Atheism people (non-believers) should be invited by the believers for a peaceful dialogue

[leibowde84]

Some of the people who's opinions I respect most in this world are atheists. I think atheists and agnostics tend to be more intellectually honest, and their questions and opinions certainly help me to stay intellectually honest with myself. =)

I feel the same way. They usually force me to reconsider my world-view and tend to call me out on apparent biases. I appreciate it.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

My local Humanist group holds many meetings with people of Faith and also attend inter-Faith events.

I have a friend who is thinking about joining a Humanist group. What kind of stuff do you talk about?

 

[Altfish]

I have a friend who is thinking about joining a Humanist group. What kind of stuff do you talk about?

Anything, we have scientific talks/debates, the next one is Dr Susane Schultz Darwin Day Lecture - 'Religion, Cooperation and Pro-Sociality - Are Religious People More Cooperative?'
Often with other faiths it is all about, "What do you believe?" ... I try to be civil

 

[paarsurrey]

Meeting random anonymous people from internet forum to discuss sensitive religious issues, face to face and in a peaceful manner?
What is the guarantee that it will be peaceful? Is it safe to do so?
I think that is not a good idea and can lead people into trouble.
If discussion in internet forum cannot convince non-believer, why discussion in real life face to face will suddenly magically be able to convince them?

It is not a debate, it is comparing of notes. Once we sit together, a lot of things are discussed during the entertainment and it does not remain a formal discussion, in an informal sitting both the host and the guest become friends , while sticking to their own points of views, the bitterness goes away. One could just listen to the guest's point of view in one sitting, and in the next sitting, say after a week, both meet again and the host gives his own points of view. Thus in several sittings the notes are discussed, of course without derision and ridicule.
Try it, and one would see the difference of discussion on the internet and the discussion in one to one meeting as proposed.
Regards

 

[paarsurrey]

Thanks, I'm not trying to convince atheists, of anything, though.

It is OK to meet , compare the notes and make friends. No compulsion to convince or to get convinced. Right?
Regards

 

[RRex]

I'm still in.

Would love to meet you all at a convention or something.

 

[ArtieE]

It is OK to meet , compare the notes and make friends. No compulsion to convince or to get convinced. Right?
Regards

It would be so much simpler if all the theism people got together and decided which god(s) exist and atheist people could sit down with them. As it is now we would have to sit down with all the theist people believing in different gods one by one and evaluate them on their own merits.

 

[YmirGF]

We, believers, should convince Atheism people with our reasonable and brilliant signs and arguments on one to one basis in and outside the Academia, over a cup of tea and or coffee, like thus:

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Peace be on you and your family.
Over a cup of hot coffee or tea in the Tim Hortons
Without the burden of “Burden of proof”
Let us compare our notes on:
“Does God exist or does not exist?”
Don’t worry; I will pay the bill of Tim Hortons.
Cordially invited to one to one discussion
Open to everybody, the Theists (the believers in God) of all denominations and the Atheists (the non-believers) of all hues and colors.
It will be a peaceful dialogue and without derision or ridicule.
Just call me, please:
I am, Skeptic of the Skeptic, a believer in God very naturally.​

I am confident we can convince them with peaceful dialogue .
Regards

Sadly friend, your enthusiasm does not constitute brilliance in my books. If I were to receive such an invitation, I'd mostly likely smile, roll my eyes and whilst feeling great pity for you and those like you, crumple the note up and toss it in the recycling bag. It's sort of like someone with an infectious disease wanting to spread their disease to another so that they have company....

 

[RRex]

I don't understand the hostility here. If no one is going to try to convert others to his/her beliefs and we all just sit down over coffee and talk, what's the big deal?

Why does there have to be such tension between us?

We're all adults.

 

[viole]

We, believers, should convince Atheism people with our reasonable and brilliant signs and arguments on one to one basis in and outside the Academia, over a cup of tea and or coffee, like thus:

Hello! Hello! Hello!

Peace be on you and your family.
Over a cup of hot coffee or tea in the Tim Hortons
Without the burden of “Burden of proof”
Let us compare our notes on:
“Does God exist or does not exist?”
Don’t worry; I will pay the bill of Tim Hortons.
Cordially invited to one to one discussion
Open to everybody, the Theists (the believers in God) of all denominations and the Atheists (the non-believers) of all hues and colors.
It will be a peaceful dialogue and without derision or ridicule.
Just call me, please:
I am, Skeptic of the Skeptic, a believer in God very naturally.​

I am confident we can convince them with peaceful dialogue .
Regards

I thnk it is more efficient if you first invite all believers in different God than yours. Once you managed to convince them all with peaceful dialogue, you can address the atheist.

As long as you guys do not even show any agreement about the basic qualities of god or gods, any discussion about His, Her, or Their existence would be not more productive than the discussion we are having here.

Ciao

- viole

 

[paarsurrey]

I don't agree with the above.
The invitation is extended to both an Atheist or a Theist believer. If the invitation is accepted by a Theist believer, then the comparing of notes will naturally circle around on what "G-d does exist" and will be decided on the attributes of God, the discussion will not be on "G-d does not exist" which is not a valid topic for discussion among the believers in their inner circle as the host and the guest are both believers.
Regards

 

[YmirGF]

I don't understand the hostility here. If no one is going to try to convert others to his/her beliefs and we all just sit down over coffee and talk, what's the big deal?

Why does there have to be such tension between us?

We're all adults.

Um, what hostility, RRex? Indeed, if it is merely a sit down to talk over our gardens and cabinet making skills or the latest recipes we have created, I'm all in. I must confess though, I am not the slightest bit interested in what some human animals think about their version of god. I've lost interest, on a personal level, and have far more intriguing things to occupy myself. The point is, anyone who knows me, would understand this and never think to try to bait me into a conversation, in a very public setting, for a "peaceful" dialogue that would probably take the fizz out of most theists effervescence in fairly short order as they dashed against the razor's edge of my persona. Further to this, it isn't so much that many of us no longer believe in god, but rather, have become uninterested in the subject entirely. Theists and believers need to take a reality check and try to appreciate that we no longer care about their trifling imaginings.

 

[Parsimony]

I am confident we can convince them with peaceful dialogue .

In the majority of cases, I strongly doubt that. My time spent on these forums has only helped solidify my conclusion that you cannot change someone else's mind regarding theism or atheism just by discussing it with them. The only exceptions might be people who have great uncertainty about their positions or people who have only recently changed their minds about God's existence. Peaceful dialogue is good, but that doesn't make it persuasive.

 

[paarsurrey]

have become uninterested in the subject entirely.

Even then one participates in discussions on RF , a religious forum, with much interest just to show one's disinterestedness with passion.
Regards

 

[LuisDantas]

Even then one participates in discussions on RF , a religious forum, with much interest just to show one's disinterestedness with passion.
Regards

I take it that you find that strange or perhaps inappropriate?

There is a point to emphasizing that one is not interested in discussing whether there is a God. At the very least, it is proper and necessary when one's interlocutor is operating under the mistaken impression that it might be possible to convince us otherwise.

 

[YmirGF]

Even then one participates in discussions on RF , a religious forum, with much interest just to show one's disinterestedness with passion.
Regards

I doubt very much I could help you understand, paarsurrey. I can turn off RF and walk away. It's not quite the same having an "in person" little chinwag o'er cups of steaming coffee. My guess is that after 10 minutes with me, you would be steaming almost as much as your coffee. To be fair, I don't think too many "true believers" could handle me in person.

 

[ArtieE]

I don't agree with the above.
The invitation is extended to both an Atheist or a Theist believer. If the invitation is accepted by a Theist believer, then the comparing of notes will naturally circle around on what "G-d does exist" and will be decided on the attributes of God, the discussion will not be on "G-d does not exist" which is not a valid topic for discussion among the believers in their inner circle as the host and the guest are both believers.
Regards

But if you theists can't agree on which god(s) exist, isn't it just better for us to wait until you have decided and then we can go over the evidence and see if we think the god(s) you have chosen exist? Otherwise it'll be total chaos...

 

[LuisDantas]

I would rather not, @ArtieE . It is unlikely that there will ever be such a decision among theists. And it would be a waste to refrain from interacting with them for such a tiny reason.

 

[paarsurrey]

@ Post #57
May be one is not sure of Atheism? Is it so?
Regards

 

[ArtieE]

Even then one participates in discussions on RF , a religious forum, with much interest just to show one's disinterestedness with passion.
Regards

paarsurrey, why are you so concerned about atheists not believing in god(s) when you theists don't even believe in each others god(s)?