The obviously religious ones like Abigail and Richard aren’t really worth responding to except with general disdain.
Unless you care about atheism’s reputation.
The fact is that religious belief, if fully attained, can be an enormously useful psychological crutch. As a firm atheist, I am fully open to the possibility that much of the world should stay religious, unless they’re doing some sort of important work that necessitates them to value truth over happiness.
And if you decide that someone would be better off as an atheist, you shouldn’t try to grab their psychological crutch all at once. They’ll just grip tighter.
@billswift:
Unless you care about atheism’s reputation.
The fact is that religious belief, if fully attained, can be an enormously useful psychological crutch. As a firm atheist, I am fully open to the possibility that much of the world should stay religious, unless they’re doing some sort of important work that necessitates them to value truth over happiness.
And if you decide that someone would be better off as an atheist, you shouldn’t try to grab their psychological crutch all at once. They’ll just grip tighter.