I am quite humored that the atheist chooses not to label their lack of belief in a God, but they feel the need to discuss that lack of belief with those who do. My question to the atheist then is this. Why bother with the discussion? In discussing religion who are you attempting to convince? You or the religious person. In fact what is your purpose for discussing theological matters at all? If our belief in god is in league with the flying spaghetti monster, why do you lower yourself to discuss such silly beliefs?
Of course I want to discuss matters of belief with people who disagree with me. Out of the many reasons why so, out of the top of my head:
- because while God probably doesn't exist, the belief and the motivations do, and their consequences affect everyone directly or indirectly, including me and other atheists.
- because I would like to be talked out of my incorrect beliefs and it is only common courtesy to offer the same treatment to others. The notion that it is respectful to keep silent about such matters is one that bothers me greatly. I do NOT feel respectful to people when I decide to let them believe in what I am certain to be false.
- while it is true that I couldn't care much less about other people's beliefs about the existence of God proper, their ideas of what his will is are often meaningful, and on occasion downright dangerous or at least bothersome. I have every right to question them when they become political motivations, for instance.
