New Spin On Recent 'Trend' . . .
Offline First, I'm not sure I can call it a trend as only two other posters have done this thing so far. That is, only two ther posters that I know of have decided not to respond to people after they've repeated themselves and if they're creationists. I'm taking this one step further. I'm not going to post at all if any theist appears to be wilfully ignoring something that's been written, if I have to repeat myself, if they're a creationist or if they simply make a totally illogical or incoherent post.
I think that today I crossed a line. I crossed the line that separates me from being calm and collected and me from being irate and flustered. I just can't do it anymore. I can't respond to another logical fallacy, I can't point out to another theist why it is they're wrong. I can't repeat myself one more time and I can't explain the same thing in different terms again. I've had too many experiences lately where it seems more like I'm posting for only myself and the other reasonable people on the board and not to the ignorant theist covering his eyes and posting using a bad speech to text programme. There's no point in posting when the person the post is meant for is being wilfully dishonest. We certainly don't need to read the same stuff over and over. It's not reinforcing our Atheism, at least for me it's only getting annoying.
I don't know if I'll stop forever, but I at least have to take a break before I loose my sanity or before I find it impossible to return to the site because of the theists that constantly pop up with the same shit. Who exactly is it we're refuting here anymore? The theists barely even give responses anymore. I know the readers of this know which theists I'm talking about. Of course, I'm not disappearing entirely. I'll give my voice a chance on a thread that looks contentious if I have a real urge to say something. I'll, of course, post in any Atheist thread. I just don't want to respond to outright stupidity anymore. I don't want to respond to the same tired theist I've responded to so many times.
Does anyone at all feel the same way I do? I know there are some very resilient people here. To them, how do you not get fed up?
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
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I don't know about everyone else but when I see that a theist has brought nothing new to the table I stop taking the thread seriously and just start throwing out fakeposts and subtle insults left and right.
Götter sind für Arten, die sich selbst verraten -- in den Glauben flüchten um sich hinzurichten. Menschen brauchen Götter um sich zu verletzen, um sich zu vernichten -- das sind wir.
One of the main reasons we have so many really smart people here is that we can tag team. It's sometimes hard to remember that we're actually here for the theists as well as the atheists. Even though it's really hard to stay calm after the 100th Pascal's Wager, it's important to remember that theists don't read every post before they post.
Sometimes I get fed up, too. When I do, I step back for a week or two, collect myself, and come back as calmly as I can. This is a tough fight, and it takes persistence. I'm a big believer in taking small breaks so that you don't get so burned out that you quit trying.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
Then do what I'm doing. Write a program which replaces you. Why do you think I compile what I write. Within a few months, I expect a program could stand in for my posts. This way I could maintain my community service while saving huge amounts of time.
I don't expect the program to run into any problems, as the only problem it could possibly run into is an argument it has never seen before...
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
A few months ago on another forum I posted a response to a pseudoscientist idiot that was 41K in size. (The response, not the idiot.) When he replied as if he hadn't even read my post, I think it blew a fuse in my brain and I just stopped giving a fuck about debating. Now I just have fun and screw around. It's like the origin story of some Internet comic book character.
Götter sind für Arten, die sich selbst verraten -- in den Glauben flüchten um sich hinzurichten. Menschen brauchen Götter um sich zu verletzen, um sich zu vernichten -- das sind wir.
Is it a goth? Is it an Anarchist? NOOOOOO! It's IRATE ATHEIST MAN!
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
Able to not give a shit in a single bound!
Götter sind für Arten, die sich selbst verraten -- in den Glauben flüchten um sich hinzurichten. Menschen brauchen Götter um sich zu verletzen, um sich zu vernichten -- das sind wir.
I think I've nearly died of laughter. The latest is funny, but I think the end of deludedgod's post is the funniest by far. It sent me into a fit of hysterics.
Funniest thing I've ever read!
I do feel somewhat refreshed. Apparently the healthiest thingfor me to do is exactly what I thought I should do: take a small break from the crazier theists.
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
That's pretty darn funny.
Books on atheism, purchases on Amazon support the Rational Response Squad server.
Yup.
I'm sorry to say I gave up on the theist in that thread. When a theist completely ignores your arguments, clings to theirs despite evidence to the contrary and starts spouting complete bullshit while preaching, it's pretty hard to stay engaged in any meaningful way. You may have noticed that I started talking to deludedgod (way more interesting) and playing "Spot the Logical Fallacy" (because I needed the practice).
I have Rules of Engagement I try to employ (more on those in a minute), but lately, my tolerance for theists has worn thin due to personal issues. For that reason, I've stayed away from the forums.
IMO, this fundy creationist crossed a line when he willfully ignored evidence and kept spouting religious nonsense without addressing any of the points in an honest way. I just couldn't stick to the Rules of Engagement, especially since my mother made it impossible to remain in any kind of meaningful relationship with her. She was spying for Jesus! Glory-lu-jah Halle-Lord! And by golly, this ignorant creationist picked the wrong week to go fucking with Iruka. Maybe the wrong month.
Personal Rules of Engagement:
- Put yourself in the shoes of the poster
- Golden Rule (yes, seriously)
- Ask about feelings
- Offer comfort; be nice
- Remember: Loss of world view is hard!
- Socractic method
- Personal anecdotes (not too personal)
I totally annihilated the Rules of Engagement this time, didn't I? :PBooks on atheism, purchases on Amazon support the Rational Response Squad server.
What I hate is when some theist says something like "science and religion don't conflict" so you ask, "So you know and agree that humans and chimps share a common ape-like ancestor?"
They don't answer so you ask it three-5 billion more times with them never answering you and then...THEN they say something like, "I don't care about logic/I have no desire to be logical."
I feel like screaming, "THEN STOP FUCKING ARGUING WITH US!"
GAH!
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
It seems to me that the theists who are willing to engage in debate on here have already made up their minds. However, that doesn't mean we should stop debating. There is value in it because there are undoubtedly lurkers watching who are leaning one way or the other.
The key is to manage the amount of effort you put into any debate so as not to drive yourself insane. You have to go into it assuming that the theist is going to come back with crap illogical replies. I usually try to pick one thing a theist says, and press them to explain it. They give an illogical response, and I press one more time on the same point. If they can't give a good answer the second time, my work is done. Even I tend to gloss over when reading a massively long athiest reply to a theist fallacy.
Instead of trying to refute all of creationism in a single post, for example, it's better to try and refute one point at a time. If enough single points get refuted over and over, it's going to cause someone watching the debate to think.
Nobody I know was brainwashed into being an atheist.
Why Believe?
You know the arguments. You've seen them dozens, if not hundreds of times. Simply compile a numbered list of responses to the common misconceptions/misrepresentations. The next time someone brings up the same old "You can't disprove the existance of God" argument, simply reply #12, with a link to the appropriate response.
Susan
This to me highlights one of the most common problems being an atheist. Hearing the same damn arguements over and over again from people who think you have never heard them before AND ignore any counter-arguements. I find it more trying in real life than on this forum simply because I can ignore threads.
I only really argue with family members whose opinions I would love to change ot think they can be "saved" with logic and reason. Sadly that is an extremely low number, but hey, you gotta have "faith".
For any theists who read this I was using those words SARCASTICALLY.
Morte alla tyrannus et dei
I love this, Iruka. I know you and I have talked about this kind of thing several times, and it's always a struggle for me to remember all seven of these, but I do try.
Oh, and I think it's damn funny that there are 7 rules. It's such a biblical number.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism