Hi everyone
Offline ..and thanks for a wonderful site!
I registered a while ago but never really got around to posting. So, introducing myself counts as a start 
A brief description of me: 21-year old Russian-American philosophy and art history student with aspirations for a JD, a New Yorker living in Atlanta. I am a pragmatic atheist, and, sadly, as my views become more refined and consistent, it becomes harder and harder to explain them to people. I've gotten used to academic environment, where all arguments, no matter how bizarre, are considered and respected. Thats why I am often dumbfolded when talking to common religious people.. Hopefully, these forums will have some advice on how to deal with people who use but know nothing about circular arguments, criteria for evidence, etc... and Im just looking forward to hear from intelligent people.
Sooo I praise google for bringing me here and wish you all a good day!
Alina
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Welcome aboard. It can be somewhat frustrating to deal with religious people that only use their sacred text and what their leaders tell them for arguments. At times, it can be quite useless. No matter what sort of arguments and talking points that you make, the ultimate gist of their argument will be "Well, the sacred text just has to be right because it just has to be,".
I think the worst sort of people that I encounter are the ones that tell me "It doesn't matter what you say, I KNOW there is a god,".
While there are HUNDREDS of ways to refute some of these ridiculous assertions of the religious, it all depends on the religious individual, as to how open ended the discussion can be. I have had some religious people that were actually open to listening to my explanations of the way that I view the world and have had others (generally the ones that border on the fanatic end of the spectrum) that is was totally impossible to have a discussion with.
Either way, if you are looking for talking points and tips on what you can use in a debate/discussion, there is an endless wellspring of information here. Just reading the posts will give you all sorts of ideas. Have fun.
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
Welcome to the forum.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Nice to have you on board.