Deconversion
Offline I know a girl, a good friend of mine. I became good friends with her on a TEC retreat. TEC stands for Teens Encounter Christ. I was working behind the scenes at the TEC. Anyway she really got a lot out of it and became a strong Christian person. I went the other way around soon after.
Enough backround information.
I am about 90% sure I have the ability to deconvert her. The question I have is, why?
She is a nice person, she isn't too bible blind that it effects her character.
She goes on 'mountains and valleys' like christians call it where she is very happy and then upset. Usually, (for me at least) Atheism has really levelled this out and made it more stable.
So there are pros and cons
i see in the big picture it would probably be good to deconvert her because that would result in more atheists in the future probably. Id rather justify my actions on a smaller picture though.
I'm asking for 2 things
reasons to do it.
and short sweet things i can say to help me do it.
a lot of the things i say is going to be between me and her. But I intend on getting outside resources, and if i do. I would like them to be short and sweet so I can throw them in without it looking like i copied an essay.
Thanks a lot,
-Adroit
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I can't speak for anyone else here, but I personally don't try to convert people to atheism or de-convert or whatever. If she's cool with who you are now, I see no reason to try to change her. However, there's nothing wrong with pointing out the fallacies of what she believes. Just because I tell some theists they are insane for believing in magic doesn't mean that they aren't sincere in how much they feel they're right.
Christians are probably the only group that actively resorts to trying to increase their numbers and I don't see that atheists need to actively resort to the same tactics as christians in order to be effective at increasing the herd so to speak. I guess just start small and ask her why she believes what she does and then let her do her own research. If noah's flood, for example, can't hold up to scrutiny then the bible falls apart.
The tough part is people want to hold onto beliefs because they comfort them. Christians constantly use this arguement against atheists but rarely reflect they are falling into the same trap. Atheists don't believe in god because we all want to party and get drunk yada yada yada.
"Always seek out the truth, but avoid at all costs those that claim to have found it" ANONYMOUS
RANT - My first question to an idol worshiper very often is what isn't g-o-d? Like when them xains come knocking at the door,
I will immediately say smiling something like, "Hi it's me god, me christ, what is your message this day you are spreading? You are god as that wisest story interpretation jesus said , right , as so buried in that bible book you are holding of mostly bull shit you so highly recommend ?
Yeah I am god and so are you, so what is your message? Please don't tell me and the neighbors to accept an idol to worship. You do know that all the wise ones said that we are god , to have no idols , right?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God is what we are, and all dogma that says otherwise is the enemy to heal. I simply reject any god definition that separates us from what is all existence .... Me god has no master to worship. I am atheist. I am 100% god .
What am I , what is god? , well that is science, the best explanation of what we god there is ..... Nothing in science has been excluded ...... nothing ..... science includes everything we can think of ....
Atheism Books.
Don't try to deconvert her. I don't think it would work anyway, it would most likely alienate you from her- but more importantly, all former Christians who are now atheists I know deconverted themselves. If she knows that you are an atheist and a nice guy and you can be good friends without the whole faith thing mattering between you, she will also realize that, apparently, it is possible to not belief in a god, and that this does not, so to say, cause one to one grow horns and a tail.
If your interest in her is deeper, things might be a little more complicated of course, but from what I read that does not seem to be the case (right?)