TheValk wrote:
I learn from hearing you speak. The public atheists offline are, as a rule, intellectually honest, polite and do not suffer from grandiosity. What I may say in conversations with the obnoxious atheists abundant on the internet lacking in all that (and more) is likely to have no connection with the respectable ones I'm happy to be acquaintance with.
Sure, there are obnoxious atheists - just as there are obnoxious theists - and yet obnoxiousness (or lack thereof) is unsubstantiated opinion without citing an example. By all means provide evidence of some obnoxious atheists, just remember that they aren't representative of every atheist. In turn, I'll choose not to lump you in with the Westboro lot, or with suicide bombers.
In their defence, even the most obnoxious and outspoken internet atheists are often still making their point in a logical manner. The message may be buried behind smug dismissals or self-congratulatory foolishness, but it's still there.
Regardless of the large incidence of stupidity on the internet (often stupidity of expression rather than the individual), an intellectually honest critical thinker is capable of having a polite discussion without resorting to the same level of stupidity. For example, you can choose to play either the man or the ball, just don't expect as much genuine regard for your views if you don't choose the latter.
The main reason I don't often post on these boards, or others for that matter, is that most 'discussions' tend to devolve into farcical name-calling or outright chaos where each side is making a great deal of noise, fervently believing in its own infallible logic or beliefs, oblivious to the fact that nobody is actually paying attention. That is, nobody is paying attention to the message - they're far more interested in dissecting the tiniest error or perceived falsehood.
So my suggestion: if you want to discuss the subject matter with the participants, do so in an honest manner. If you want to discuss the views and beliefs (or again lack thereof) of atheists, that's great. If you want to point the finger and label all atheists as obnoxious because of "some atheists somewhere that I've encountered sometimes", don't expect to be taken seriously.
So tell me, what have you learned by 'hearing' me speak?
As Modern Science understands emotion and illusion to be reality underlying ALL Logic..
and varying between every individual depending on neurological and perceptual differences in recognizing and perceiving this illusion we like to suggest..
29 Sep 2013, 10:36 am
