suggestions, might I engage in some minor self-promotion? http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/lifeofwonder.html As for that Spencer fellow, he reminds me of someone who criticized an article of mine because I capitalized the word "God" when referring to the Judeo-Christian deity. Yes, that was his sole complaint. Some atheists, in my opinion, need to lighten up. Our cause is not going to collapse because some atheist says that a cathedral is a beautiful piece of architecture, or that he enjoys a famous symphony which happened to be composed for religious motives. If we're going to critique religion, we should stick to aiming our critiques at the parts that matter, and not pathologically avoid anything that is even obliquely associated with it.

Hey Brian, I couldn’t agree more with your earlier comment. We definitely do need to do more to show that atheism is fully compatible with meaning, happiness, purpose and all the other things that make life worth living. Intellectual arguments against theism can only go so far; if a person believes that belief in God is the only thing that makes his life meaningful, then it’s unlikely in the extreme that any rational persuasion we can muster is going to sway him, no matter how compelling. On the other hand, I find that shattering those kinds of stereotypes, not just by argument but especially by example, can do more to change people’s minds about atheism than any number of reasoned arguments.

If you’re still searching for reading suggestions, might I engage in some minor self-promotion?

http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/lifeofwonder.html

As for that Spencer fellow, he reminds me of someone who criticized an article of mine because I capitalized the word “God” when referring to the Judeo-Christian deity. Yes, that was his sole complaint. Some atheists, in my opinion, need to lighten up. Our cause is not going to collapse because some atheist says that a cathedral is a beautiful piece of architecture, or that he enjoys a famous symphony which happened to be composed for religious motives. If we’re going to critique religion, we should stick to aiming our critiques at the parts that matter, and not pathologically avoid anything that is even obliquely associated with it.

]]> By: Aeger http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1280 Aeger Fri, 02 Sep 2005 04:31:24 +0000 http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1280 I'm a best hope. . . wow, no one has ever said that to me, ever, and that's really sad. And Seth: I was with yo when we were looking, and I can tell you, it was like 10 stores. And it was 90 degrees in the shade, and there was no shade. And Starbucks Strawberry's 'n Creme Smoothie is NOT the best thing to have while randomly searching for strange magazines that seem to follow us from store to store, jump into a rack, then, when we see it, jump out of the rack and scoot away. I had such a stomach ache. . . I hate Bilboard Magazine, it was playing with my mind. . . *shudder*

I’m a best hope. . . wow, no one has ever said that to me, ever, and that’s really sad.

And Seth: I was with yo when we were looking, and I can tell you, it was like 10 stores. And it was 90 degrees in the shade, and there was no shade. And Starbucks Strawberry’s ‘n Creme Smoothie is NOT the best thing to have while randomly searching for strange magazines that seem to follow us from store to store, jump into a rack, then, when we see it, jump out of the rack and scoot away. I had such a stomach ache. . . I hate Bilboard Magazine, it was playing with my mind. . . *shudder*

]]> By: I Am http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1271 I Am Fri, 02 Sep 2005 02:04:49 +0000 http://evangelicalatheist.com/2005/08/31/an-experiment/#comment-1271 That's why I'm so pleased about having several teenagers that frequent this site, Seth. People like you, Aeger, Pyro_Shark and Kele are our best hope.

That’s why I’m so pleased about having several teenagers that frequent this site, Seth. People like you, Aeger, Pyro_Shark and Kele are our best hope.

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