First read this story

Evening all. This isn't a particularly profound story, but I thought some of you might enjoy it.
I'm an atheist, but I was raised in an ultra-conservative Christian family in the UK. My outing as an atheist was exceptional painful and threatened to cost me my family more than once. The dust has just about settled and I have a fairly good relationship with my parents again, though nothing compared to the one they have with my devout younger sister.

I no longer live with my parents, but whenever I stay with them, it's on the condition that I accompany them to church twice a week.
The last time I reluctantly attended, the preacher made the ignominious decision of mentioning the name of Richard Dawkins. The response from the 200-strong congregation at the mere mention of the name was amazing; it was as though he'd just uttered the most heinous of obscenities. I felt the air move as every set of buttocks in the room clenched, and everyone gasped and held their breath, everyone except the ten or fifteen men who booed or shouted abuse, and a few who hissed.
I don't know why I did this, or why I even got this impulse, but I cheered. Loudly.
If I thought the arse-clenching hate at the mention of the name of 'Satan's puppet' was awkward, it was nothing on this. Imagine the reaction a herd of sheep might have at the sudden discovery of a wolf in their midst; unsure whether to run or freeze, paralysed with fear.
I was trying to wake up, bringing the numerous cogent arguments against religion to the forefront of my mind, fully prepared for a splendid debate with these people.

Unfortunately, I didn't get one. Instead, two elders of the church tentatively got out of their seats, waded through the tangible silence, over to my row and beckoned to me to get up. I noticed that my dad was staring straight forward, unflinching.
I got up, and they physically escorted me (with hands on my shoulders) out of the auditorium and into the foyer. Before I was told to leave, one said: 'you were such a good boy, why have you gone so far astray? We will pray for you.'

That moment of impulsiveness almost cost me my already precarious relationship with my family.
tl;dr I was physically ejected from my parents' church for cheering the name of Dawkins while the congregation hissed and booed.
I wish this story were more interesting, but it isn't. Also, I thought it might help some of you lifelong atheists understand how despised the name of Dawkins (and science in general) is in contemporary Protestantism.

EDIT: removed bad metaphor.
EDIT: I am aware that this was a very provocative thing to have done, and I am not at all surprised by the result. I don't need another comment along the lines of 'well what did you expect!'

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/19t41n/how_i_got_kicked_out_of_a_church_last_week/




After reading this story, I really want to ask if Enigma and his pals are any different from these fundamentalist christians? Note that Enigma and co called Dawkins a dunce (Dawkins that is a professor and has achieved numerous awards) for no just reason and have continuously ridiculed the man.
https://www.nairaland.com/1194709/anony-enigma-deepsight-prove-dawkins

Babadeen: First read this story
After reading this story, I really want to ask if Enigma and his pals are any different from these fundamentalist christians? Note that Enigma and co called Dawkins a dunce (Dawkins that is a professor and has achieved numerous awards) for no just reason and have continuously ridiculed the man.
https://www.nairaland.com/1194709/anony-enigma-deepsight-prove-dawkins

Fallacy of appeal to authority.

@OP you mean DeepSight is a Christian? LAAAAAL

davidylan:

Fallacy of appeal to authority.

you normally disagree with anything true, do you know how many awards and honorary Dawkins have?

davidylan:

Fallacy of appeal to authority.

appeal to which authority? Did I use any authority to make an argument?

Citing someones credentials is not an appeal to authority if it is not the crux of an argument

InesQor: @OP you mean DeepSight is a Christian? LAAAAAL

That is the strawman you can pull?

Where did you see me claim that deepsight is a christian? Yo cant read and you cant address the topic.

you must be a christian....a fundie.


Why not address the topic of how Dawkins has become a spawn of satan to fundie christians?

ooman:

you normally disagree with anything true, do you know how many awards and honorary Dawkins have?

Lol. Myopic thinking. Do awards translate to, immunity to err?

Reyginus: Lol. Myopic thinking. Do awards translate to immunity to err?

did i not use the word "myopic" to qualify you, is that why you dont know its entry in a sentence? Your sentence is a syntax error, pls revise it.

Reyginus: Lol. Myopic thinking. Do awards translate to immunity to err?

now, did you read what davidylan quoted and bolded before showing his ignorance and what i replied to? You are a duffer, really!

let this be a warning.....to any christian that wants to use straw men, I will report your comments.


Not one christian has addressed the op.

ooman:

did i not use the word "myopic" to qualify you, is that why you dont know its entry in a sentence? Your sentence is a syntax error, pls revise it.

I don't see how this absorbs you from what I deemed fit. I've never heard of anyone an award made infallible. Maybe you should tell me.
And please, we can handle the strawman later.

Reyginus: I don't see how this absorbs you from what I deemed fit. I've never heard of anyone an award made infallible. Maybe you should tell me.
And please, we can handle the strawman later.

Where in the op did I say that Dawkins in infallible? All I implied was that he isnt a dunce.

This is a last warning to stop strawmaning!

ooman:

now, did you read what davidylan quoted and bolded before showing his ignorance and what i replied to? You are a duffer, really!

No matter his position, to assume that an award is the mark of infallibity is utterly wrong.

Babadeen:


Where in the op did I say that Dawkins in infallible? All I implied was that he isnt a dunce.

This is a last warning to stop strawmaning!

Are you alright? Where in my op addressed you?

Reyginus: No matter his position, to assume that an award is the mark of infallibity is utterly wrong.

Jesus Christ, you must be blind.

see this:

Babadeen: First read this story
After reading this story, I really want to ask if Enigma and his pals are any different from these fundamentalist christians? Note that Enigma and co called Dawkins a dunce ([size=15pt]Dawkins that is a professor and has achieved numerous awards[/size]) for no just reason and have continuously ridiculed the man.
https://www.nairaland.com/1194709/anony-enigma-deepsight-prove-dawkins

davidylan: Fallacy of appeal to authority.

then:

ooman: you normally disagree with anything true, do you know how many awards and honorary Dawkins have?

Do you now understand

Reyginus: No matter his position, to assume that an award is the mark of infallibity is utterly wrong.

Reyginus: Are you alright? Where in my op addressed you?

Get the hell out of the thread if you are going to play strawmen and not address the op!

@op. That was a wrong thing to do by the congregation. As a christain, I am instructed to love my enemies(that is if any) and pray for those who speak ill of me. What I will never accept is, using the unchristain behaviour of a particular congregation as the definition of christainity.

Reyginus: @op. That was a wrong thing to do by the congregation. As a christain, I am instructed to love my enemies(that is if any) and pray for those who speak ill of me. What I will never accept is, using the unchristain behaviour of a particular congregation as the definition of christainity.

I agree with your first sentence.

However, why did you play another strawman claiming that I used the behaviour of the congregation to label all christians?

Cant you see the title and see that I called them "extreme christians"?

ooman:

Jesus Christ, you must be blind.

see this:






then:



Do you now understand

I don't understand. You don't understand. The point they tried to make was that a renowned prof. must understand the periphery of sound knowledge to become one. This seems lacking in dawkins.

Reyginus: I don't understand. You don't understand. The point they tried to make was that a renowned prof. must understand the periphery of sound knowledge to become one. This seems lacking in dawkins.

Get thee behind me, devil troll

Reyginus: I don't understand. You don't understand. The point they tried to make was that a renowned prof. must understand the periphery of sound knowledge to become one. This seems lacking in dawkins.

"seems lacking"?

Looking for a subjective appeal to lie that Dawkins doesnt have sound knowledge?

Babadeen:





Get the hell out of the thread if you are going to play strawmen and not address the op!

Same question I asked.

Babadeen:


I agree with your first sentence.

However, why did you play another strawman claiming that I used the behaviour of the congregation to label all christians?

Cant you see the title and see that I called them "extreme christians"?

If I get you clearly, what you're saying is that these 'extreme christains' are practising christainity the wrong way?

Babadeen:

"seems lacking"?

Looking for a subjective appeal to lie that Dawkins doesnt have sound knowledge?

And your point is?

Babadeen can you ignore Reyginus?, the guy is a pseud, he doesnt have anything.

[img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJz6UaKawrkcpXn8Eh2vUwooYBFkPp9kiecl-C1HCgsUVS2vgv[/img]

Edit:
Blasted thing didn't work!

ooman: Babadeen can you ignore Reyginus?, the guy is a pseud, he doesnt have anything.

Thank you.

striktlymi: [img]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJz6UaKawrkcpXn8Eh2vUwooYBFkPp9kiecl-C1HCgsUVS2vgv[/img]

Edit:
Blasted thing didn't work!

Another straw man that doesnt want to address the op.

Must be christian

Babadeen:

Another straw man that doesnt want to address the op.

Must be christian

Not interested in your OP dude!...jumping to conclusions really does no one any good.

davidylan:

Fallacy of appeal to authority.

How is it a fallacy of an appeal to authority to point out that Dawkins does in fact have a lot of awards? You guys should try to actually show how something is a fallacy rather than just throwing out a fallacy you've heard of.

striktlymi:

Not interested in your OP dude!...jumping to conclusions really does no one any good.

1) Why come and play strawmen in the op if you are not interested?

2) What conclusions did I jump into?

thehomer:

How is it a fallacy of an appeal to authority to point out that Dawkins does in fact have a lot of awards? You guys should try to actually show how something is a fallacy rather than just throwing out a fallacy you've heard of.

Thank you