On of the things that irritate them the most is the phrase “God is Dead”.
What the? You say that to religious people? How rude. I would be offended if was in mixed company and you said that to a religious believer without some rather significant provocation.
bypassing their knee-jerk defences...
Try not hitting people just below the knee with a hammer with the intention of provoking a response.
Developing a general algorithm would help us spread our ideals further
One option is to make a concerted effort to signal dissafilliation with those atheists who act like obnoxious fundamentalists.
Yes, but what does “acting like an obnoxious fundamentalist” mean for an atheist?
Edit: Also, how is that rude? If you believe in God, he can’t die, and if you don’t, he can’t either. The phrase is, in itself, meaningless, a metaphor, which I still think is very apt to describe the state of orphanage after losing God as a perpetual father figure watching over you.
To dismiss someone’s opinion with a short resolute statement like that is always perceived as rude. When the opinion is of great importance for the person and the statement mentions death, even worse.
What the? You say that to religious people? How rude. I would be offended if was in mixed company and you said that to a religious believer without some rather significant provocation.
Try not hitting people just below the knee with a hammer with the intention of provoking a response.
One option is to make a concerted effort to signal dissafilliation with those atheists who act like obnoxious fundamentalists.
Yes, but what does “acting like an obnoxious fundamentalist” mean for an atheist?
Edit: Also, how is that rude? If you believe in God, he can’t die, and if you don’t, he can’t either. The phrase is, in itself, meaningless, a metaphor, which I still think is very apt to describe the state of orphanage after losing God as a perpetual father figure watching over you.
To dismiss someone’s opinion with a short resolute statement like that is always perceived as rude. When the opinion is of great importance for the person and the statement mentions death, even worse.