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I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, it is a complete stereotype and misleading. On the other, it does say leave us alone and I approve of that.
My favorite part is the last line - "very advanced" techniques are needed. It's quite a compliment!
Also, I note the egotistical blindness here - an atheist couldn't possibly be grumpy because some blithering idiot is working "very advanced" conversion mojo on him/her.
The feelings are always going to be mixed, until we know the worst is over. What's the right strategy, Are we overlooking something that will deal atheism a body blow later on?
But by and large, mocking the unashamed misrepresentation of atheism (even if mockery is never so ludicrous that you can't find genuine religious propaganda that's even worse) is never going to be too harmful. Kids are mischievous enough to be curious about this weird old guy in his dressing gown, mug of coffee and grumpy expression...yes, folks I retired early on the royalties...
And even if that was genuine anti atheist propaganda, it would only work if the Other Side never got a chance to put their case. Since the internet, they have been on the back foot, and the name of the game has always been to try to shut the other side up and be the only side that gets to talk. From the Gish gallop to the endless attack on "New" (outspoken) atheism, "Please shut up and go away, and let us be the only ones talking - just like it was in the good Old days" is one of the basics of religious propaganda.
This is a joke thread so I won't go on to 'debate is very good - but it must never be allowed to be a show trial'. But the point is that the truth will out - so long as it isn't blocked. And bit by bit, smart kids - and they are smart if they are not totally threatened with hellfire if they dare to be smart - will see these stock arguments of the religious side, sooner or later (1) are not sound, not thought through, not justified, not correct and not too infrequently, damned lies. And they, like me, do not like being bamboozled, whether by those trying to prove that the NT has to be historical fact or by those claiming that all the Jesus story -elements can be found in earlier myths.
And let's see whether I can attach a few joke -piccies, to excuse this bllwddy lecture.
(1) I last night caught a clip of a discussion in front of an audience. There was a discussion on why God doesn't just forgive, instead of providing a blood sacrifice. And the other side tossed in a soundbyte slogan. "There can be no restitution without cost" and there was a load of enthusiastic applause and Dawkins asking 'Why are you applauding That?" was talked down. But That got the applause because it was simply s religious box -ticking slogan that hit the right note with the believers, and because it sounded right and meaningful, that was good enough for them.
It's a claim that (even apart from whether there is an existing God to apply it to) needs some unpacking and thinking about, and I haven't done it even yet, but the reaction was super -positive and damn near a debate -winner, instantly. Without any effort or justification. It was no more than a triggering of a Pavlovian reaction out of a well -indoctrinated section of the audience. There's a whole book to be written on how a quick, easy, pressing of the instinctive emotion button - even indocrinated instinct - will Trump a reasoned argument every time.
Last edited by TRANSPONDER; 11-18-2017 at 11:36 AM..
I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, it is a complete stereotype and misleading. On the other, it does say leave us alone and I approve of that.
Well characterizing unbelief as "Bah! I don't believe anything! Go away!" must be very confusing for them when they encounter a friendly, approachable atheist who listens attentively and respectfully and then presents cogent reasons for not buying it.
Alas, I lack the time or patience for such things.
It is of course part and parcel of the standard theist demonization that we can't possibly have any reason for unbelief worth attending to -- rather, we are angry, rebellious, licentious, devious, and somehow filled with hate for an entity we don't even believe exists. It is gaslighting of the first order and so I have no mixed feelings about it at all. It is patently dishonest and disrespectful.
But they ase truly astonished if you say so and call that being aggressive and attacking. To them, telling the unbeliever they are fools (with the Good Ol' stock Biblequote ) for listening to human knowledge rather than God, that they are being deluded by Satan (of course )who is taking advantage of some hurt or resentment that has turned the bod (temporarily) away from God. And they are risking going to Hell is to them an act of Love to bring the backslider back to the truth. They truly do not understand how rude, demeaning, insolent and vicious they are being. They expect the other side to be truly Thankful, and return to Jesus with a few stock arguments ("a lot of really educated people believe in Jesus - you think you are smarter than them?") and a fiddling of the NT to show that by disbelieving the Religion, that proves the Bible true! (I gotta admit that anyone who manages to produce a really convincing "Your disagreeing with me merely proves me right!" argument is onto a winner). It does no good producing an overbalancing heap of stunning reasons why religious faith does not stack up. If you know the Bible fifty times better than they do, that means nothing. Believing in it on Faith is the True understanding, even if you have never ever read the damn' thing.
And a moment's censorous stare followed by a heap of accusation about arrogance, pride, making ones'self into ones' own god and all the rest is notinsulting, heavens no. it's designed to make them come to their senses, and anything other than apology and humble repentance is pretty much unforgivable disrespect. On the internet it's deserving as being denounced as trolling.
It is gaslighting of the first order and so I have no mixed feelings about it at all. It is patently dishonest and disrespectful.
Yep. According to my evangelical Christian parents, I’m the crazy one. “Why are you angry at God?”, they say. In other words, their actions are sanctioned by God himself, and anyone who doesn’t go along with it is inherently defective.
They are lucky they didn't get sued for copyright infringement. This is the character Zira from the original Planet of the Apes and Escape from Planet of the Apes, cut-and-pasted (literally, given the era) onto a photo, presumably, of Gertrude Patrick. How bizarre (and naive). Either it was never noticed or it was not worth pursuing.
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so I won't go on to 'debate is very good - but it must never be allowed to be a show trial'. But the point is that the truth will out - so long as it isn't blocked. And bit by bit, smart kids - and they are smart if they are not totally threatened with hellfire if they dare to be smart - will see these stock arguments of the religious side, sooner or later (1) are not sound, not thought through, not justified, not correct and not too infrequently, damned lies. And they, like me, do not like being bamboozled, whether by those trying to prove that the NT has to be historical fact or by those claiming that all the Jesus story -elements can be found in earlier myths. 
) for listening to human knowledge rather than God, that they are being deluded by Satan (of course 
