Ask an atheist

[ciphergoth]

In a discussion about religion in wildeabandon's journal, meihua writes: "this seems to have turned into me interrogating you. [...] Is there anything you'd like to challenge me on, instead?"

I think it's only fair enough to open up my own beliefs to the challenges of others, since I'm always keen to respond when theists invite me to give my perspective on some aspect of their beliefs as wildeabandon has in a series of recent posts. So, is there anything you'd like me to respond to?

Rules:

• You don't have to read this thread. This post is an invitation, not a challenge; if you don't like to read me talking about this then feel free to skip this.
• Be honest. Please don't advance arguments you don't personally buy, unless you're also an atheist and you want to discuss how best to counter it.
• If you come to change your mind about the validity of an argument, think about how you can generalise the lesson learned so as not to misassess similar arguments in future.
• Don't just match the politeness of what you reply to, but try to exceed it - see Postel's Law. Otherwise it is very easy to end up with a thread where each contributor thinks they are merely matching the snark level of the other, and yet the thread starts with the very slightest suggestion of rudeness and finishes with "please choke on a bucket of cocks".

Comments

[plumsbitch.livejournal.com]

Am coming in late to this, but I find the exchange between these two comments, and the way each of you anatomise your 'itches' fascinating, and the subtext that there is something we might for eg call an 'itch dynamic', which functions for you, P, around religion, and for you, M, on say gender. And that this dynamic/process, both as distinct to and linked in with the trigger subjects, is something we might be able to unpick.

[some-fox.livejournal.com]

Oh really interesting. I'd never thought of the 'itch' way of seeing it until ciphergoth mentioned it but of course I have things that itch me too. It makes it easier for me to understand his views, although I wish he itched on the same things as me because I'd love to channel that energy and commitment to something I regard as important rather than something he thinks is important ;-)