by octopus1 (Posted Mon Dec 23, 2013 1:41 pm)
A Cup of Skepticism wrote:I think there's more. There's certainly a bit of...defensiveness about my theism. Or at least, a sense of subliminal negativity towards it.
So it's not just people asking questions, it's people asking pointed questions. There's subterfuge going on there. Here's some of my paranoia coming out.
![;)]( "Wink")
It's not paranoia if you're right...
'Leading questioning' is a poor way to get good answers. But it does happen, and I've used it myself. It isn't an attempt to mislead anyone away from the common goal of reasonable thinking, rather a means of determining how reasonable the respondent is likely to be.
But from personal experience, I don't really have a problem with the kooks who believe in UFOs and the like. I realize it's not a view predicated on rationality, but on feelings. A lot like atheism.
Both atheism and theism are based on feelings
and reason. Just not the same feelings or reason! The existence of one, or many, god[s] cannot be proved. So, consequently, cannot either be disproved. It would be tilting at windmills to discuss a being which you believe exists (With good reason, perhaps), and which I believe does not exist (With good reason, perhaps).
As long as they [UFO BELIEVERS] keep to themselves and don't cause problems or start asserting nonsense, I think it's best to leave them be. The moment they get aggressive with their kookiness, I find rational analysis of their claims a lot more useful than mere skepticism. I think skepticism is a bit more limited in scope, while a broader rational analysis has tools including skepticism itself, with which to deal with erroneous beliefs.
I think once you talk to these people you find that it's not rationality that convinces them at all.
If you'll permit this atheist to borrow a religious-originated phrase - What you said there, was effectively "preaching to the choir"...
![:P]( "Razz")
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