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Somebody on one
of the discussion groups mentioned that arguing with theists is like
watching a fool arguing with a fool. I agree with that, and that's why I
love to tear their arguments apart instead, and send them back again.
Rather than
argue, I've found it more useful to ask questions to inspire doubt, in
their own veracity and the veracity of their source material. It more
often inspires anger than argument, and most often ends the discussion. I
have observed how the anger perpetuates their thinking about the matter,
which is the only part that stands a chance of leading them to the truth
about their false and dangerous beliefs. That takes practice, and the only
way to get that practice is to go ahead and do it. Otherwise, go hide.
But, why would
anybody want to involve themselves with people whose beliefs are dredged
up from the improbable and unbelievable? Are we not taking our stand at a
weak position that seems impossible to defend? Are we not required to
speak the truth with authority, against a malicious gang of con artists
who are free to say anything they want, and claim it to be ordained as
true by the spirit world? Scary, huh!? Makes you want to crawl off and
hide just to think about it. Woe!
The answer is,
"No, you are not weak!" Your position is strong and firm. You are standing
on the foundation of your arguments, the world around you, the materials
that compose it and the objects and life with which you share it. It is to
that, and that alone, that theists must answer if they go too far astray
in their zeal to overwhelm you with the incredible. You have a world of
support in that, that you only need to adequately understand. They arrived
to the table with their heads and hands empty. They will leave it that
same way, but you will gain whatever real knowledge they had to leave you
with.
So, you will
goof and be made to look like a fool to all observers. So? How else will
you be alerted about something your knowledge is weak about? The
glib-tongued con artists will tell you with agile expressions what you
need to know and increase your storehouse by just that much. They'll lie
about it, true, but all you need to do is study what it's all about and
work to become an expert. They'll laugh at you at first, while they
unwittingly help you gain your education. Later, they'll start to regard
you as a challenge they must bring back into the fold.
It may seem you
have to know a lot about every subject in the universe, but that's not as
true as it looks. Learn the basics, true, to get your knowledge rounded
out. You won't need much advanced knowledge; fearful theists don't like to
go into things of much depth that they regard to be works of the Devil.
Advance yourself, instead, in those few subjects that really interest you,
and you'll be surprised how much of that spills into the other areas.
You'll find your interests widen as you advance and as new subjects open
up to you.
It will do you
good to gain a basic knowledge of math, science and logic, especially in
the portions of those subjects theists like to argue about.
Math provides a
basis of thought, and enables you to calculate statistics and
relationships between number sets. Science tells you about Nature and what
human beings have discovered about the universe we live in. Theists like
to claim their own views are "scientific". A correct understanding of
science will show you why that's untrue.
Science is about
material nature. Theism is about the immaterial nonexistent. Logic is
about the thinking process and how we use it. This may actually be the
most important of the three basic subjects, because it helps you uncover
the baseless claims and scams attempted on you. Starting with the
simplest, learn about the logical fallacies not only to warn yourself when
one is at play against you, but also about your own unwitting attempts to
invoke one and how to defend yourself against those who claim that your
own logical process has been fallacious.
Rather than
study the theists' source materials to find their errors, study your own
unless you are considering actually becoming one of them. You will not
succeed at attempting to present your own point of view unless you
actually understand it. Linguistics may be the most important of all for
you to learn about, but to use it with force requires a full grasp of your
own system of values. However hard you attempt to deny it, you do have
one. You are NOT amoral. You do know right and wrong, most likely
better than the theists who claim the opposite about you. That so many
atheists struggle to deny a sense of morality only serves as an example of
our general obliviousness to it from the way we take sociable behavior for
granted.
Still, we do not
hesitate to forcefully tell somebody what is right or wrong about a wide
variety of subjects that others may have made a statement about. Those are
your values that you are airing. Be aware of that, because that may be the
most important part to know about while exercising your right to speak in
your own defense not only about your right to not believe, but also the
important stuff you do believe to be true.
I have observed
that atheists have a hard time working up a practical and coherent list
describing their own values. We'll get stuck on a name, a word or the
exact implications of a meaning, and act stymied. We allow details to
distract us from actual accomplishment in this direction. I feel sorry
about that, but realize that changing that situation starts with my own
self. So, call me a fool if you want, but don't make me stop learning all
the things I need to know.
Quotes About
"Fools" (I received this in an eMail message):
"Get the fools on your side and you can be elected to
anything."
-- Frank Dane --
"A man who cannot reason is a fool, a man who will not
reason is a bigot, and a man who dare not reason is a slave."
-- William Drummond --
"The only difference between a wise man and a fool is that
the wise man knows he's playing."
-- Fritz Peris --
"Without fools the rest of us could not succeed."
-- Mark Twain --
"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the
hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." -- Frank Lloyd Wright --
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