Poll: Do you think you can convert a believer?

[cgmetallica1981]

Religious to atheist I say you can easily convert somebody. I've done it myself, with myself and a ton of people I know.

Atheist to religious... no way. Never heard of it happen before, except for those ridiculous stories "rocker finds God" stories.

EDIT: Actually I remember Dave Mustaine is a born again Christian, but that doesn't really count, as much as I like his music I have to say he definitely isn't the smartest guy.

 

[Nydestroyer]

I think that we all have a right to our opinion but also the right to defend and present your ideals to others in a calm way (which is very hard at times) And if you just so happen to open someones eyes to at least understand what you think then thats fine if they choose to stay with there own truths then thats fine. We all think many things and belief them and choose to believe them for there logic or some other reason and that is not anyone elses right to destroy or dispute your belief.

 

[GraveeKing]

-snip-

See this is why political correctness goes so mad these days, nobody else can respect others views - if people want to live in ignorance of reality then let them - it's not your business to interfere and it's pretty rare that they'll actually do any harm.
If someone is preaching something you don't want to hear to you - then sure, you can be as much as dick to them as you like, I can agree there but if someone has some belief in god - no matter how non-sensual, then you should just leave them to it - it's not like they're hurting you.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

Only the people that care enough to try to change what others believe in are tyrants; power hungry and intolerant.

 

[xdom125x]

Shouting "you are wrong" won't convert anybody and will just piss them off to the point that they will completely ignore any valid points you may have.
I think you could convert somebody using logical arguments, but it really depends on the person you are trying to convert. Some people take their beliefs and make them the most important part of who they are, and those people wouldn't be easily converted or converted at all.

Regardless if you believe in atheism...

You don't believe in atheism, atheists believe in logic and scientific fact, and that the existence of a God is impossible because there isn't any facts to support the theory.

*Ahem*. You are closer to correct than the person you are quoting, but you are still wrong. Atheism isn't the belief in logic and/or scientific fact, it is the lack of belief in any deities. (Thus, there are people that believe in supernatural stuff like ghosts, but are still considered atheists, for example.)
Although many atheists do become atheists because of logic or scientific facts, those aren't really necessary to be considered an atheist though.

Also, if somebody "believes" in scientific facts, they are doing it wrong.

 

[demoman_chaos]

Depends on the level of devotion they have. If they ar enot overly religious (As most aren't) I'd likely be able to sway their opinion. If they are fanatical of course not.

I personally don't like any side's mythology so I made up my own which I think could be a contender in the realm of religion. If you live well and wholesome, your soul shall go to paradise where 72 virgins await to assist you. If you die with bravery in battle, you go to Valhalla and train with Odin to defend Olympus. If you die a coward, you go and suffer in hell. Zues and his brother Jupiter reign over the council of gods, which includes Allah, Jesus, Xenu, Mythra, Sheeva, and many others who watch over our existence but very rarely interfere with our lives.

Some religious fellows will say that that is nonsense, for which I reply is it any more ridiculous than a man living in a whale (or fish depending on how it is told), a guy parting the seas, a bearded bloke floating into the sky after being ressurected, it raining frogs, a rock from paradise landing in the desert, people being overtaken by alien thetans, magic underwear, etc.?

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

You don't believe in atheism, atheists believe in logic and scientific fact, and that the existence of a God is impossible because there isn't any facts to support the theory.

*Ahem*. You are closer to correct than the person you are quoting, but you are still wrong. Atheism isn't the belief in logic and/or scientific fact, it is the lack of belief in any deities. (Thus, there are people that believe in supernatural stuff like ghosts, but are still considered atheists, for example.)
Although many atheists do become atheists because of logic or scientific facts, those aren't really necessary to be considered an atheist though.

Also, if somebody "believes" in scientific facts, they are doing it wrong.

I stand corrected .

 

[Whispering Cynic]

Change of belief must come from the inside, not the outside. Unless a person really wants to change, you'll very likely fail at converting him/her. I simply don't see the point in trying, since most religious people won't really listen to your arguments (however logical and sensible they may be) anyway.

To clarify, I fucking hate discusions about religious beliefs of any kind and try to avoid them like bubonic plague. So, could I convert a believer? If the said believer was already in doubt then yes, I *could*. But would I attempt to, given the chance? Definitely not.

 

[Davih]

I think it is possible to convert someone given enough information about a certain topic and then that person changes their mind. I don't think anyone should ever try to convert someone unless asked (why would anyone ask to be converted?). Everyone has their own beliefs and others should be willing to accept that. Diversity is good, it's a shame it can cause so much trouble.

 

[Harb]

Sure you can, just persuade him with facts. Oh wait...

 

[Get Off My Lawn]

You can't try to convert a believer, or anyone on the opposite spectrum. Nor should you. It's certainly not your business to 'convert' anybody. They have their opinions and you have yours, leave it at that.

 

[Togs]

No as theists arent rational abotu the topic- assailing something held only by emotion is a waste of time, you'd acheive more with less pain by banging your head against a wall.
When it comes to religious debate the only way to win is not to play.

[sub]Oh and wrong forum, sorry to be pedantic but the divisions are there for a reason...[/sub]

 

[Custard_Angel]

I can't speak for others, but I'll never not believe.

Nothing can change my belief. I "know" God exists.

How come you put "know" in that way? Makes me think you want know rather than believe.

I want to have faith and all that stuff but the more I think about god the more I think there isn't one.

People believe what they believe, trying to change that is a hard process unless there very weak willed, so even if you do convert them are they really converted or just following what you say?

I "know" that God exists because there is no doubt in my mind that God exists but I have no metric data to back that up, nor do I think that any such proof can exist.

I believe to the extent that I "know" God.

I suppose you can call it faith if you'd prefer to think about things that way.

I lived with depression for 3 years which ended the moment I reached out to God in prayer. In an instant I no longer felt hopeless and miserable and I haven't felt that same way ever since.

I've been frustrated and angry and all sorts of emotions, but I haven't experienced sadness or depression ever since.

My life is much better than what it was.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I used to try, you know, back when i was a dumb 13 year old kid. but now i realise you have to have respect for other peoples beliefs otherwise you make people hate christians. Ive seen things in my life that cement my faith, but i cant expect other people to believe when they havent seen what ive seen.

 

[Collins254]

regardless if you believe in atheism, chritianity, or haruhism, a bunch of people have basicly been trying to convince me(on this very website) that my beliefs are wrong and chastze me when I try to defend myself (eastern orthodox christian by the way) does anyone seriously believe that if they shout that they are wrong that they will submit to you?

Your beliefs are not wrong, and they never will be for the simple reason that they are YOUR beliefs, noone else.
People should not be telling you that your are wrong to believe something, i belive in well structured debate between religions over what they believe, and i think it nice to be informed of other religions and like to be offered the information, but i dont like having it shoved down my throat

 

[Kinokohatake]

Why do atheists feel good about getting people to give up religion? Seriously at least 3 people on here have said they have convinced people to give up religion like it's a good thing. I am confused by this logic. If God isn't real, then how does someone believing in him affect you? Most atheists I know are complete pricks. Not all but most. They let it define them completely. But not all.

So my main question is WHY do you feel the need to convince people to give up religion?

 

[ShadowsofHope]

..Since when is religion a video game topic?

Now, with that out of the way, no. I only respond to believer's when they start the outright, vocalized proselytizing, and proceed to engage them in some.. choice words at that point. Or, (apparently futilely so) debating down Creationists whom get it in their head to attempt to use their "silver bullet" (whatever it happens to be at the time) on Evolution and insult my intelligence. Otherwise, I don't give a fuck what you believe.

 

[NickKuroshi0]

"Could" is a very broad question. Yes, I suppose I "could" convert a believer, as a believer "could" convert me. Granted the believer would have to have access to the hundreds of billions of dollars necessary to somehow synthetically create the experience of god literally descending from the sky and telling me that the specific religion is true and I would have to spend years and years presenting scientific evidence that contradicts god until they eventually lose mental resilience and start doubting their beliefs and start actually looking into it themselves. Point is either one is a lot of work for something that doesn't benefit either party. Realistically if you want to convert people you have to prey on the weak undeveloped minds of children, which

Spoiler: frankly is kind of sickening.

I didn't need to watch more than a minute of that to feel sickened. Any way I don't attack religions as the people who believe them are not always crazy, in fact some people need it, like those in 3rd world countries who would be hopeless otherwise, as long as they don't go to extremes like that video. Anyone who has time for a short read check this out:

http://www.gregpuciato.com/post/7643107834

I agree with this very much and it is how I feel about religion.

 

[TheFederation]

even though i don't believe in religions, i do think it's none of my business to tell YOU what to believe, i see no reason why i should convert someone of their reason (unless they're trying to convert people to their religion, in which case i get very defensive) but i generally don't mind what religion someone is as long as they don't rub it in someones face

 

[ShadowsofHope]

No, dude, seriously? Atheism is a lack of a belief.

And no, but the least I can do is make them shut their mouth.

Oh, and by the way, yelling that you're wrong is different from yelling you're wrong and then explaining why.

Correction: Atheism is belief in nothingness; the only true non-belief is that other A-ism, the one about being smart enough to realize you can't know for sure if there's a god or not.

Correction Correction: Atheism is not a belief in "nothing", that is the definition of Nihilism. Try not to get your terminologies mixed up too often there, it makes you look like an idiot. Atheism as a term is simply the default answer (no evidence needed, as no positive claim is made) to the God question, either in a neutral/leaning (Agnostic/Weak Atheism) or a negative stance (Strong Atheism). Theism is the positive answer (which also places that stance in the position of carrying the burden of evidence to support a positive claim) to the God question, either in a neutral/leaning (Agnostic Theism/Weak Theism) or a positive stance (Strong Theism). Agnosticism refers to knowledge in which builds your leaning in either a positive or a negative stance on a belief, not the belief itself. "I don't know if God/gods exist or not" and "I can't know if God/gods exist or not" are very much different from statements of belief such as "I believe God/gods exist" and "I do not believe God/gods exist".

Agnosticism is not some magical term for true neutrality and self-proclaimed "superiority" over Atheism and Theism, don't kid yourself. It's a complimentary term, not a competing term.