l*****a
发帖数: 38403 | 1 【 以下文字转载自 Belief 讨论区 】
发信人: leonana (leonany), 信区: Belief
标 题: How to Persuade a Christian to Become Atheist
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Mon Jun 6 03:22:40 2011, 美东)
Steps
1
Are you prepared? You have to give them a real reason - not just an
emotional one. However, you have to realize that many of their reasons
for being a Christian are emotional, so be ready to show atheism in an
emotionally positive light.
2
Think about your friendship. Are the two of you close? If not, try to
increase your friendship before attempting to change their religious
beliefs. However, do not do this merely because you are trying to score
points, or because their beliefs offend you. Similarly, if you aren't
certain of your own beliefs, you may be using them to justify your own,
purely emotional, decision. You must have a genuine interest in being
your friend's well-being and want to help them give up superstition.
3
Educate yourself. The key to converting someone is to understand their
position. Read everything you can about atheism, Christian apologetics
and religious history. Most Christians don't know how their religion
came to be, so it is useful to be prepared in this area. Learn their
common arguments and the best rebuttals. Also, examine myths, urban
legends, and superstitions and learn why people tend to believe such
things. It will help to know something about the psychology of belief,
including the process of indoctrination. Read and understand their holy
book cover to cover. Study subjects in physics and biology, Christians
often use flawed arguments and this way you can counter them.
4
Start off casual. You should first show how atheism has impacted your
own life in a positive way. Citing peer-reviewed scientific publications
at every possible opportunity may be a bit much. However, if they bring
up that God did this or that in their life, it is ok to point out to
them other factors that helped them, such as probability, their own
work, or a professional's skill. It may also be useful to point out
atheist role models.
5
Get them in the habit of questioning their own faith. Sometimes pointing
out a single fallacy every now and then is good, or asking them to
explain something about their religion you didn't understand (ie If
Hitler repented, would he go to heaven?)
6
Let them try to convert you. Many Christians will automatically try to
convert you. This is the easiest way to engage them, especially if you
are familiar with the arguments they use. Just by being calm, firm, and
reasonable, you are already frustrating everything they've been told
about "immoral, angry atheists". Of course, don't get trapped at a
conversion party, and be especially aware of genuinely dangerous cults.
7
Give your friend practical advice for their problems from respected
books from respected experts in the field. If your friend tells some
wisdom from the Bible, point out how you can come to that wisdom outside
of religion. Show how you come to your views from practical roots.
8
Socialise them. Help them mix outside their own narrow circle of
believers, to see other viewpoints. They may have never considered other
views but those handed down by their church and peers. Make sure any
atheist friends know not to attack them, or obsess over religious
differences. Atheists don't spend much of our lives worrying about
"being better atheists", we just don't do religion; get your Christian
friend used to living without religion.
9
Don't change them. Don't try to change them too drastically.
Deconversion is a highly personal activity that inherently takes a long
time. Changes are gradual, so don't push too hard. Let the person come
to their own understanding of a world without any gods.
10
Know when to ease up. Some people just truly don't want to accept that
god is fictional. If this is the case with your friend, and you've tried
everything else here, don't push any further. There is nothing more that
you can do. Don't let it be cause to end your friendship, but know when
to leave them be.
11
Be open-minded. Listen and understand their point of view. Learn what
makes them believe what they do. Remember, we can't prove, in any
absolute sense, that no gods exist. We can only show evidence that gods
and religion have truly human origins, point out inconsistencies in
their belief, and show how scientists and philosophers have answered
many of the grand questions of life. We can only show that the world
doesn't end when your faith does. | x****g
发帖数: 4008 | 2 Thanks for sharing
【在 l*****a 的大作中提到】
: 【 以下文字转载自 Belief 讨论区 】
: 发信人: leonana (leonany), 信区: Belief
: 标 题: How to Persuade a Christian to Become Atheist
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Mon Jun 6 03:22:40 2011, 美东)
: Steps
: 1
: Are you prepared? You have to give them a real reason - not just an
: emotional one. However, you have to realize that many of their reasons
: for being a Christian are emotional, so be ready to show atheism in an
: emotionally positive light.
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