epiphany

I'm kind of lazy and am wondering if someone can point me to a good article or synopsis of what to say to annoying fundamentalists when they try to challenge you with scripture from the big book. I guess I'm looking for "Atheism for Dummies". I've read God Delusion, End of Faith etc. and can piece together my own thoughts on the matter, but I can't think as quickly on my feet as I would like. I want some killer responses that if nothing else will befuddle them and cause them to stop speaking.

jeffevnz

You can't prove that God doesn't exist.

You can say the same thing about the Easter Bunny.


The overwhelming majority of people believe in God...

The overwhelming majority of people thought the Earth was flat.


(Pascal's Wager) You have to believe in God because if you don't and you're wrong you'll be sorry.

You have to buy UFO abduction insurance, because if you don't and you get abducted, you'll be sorry.

French Prometheus

I started a thread on this issue a while back.

How to respond to Christian proselytizers [alpha version]

I'll make a beta version at some point. I don't have the time at the moment.

jeffevnz

Almost forgot...


Evolution is just a theory.

So is gravity.



The formula is just to use their own logic in another context where you would both agree the conclusion is nonsense. It exposes the fallacy of their thinking in a way that's easy to understand. Keep it down to earth, and hopefully funny.

This works because people think differently about religion than they do about anything else. They don't use the same logic and common sense that they apply in other contexts.

Toto

That depends on what sort of fundamentalists you are dealing with. But it's not that easy - if you want to engage Bible believers on their own turf, you might have to invest more time than you think it's worth.

If you are dealing with people who have read Josh McDowell, you could read The Jury is in in the II library, which takes his arguments apart.

Otherwise, you might want to read or listen to debates between atheists and theists.

But good luck finding something that will make them stop speaking.