Ripping a person’s faith away, a heavy responsibility?

by Seraphim23 207 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  cantleave

  you two morons

  You have gone straight for ad hominem attack. You obviously can not differentiate between criticising IDEAS as oppossed to the person. It might be worth you reading about how to debate.

  The rest of your argument is strawman, since you have created an argument that neither Bohm or I were using.

  Why don't you try challenging our actual arguments and ansering our questions instead of creating a diatribe about something we never said?

  Not once have I attacked people. I have attacked ideas. Ideas should be challenged. Here's an example, if I say "Islam is dangerous destructive religion, that has no place in human society", am I criticising a group of people? No! I am criticising a regious idea!

  If I said "Green skinned women are should go back to their own country" I am attcking people, that is unacceptable.

  Religion is an idea, it is divisive and destructive, it needs to be challenged.

  Are you now beginning to see why your post above fallacious?
• 

  Xanthippe

  Ridicule is probably more feared by people with indefensible ideas than mere facts and truth.

  Why do you think Totalitarian regimes have always stamped on the Satirists. the Comics and the Cartoonists ?

  The more we ridicule these silly beliefs the more it is thrown in to bold relief just how daft they are. - Phizzy

  Hi Phizzy. When I was talking about ridicule in answer to Cofty's question I thought we were talking about discussions on this forum. I was thinking about ex-JWs not totalitarian regimes.
• 

  cofty

  Don't you think that ridicule is the last refuge of the intellectually challenged? - xanhippe

  You have obviously never read or listened to the intellectual giant that was Christopher Hitchens. If you have not heard his scathing and insightful attacks on theism you should check out some of his online debates.

  Ridicule, sarcasm and well-informed debate are not mutually exclusive.
• 

  Xanthippe

  That's right, I am saying that superstitious beliefs should not be ridiculed but that they should be discussed calmly and logically. Don't you think that ridicule is the last refuge of the intellectually challenged? -Xanthippe

  That discussion basically goes like this:

  Religion: Take me serious! take me serious! take me serious!

  Science: okay, so why do you have the truth?

  U CANT PROOVE I DONT & SCIENCE CANT PROOVE ITSELF WITH SCIENCE & HOW COULD NOTHING EXPLODE???!!!11!!!! I WIN!!!

  moron

  Take me serious! take me serious! take me serious! - Bohm

  Well, my case rests. (thanks for calling me a moron)
• 

  cantleave

  edit: tribal wars in african villages are stupid then by your definition are they ? well gee whizz I gues the good ole USof A must be the

  epitome of all things stooopidist then ... invading foreign countries and bombing the sht out of women and children under the guise and

  subterfuge of 'assisting and libnerating them'

  Once again you are using a strawman argument, none of the above is relevant either to what I actually stated or my worldview. As for good old USofA - I am a Brit!
• 

  Xanthippe

  You have obviously never read or listened to the intellectual giant that was Christopher Hitchens. If you have not heard his scathing and insightful attacks on theism you should check out some of his online debates.

  Ridicule, sarcasm and well-informed debate are not mutually exclusive.

  Hi Cofty, I hope you are well and that your health continues to improve. Yes I have listened to Hitchens but again I thought we were discussing the op in the context of this forum rather than lecture theatres and youtube.
• 

  cofty

  It is in the context of this discussion.

  Silly ideas that are promoted in any public forum should not be immune from ridicule.

  You asserted that " ridicule is the last refuge of the intellectually challenged ".

  Hitchens proves beyond any doubt that you can be an intellectual giant while employing scathing ridicule against risible beliefs.
• 

  Xanthippe

  Cofty, actually I didn't assert it I asked you if you thought it was so. I can see that you don't and that you think ridicule is a good thing. Although people keep asserting that ridiculing a person's silly beliefs and ridiculing the person are two different things I don't think all ex-JWs coming to this forum can tell the difference. That is my interpretation of the topic.
• 

  cofty

  you think ridicule is a good thing

  Where did I say that?

  Ridicule can be an effective tool to expose risible beliefs. It is most effective when backed up with compelling evidence and reason and delivered with wit.

  Nobody has their faith "ripped away" as the OP and title implies. People of faith have a whole arsenal of weapons to deflect reason, evidence and rationality.

  Anything we say here has, at best a long-term effect on the poison of superstition.
• 

  *lost*

  cant leave it was bait - and you took it

  and actually you didnt give any example of any actions you were condeming

  you made broad generalist statements

  you did not once say i disagree with such and such because __________

  yeah lot of brits hate muslims, but not all muslims are bad people.

  lot of brits are racist, that don't make all brits bad

  broad generalisations

  a person ideas are part of the person, what constitues their make up as a person.

  wasn't so easy to make you angry and start throwing insults now was it

  quality of words is far more important than the quantity

  that is why the pen is mightier than the sword

  xan - I think possibly a lot of ex-jws still hold to their notions of and air of superiority and judgement .. looking down their noses on the ammorites, becomig worse than the thing they condemned

  animal farm