I stopped doing that. The conversation goes nowhere and becomes circular. Now I just tell offensive jokes to my Xian co-workers.
I don't bother. there is no point in it. You won't convince them.
“Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
― Mark Twain
Was it a John Wayne movie, maybe True Grit, where Rooster Cogburn is drunk and the girl is reproaching him when Glen Campbell responds by saying something like " You can't banty words with a drunk, all you've done is best a fool"? Or am I conflating that observation from two movies. Regardless, it's the same sentiment.
I mainly just ask the hard questions that I know will require them to contradict themselves, then smile while they struggle. I'd rather give them something tough that they'll be chewing on long after I've left the scene than win a small, but short lived, battle.
Great method, try to get them on a Monday so it can germinate for six days before they go back to the cult for reinforcement of the delusion.
No, I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person. It's a whole lot like trying to teach a pig to sing, it annoys the pig and wastes your time.
I would like that if I could find one that could do it intelegently, when they say it’s a matter of faith they are saying I don’t care about facts, effectively they aren’t listening after that. Also I am probably just as bad from their perspective since I’m not going to except faith or personal experience that occurs only inside them as evidence of anything but delusion.
"I don't belive in an invisible being that resides somewhere beyond the clouds," I say to Jehovah's Witnesses. This shuts them up. While they puzzle, I laugh and shut the door.
crappyburglar, I wasn't laughing at them. I was laughing at my smart-aleck remark.
I also say, "We are all atheist here." They give up. Jehovah's Witnesses don't stop by anymore. They must have gotten the word out.