SkyDancer_0202

why is it disrespectful to question the speaker on the topic when one is AT SCHOOL?

Isn't school exactly the place to ask questions?

But IF it is so disrespectful, perhaps someone should tell that the the creeps that try to disrupt every speaking engagement at our local museum with their creationsist's crap

SkyDancer_0202

Its school. He is SUPPOSED to question everything, imo.

And the best way for him to learn more about his own pov is engage in debate with someone who claims to be an authority for the opposing viewpoint.

David B

Please explain why disrespecting the disreputable is rude and juvenile.

David B

David B

Please elucidate - they look contradictory to me. Persuade me otherwise.

David B

PostMortem

Why is it disrespectful? :huh:

A speaker is coming to his school to discuss the Bible and answer questions. He simply wants to ask some difficult questions, to challenge the speaker a bit, likely the speaker is only going to get fluff questions from most of the others.

It would be disrespectful if he wanted to ask something like “Does God have a big dick?�, but DanBZ obviously wants to ask a legitimate but “tough� question. If an atheist went to give a talk at his school I would expect and hope that the atheist was asked some tough but legitimate questions.

hatsoff

That would be fine if it were his honest intent, but really all he wants to do is make the speaker look foolish. He probably has little or no genuine interest in Christian theology.

hatsoff

I can't do that until you explain specifically where you see contradictions.

David B

OK I'll rephrase. You said they were complementary - explain

David B

DanBZ

Thanks for the tips.

My idea is to wait and see his views. If he is not a fundie and is a "sensible" Christian (for example, he knows things like the Ten Commandments and a lot of other OT stuff is Babylonian), I'll do nothing. But if he tries to support Bible inerrancy, I'll bring down the hammer. I think I'll go with the impossibility of God, the non-existence of Jesus, and the contradictions in the Bible. Thanks.

I have only been officially an atheist for a few months (I can tell you my deconversion story another day).

SkyDancer_0202

If the speaker ends up looking foolish, that will be to Dan's credit, not something to condemn him for. It would mean either that Dan DOES know his bible well (as does, for instance, Abe on his adventures) or that the speaker is no expert at all.

As PostMortum noted, if Dan was only trying to be "rude" and "juvenile", he wouldn't bother looking for tough questions, he'd ask stupid and rude ones.

To Dan, I agree with Toto and John - it helps to know the background of this speaker and what his intended talk will be about. Different christians will try to avoid the contradictions and "tough stuff" in different ways, so having an idea which direction they will feint to helps