I have just finished...
Offline I have just finished a 3 hour long MSN conversation with a Christian about her beliefs.
What a marathon. My brain has turned to mush. I was more well prepared than I thought for my first attempt at getting someone to seriously question their beliefs. Still, it was much, much harder than I thought.
It's amazing. You think you can be on to something good, and then they will say something that just completely undermines everything you've said in one sweeping fallacy. It took alot out of me. Still, I think I made an impression. She hadn't heard the part in the bible where the two bears (on god's command) kill 42 children, so now she said she will go and do research regarding the bible. I think this is a good sign.
We also touched on the topic of evolution. It is difficult to debate it with a Christian, and indeed, with a non-Christian. People seem to whiz by the fact that evolution is a science. An extremely DIFFICULT science at that. I mean, people hear the words "quantam mechanics" and "magnetic flux density" and go "Flux that I don't understand all that physics crap!". On the other hand people are quite ready to say "evolution? Nah I didn't come from no monkey (or retarded fish frog as Mrs Garrison would suggest).
How many of you atheists out there have had luck discussing someone into conversion? And if so, how did you go about it?
Thanks,
Liam_M.
P.S. If anyone wants to read it (although I doubt anyone will...) I saved the transcript of the conversation, so any pointers would be helpful 
Theism is for n00bs.
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Nah, we've heard all their shit before. People are ready to debate against evolution when they have no fucking clue what t's actually about.
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It is extremely hard to talk to smeone who is so brainwashed into a certain worldview that they can't say that they were wrong if they were proven wrong. Welcome to my world.
I'm just to
.
Liam, if you want to save it in a word.doc, .txt, or .pdf I can host it on the site somewhere for you, I've been meaning to start a section for IM debates. Send to .
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"Flux that I don't understand all that physics crap!"
Now THAT'S comedy!
Even after having heard their "arguments" 100's of times, it still stuns me when I hear what they believe.
People who think there is something they refer to as god don't ask enough questions.
Liam_M,
There is a fairly good book on this subject, "Combatting Cult Mind Control" by Steve Hassan. I don't agree with everything he has to say but most of it is pretty useful. I concluded that he helps those in far out cults break free and come back to more mainstream religions, but I could be wrong about that. I'll have to reread it.
http://www.amazon.com/Combatting-Cult-Mind-Control-Best-selling/dp/0892813113/sr=8-1/qid=1163948378/ref=sr_1_1/102-6511562-7336903?ie=UTF8&s=books
Getting someone to break free of their God delusion can take more than an three hour conversation. Planting the seed of doubt is a good start, however. Sometimes attacking their belief headon makes them defensive. Ask them lots of questions to discover what they believe. This will usually expose many logical fallicies and contridictions you can present to them later. Let them know that even if you disagree with them you still accecpt them, just not their irrational ideas.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca