Monday, November 15, 2010
concern trolls
There is a peculiar thing about atheists as a group. When I dare to publicly point out the obvious - that religion is cruel, barbaric, harmful to society, and most importantly, false - I am told that I should not say such things, because some believers might get upset, and I am told this by other atheists. What a curiosity! When certain feminists speak out against gender inequality, pointing out how harmful sexism is to society, and opining that there is no rational basis for these dehumanizing attitudes, I wonder whether there are other feminists who try to hush them up, warning: "Careful! You might offend some misogynists."
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ReplyDeleteTheists are annoying. Upsetting them might be more comparable to upsetting wasps. Sure I don't like them, but in my experience it is best not to upset them. It only serves to bring out their most annoying qualities.
Seriously? Human beings are no more accountable for their actions than wasps? If I publicly disagree with a theist, am I as responsible for their subsequent actions as I would be for the wasps' if I threw a rock into their nest?
ReplyDeleteI wasn't comparing their accountability. I was comparing the effectiveness of arguing with them. I don't find that it achieves results. But if you like chucking rocks at wasp nest, go for it.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I would like to say that I like wasps a lot and let them live in peace as much as possible. They kill the caterpillars which attack my garden. :)
Throwing rocks at a wasp nest achieves the result of a high risk of getting stung, and damaging or destroying the nest. In what way are the results of having public dialogue with theists like that? Is discussion with those who disagree with you that much like getting stung, for you?
ReplyDeleteThe claim that it is ineffective is demonstrably false; do you need citations? You can start with the thousands of former theists who have said on richarddawkins.net that The God Delusion contributed to their deconversions.
I also enjoy the conversation, whether I change anyone's mind or not.
As a former believer, what finally got through to me was having the cruel, barbaric parts of the bible pointed out and having to face that. You'd be surprised how many people don't fully know the history or even all of the teachings of the religion they base their entire lives on.
ReplyDeleteBelivers are human, they aren't ogres (or wasps). I wasn't an ogre, I just bought into the kind and gentle part of my former faith and wasn't given all the gory details. People will resist initially, it's a hard thing to face. It's like having a sweet, loving grandmother and then finding out she was a serial killer on the side. Most people will go immediately into denial, even if they're presented with concrete evidence.