Whats the point of trolling an atheist sub-forum? (meaning, believe, delusion)

[moddestmike]

I've notice the influx of blatantly ignorant topics, subsequently being closed by the mods.

My question to any trolls that may be reading this, what is the point? Do you not realize you only reinforce our disdain for theist and the delusions associated with such beliefs?

Questions such as:
"Why don't you just believe?"
"What will you do when you die and meet god?"
"Why can't you just be a cultural Christian?"
"Why can't you refrain from being critical of religion, don't you realize that its sacred to millions of people?"
"Do atheist use US dollars being that they are inscribed with In God We Trust?"

I could go on but my fellow CD'ers get the idea. I sincerely hate to admit this, but when questions as such are asked I can only assume you are either poorly educated, or simply being facetious and do not wish to engage in genuine discourse on the matter.

So again, please understand how your questions are viewed. This is not to say I discourage criticism/question of genuine intent. Conversation within a legitimate domain will always be encouraged.

Carry on....

[jdaelectro]

Whats the point in trolling any forum? People just like getting a rise out of others. I've never done it, but I have chuckled at many a posts/posters that have fallen victim to it.

[peppermint]

I guess I'm too serious. Trolling irritates me, mostly because I always assume that if a person asks a question, he/she genuinely wants an answer. Guess that's the teacher in me.

[moddestmike]

Originally Posted by jdaelectro

Whats the point in trolling any forum? People just like getting a rise out of others. I've never have done it, but I have chuckled at many a posts/posters that have fallen victim to it.

I agree in that its pointless no matter the forum, but I guess I'm a bit more curious as to if said trolls are actually just not educated enough to engage in conversation, so as a result of their self-felt inferiority they just post to "get a rise"? Or are their questions sincere but maybe not articulated well.

And to add, it does get annoying when members are engaged in legitimate conversation only to have it derailed by some blatantly idiotic post/question. I blame part of this on those that entertain and respond to such drivel also.

[jdaelectro]

Originally Posted by moddestmike

I guess I'm a bit more curious as to if said trolls are actually just not educated enough to engage in conversation, so as a result of their self-felt inferiority they just post to "get a rise"?

They could be both, educated or uneducated. There really is no way of telling.

Originally Posted by moddestmike

Or are their questions sincere but maybe not articulated well.

This can usually be told by responses from the poster. If they respond in a hostile way, then they are most likely a troll. If they continue to respond in proper discourse but they can't articulate very well, then they probably just don't have good grammar skills or English isn't their first language.

Originally Posted by moddestmike

And to add, it does get annoying when members are engaged in legitimate conversation only to have it derailed by some blatantly idiotic post/question. I blame part of this on those that entertain and respond to such drivel also.

Ignoring the troll is the best remedy. Try to not let it get to you. Like I said, I've found humor in a couple of them.... not on this forum though.

[jdaelectro]

Also, I might add that a R&P forum is a place where someones core beliefs are discussed. This context is ripe for the picking for trolls that want an emotional outburst.

[pamelaBeurman]

Originally Posted by moddestmike

I've notice the influx of blatantly ignorant topics, subsequently being closed by the mods.

My question to any trolls that may be reading this, what is the point? Do you not realize you only reinforce our disdain for theist and the delusions associated with such beliefs?

Questions such as:
"Why don't you just believe?"
"What will you do when you die and meet god?"
"Why can't you just be a cultural Christian?"
"Why can't you refrain from being critical of religion, don't you realize that its sacred to millions of people?"
"Do atheist use US dollars being that they are inscribed with In God We Trust?"

I could go on but my fellow CD'ers get the idea. I sincerely hate to admit this, but when questions as such are asked I can only assume you are either poorly educated, or simply being facetious and do not wish to engage in genuine discourse on the matter.

So again, please understand how your questions are viewed. This is not to say I discourage criticism/question of genuine intent. Conversation within a legitimate domain will always be encouraged.

Carry on....

You left out "Religion for Atheist's".

Can you say "oxymoron" ?

It's not just the Atheist sub-forum that's infested with the annoying little critters. Try having a conversation about Paganism or the paranormal sometime. A few serious posts and suddenly the thread is full of posts from the Hellfire and Damnation Club with their dire warnings.

Just smile, nod, don't make eye contact and back away slowly.

[greaemonkey]

I've seen plenty of atheist's troll religious forums so I never get too upset; I'm new here, but in other places I've seldom seen an atheist do it in a "hit and run" fashion that many religious types take on atheism forums. I have a grudging respect for those theists that stick it out although (because?) they generally end up making our points for us; especially to those who might be experiencing some genuine doubt about their beliefs.

I've heard my brother-in-law brag about talking to atheists' and in parting, telling them "well, I guess when you die you'll KNOW!" as if it would do anything but make them roll their eyes. He gave up that sort of thing with me a long time ago; in the last few years it's been more to his liking to wait until he's surrounded by other Christians and then start a conversation about the evils of atheism or how Christians are being persecuted in America (nothing more ironic than surrounding an atheist with Christians to make any kind of point about how persecuted THEY are!). I seldom to never "take the bait" unless the claim is too utterly ridiculous to pass up.

Just like with my BIL, the supreme irony is that the "troll" threads tend to remind many of us why we LEFT religion in the first place rather than provide any meaningful reason for any sort of "theistic introspection." I mentioned elsewhere that my father was a Southern Baptist minister; he used to strongly discourage "new converts" from attempting to proselytize for this very reason. He felt they did more damage than good too early into things and tried to teach them some selective bible study first; in later years it occurred to me that he simply understood that raw emotional appeals without any actual knowledge just tends to turn people off.

[Yuma, AZ]

We're not trolling. Many of us have questions for atheists so we could ask in forum, since we never met any non-believers in real life.

[moddestmike]

Originally Posted by Yuma, AZ

We're not trolling. Many of us have questions for atheists so we could ask in forum, since we never met any non-believers in real life.

And I encourage you to ask away.