Extreme irrationality.
Offline It can be very frustrating dealing the the extremely irrational people. I'm talking about the ones who keep saying the same thing over and over no matter how much you counter it, or the Christians that respond to anything you say or post with a Bible verse, etc. I was just on another forum where the discussion was about horoscopes (an irrational precept!) and one woman kept saying if you get a detailed chart they are accurate. What are you supposed to do with the people who refuse to take logic or science into consderation? Obviously they won't change their beliefs and can interfere with getting otherwise rational people who may believe in certain irrational things to take a closer look at what they believe.
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There's nothing you can do. A good example is that JesusLovesYou person. I've seen countless points thrown at them and they don't even respond to it. That is, unless you consider an out of context bible verse being thrown at you as a response. Its almost as if they cannot even see what you have said, that it did not digest at all. That they had a premeditated reaction in place before they even finished your post. The key is to identify those people and move on before wasting your time further.
I often say that the only argument that can be settled by quoting the bible is an argument over what the bible says... hardcore theists fail to see my point.
I think there is an honest inability for such people to understand that the bible cannot be used as a valid argument. The idea of the bible being absolute truth is so ingrained in their psyche that it colors their perception in all matters.
I do have theist friends that I can have great discussions and debates with concerning religion. This happens because they do not hold the bible to be a source of absolute truth. They may quote the it, but they are completely understanding of the counterpoints I make.
I can certainly understand your point about astrologers... my slow and methodical journey toward atheism brought me through the whole occult scene. I tried to accept things like astrology, but my natural skepticism kept me from gaining any firm belief in such things.
The one thing I really learned is that many people scoff at traditional religious dogma yet blindly embrace another dogmatic belief. I can't even tell you how many times I heard Christians referred to as mindless drones by people who hold equally absurd spiritual views. When I began to challenge those views, I was met with the same sort of arguments and irrationality that these "enlightened" individuals mocked Jews, Muslims, and Christians for.
Same old bullshit, different package.
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