So I have to get some community service hours done, and in my hour of desparation i went to church, so I get there and i arrange a meeting, which i neglected to attend. SOOO now im having dinner with the holy man.

Anything in particular i should do/ask?

mostly im going ask some questions about religion. (i have already brushed up on the holy trinity, richard dawkins, christopher hitchens, and sam harris, and im ready to PWN)

I can't forsee any scenario where you don't get immediately violently and painfully raped

Ask him why god couldn't be female? Also ask him about god's sperm.

Ironic post for some named "infidelguy".

ask him if god could microwave a burrito so hot that he couldn't eat it

You should ask him "Why the fuck am I here with you right now"

It doesn't have anything to do with thread but I find the idea of having passionate sex with a hot nun quite erotic.

Ask what he sees in little boys that makes him want to molest them; if it was some traumatic experience, or he just is a sick, twisted individual.

Alright guys, chill out. Those last few posts made me feel like I'd accidentally gone into HB.

Anyways, bring up the whole atheist shebang. Mention the Jesus myth hypothesis, the fact that the New Testament are secondhand, that the early church was manipulated by Constantine to serve his needs, that many religions prior to Christianity had Jesus-like figures, bring up the argument from evil (Why does God allow any sort of suffering or evil to occur), etc..

There are millions of things you could argue. Man, I wish I'd be able to sit down with you and the priest and debate his ass. Well, if I can get a Jew and a bartender too, we might just be in for some lulz as well..

Oh, and don't forget to stock up on rebuttals. If he argues that religion provides the backbone for morals and ethics, print out Zay's post on his thread in My God about secular human ethics and blow his ass out of the water.

If he argues that we don't know what came before the big bang, tell him that he is using a gray area of science to hide God in. He's being absurd by basically stating "We don't know=It must be God"

Good luck, and be sure to tell of what transpires :)

That is so stupid. Why do you feel like you need to belittle other people's beliefs and prove to them that everything they believe in is incorrect and that you're just soo much smarter than them. What are they hurting by believing in god? What makes your beliefs so much more valid?

Ask him if he could just sign your community service papers and let you get the fuck out of there.

As long as he wouldn't try to convince me or force his beliefs unto me, I think I'd have a pretty interesting conversation. Hey, at least he isn't some Scientologist jackass. I hate cults, except the Blue Oyster one ;)

"This product has been pasteurised" Tell your Paster to get the fuck away from my olives.

From a Christfag, only ask about religion unless you are truely interested. It wastes both your own and his time.

Usually, the holy man's wife is a down-to-earth chick who cooks good food on a budget, so enjoy it. My pastor's wife cooks a mean maccoronni casserole. Dont fuck with that shit, son, because I'll break you down like an AK-47 before you even touch the spoon.

Dinner, as in, at his house? Or in the church? I'm sorry, but some of you are fucking rude. I'm a proud atheist and I would NEVER bring that shit up at an occasion like that. Don't you know that you're not supposed to talk politics or religion over dinner? It's fucking RUDE. Just talk about your business.

Maybe it's because I'm a rough Southerner, but I don't think anything should be automatically taboo for talk just because you are eating. However, I believe that the benevolent host decides what is right and wrong table discussion. If he brings up religion, do speak your mind and try to be open about your beliefs. Of not, don't be a dick head.

just start obviously flirting with him.

This is how it went

I get there and talk for a bit and i try to edge him into talking about religion (he was small takin, and i decided to use the argument that morality comes from outside the bible and to apply the morality to deteremine waht in the bible constitutes as 'a good way to live'" is a backwards and crazy thing to believe in. ) anyway he seemingly warningly told me how he was doctorate student in religion and was workin on his phd.

we had some interesting talk he countered alot of points i made, and made use of the "your evidence is the same evidence that christians defend with"

and all i have to do is play basketball with a bunch of christians and tell them drugs are bad.

oh we went to a greek restaurant. oh and i truly do have an interest in religion, when you grow up under religious rule you cant help being interested.

also, i didnt really mean to belittle him and im certain he didnt feel that way, infact he welcomed the open discussion, and although its true my intentions were mainly on the satisfaction of convincing some authoritative religious figure wrong,( what can i say i resent my religious indoctrination. ) but in the end i am not doing any moral misdeed regardless of my intentions because at most all i did was test his faith, something his religion openly welcomes.

as to what makes his opinion valid is because his opinions are backed by the majority of academia, and although religious opinion is backed by huge extremely wealthy quasi corporations and billions of people , academia conducts formal investigation and relies on empirical evidence.

today i learned that religious text historicity is an enormous topic for the average person who comprehend.

hahah i loled hard. it woulda been nice to have read that before i left.

e: post may appear more enthusiastic than actuality.

sounds like you had a good time.
see not all religious people are psychos or dumb.

but, in the end contributes to the problem, even through they may be living a sane and intelligent life.

*clever rape joke here*

That is so stupid. Why do you feel like you need to belittle other people's beliefs and prove to them that everything they believe in is incorrect and that you're just soo much smarter than them.

Because it's funny.


What are they hurting by believing in god?


Millions of people, those killed in wars over religion as well as those who have been indoctrinated in it from a young age.



What makes your beliefs so much more valid?

Because they're not based on the jibber jabber of some crazy mo'fucka who lived thousands of years ago and likely never experienced much beyond his local area.

I don't mean to offend Christians per sé, I just like people to be honest about what they believe in, and if possible, to try and provide some logical base for that. Now, that they may feel uncomfortable taking an analytical view at their beliefs is none of my concern, because one should be able to always be truthful to oneself and other, no?

Anyways, me thinking my beliefs to be superior or inferior is an irrelevant point, because such views are relative. What the argument boils down to, really, is whether each side of the dispute can hold it's own logical ground.

Now, I don't take pleasure in belittling people. I don't like to argue this point out of sheer joy of seeing Christians and other squirm, either. I do enjoy being able to sit down with someone, present my case, they present theirs, and have a stable debate with them. I'm not proving that they're incorrect, either.

In the course of a debate, you can expect the other side to take some swipes at you. My ability to tout those swipes and offer a counterattack, however, maintains my view. If a Christian, or any other kind of debater can't do this, then their view is, at best, flawed.

Try out a bit of Epicurus on him:

Is god willing to prevent evil but unable? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able but unwilling? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him god?