So I'm new here and wanted to get some buzz goin. Here's something I think some of you guys might agree on me with. We all know that organized religion is always backwards, self contradicting, hypocritical nonsense and I'm sure we all are subjected to these annoyances daily. Something I like to keep up my sleeve is a simple moral quandary to get them (the religious) thinking.

Present a situation that would pit their morals against their faith (one always trumps the other even if they don't admit it). I have two favorites that I use.

1. If god told you to drop a bomb on your hometown would you do it.

Atheist or anti-theist answer: no that would make me a terrible jerk

Religious answer: misdirection and nervous squirming something something god loves you though, he knows best

If you found out tomorrow that god doesn't exist. Would anything change?

Atheist/anti-theist answer: nope

Religious answer: something something something read the bible something something more misdirection something something history, man-kind, only thing that makes sense blah blah blah (you're gonna have to work for the straight answer)

Don't let them distract you with the "they go hand in hand" because they don't. Genocides homicides infanticides patricides and countless other atrocities are evidence against this and the only evidence for it is the assumption that god is real and that's going to be a different discussion for a different time.

The goal is to first get them to admit that morals (and common sense) are more important to them than faith. Second for them to then admit that they don't need faith to have morals rendering that aspect of religion obsolete. Once the questions start they don't stop. When they get tired of looking to religion for the answers they will never get, they will look elsewhere and draw up their own (hopefully) logical conclusions based on (hopefully) legitimate information. It's never that smooth or easy but it's a useful first step! Maybe you'll make some new buddies. Don't count on it though people are sensitive. Remember. Baby steps.

Welcome. That's a post...

Nah u can't work it out with reasoning because their mind is wired to KNOW that they are right. No matter how well argumented your reasoning is, it is perceived as clever attept to deceive them or make them fall.

You can't work it through force either, because they are wired to EXPECT attacks on their faith and DEFEND it. Direct opposition only makes their faith stronger because if Bible foretold that they are going to the suffer at the hands of the world then using force makes the Bible COME TRUE in front of their eyes.

Abrahamic religions however emphasize heavily on sexual morality which essentially is to have as less as possible. That goes against nature, our human instincts ans causes inner suffering.

That's one of the few real weaknesses. To a true believer failing in this might cause the disillusionment and awakening. To a hypocrite it changes little, he will lie to cover it and continue to be the a-hole he was before. When experiencing first hand that the actions of members or even leaders of the church deviate by a mile from their god's word... that is one of the the common cause of suddenly waking from the illusion.

We the, seculars are "pagans". We can do little to infuence a fully developed religious mindset, were are already viewed as a threat to the faith and any attempt to act on it only strenghtens their faith.

Well I have to disagree with how absolute and unwavering the presence of religion is in anyone's mind. I was a Christian just like most children bred in America from Sunday school to Highschool. I outgrew the need for religion and researched beyond that on my own journey uninfluenced and unhindered by the opinions and suggestions of others. It worked for me. I'm assuming it worked for you. Reason can prevail and morals can prevail where reason is lost on them. You can't go into this seeing them as the enemy. That's simply not the case. And you have to be clever enough to circumvent their initial trepidation. No one is born religious. It is taught. As such it can be "untaught". The light of reason is visible to all my friend. They may choose to roam blindfolded, however, this doesn't make them blind.

God is nothing but a totem created by early educated people to prove right to their wrongs. Let it be jihad or crusade both are just any side of religion. A world with no god is free from all religion and thus free from losses. If I am an atheist that will not harm anyone but it will if I am a fidayeen or jihadi. Peace

The idea first came to people that had no idea of how something happened. So, they created an idea of some powerful being that did the unexplained things. The romans and greeks were some of the historical mentioned ones. They had whole organizations of what different gods did.

Long after that, people got tired of remembering all the different names, and decided let's just have 1 god, and name his this or that. And the 1 god did everything, from making night and day, to creating people. People were eventually forced to believe in one idea or another. They were taught as kids to learn their ways.

I believe religion started as a way to unite people for their cause. These days they use it as a means to gather large sums of money. They force people to give tribute and keep them going. This is the making of a scam, one of the biggest in the world.