How do you reason with religious people?

[YukoValis]

Disclaimer: I know these types of posts are frowned upon, but this is made not to troll, and I don't want a flame war. This is an honest question asking for help, and I ask to PLEASE keep it clean.:

It started when I told my religious friend about the whole WBC vs Anon thing.. to my shock he seemed to take the side of WBC, simply because they share the same type of religion (though I don't think he understands what they do different...) suddenly I'm in a 2 hour debate as if I attacked him.. No matter what I said he would yell and start attacking me personally, even on things that had nothing to do with what we were talking about. He just went nuts.

Finally I asked him a simple question.. "Do you think the WBC are part of the same religion as you, yes or no?" I never got an answer, in 20 posts of IM, I got cursing, insulting, straying off topic, but not a single yes or no.

So.. I guess for a lack of better word, Subject "How do you reason with religious people?" and simple (non-stupid) answers?

 

[Woodsey]

Well, your friend's just an idiot, that doesn't have anything to do with him being religious.[footnote]No, I can't quite believe that I, of all people, am saying this either xD[/footnote] There's a documentary with Louis Theroux about the WBC, maybe you should show it to him.

In fact, all you'd have to do is send him the website godhatesfags.com, or whatever it is. If he doesn't get it from that I'd fucking disown him.

 

[Leon Last Lord Shyle]

I tell them keep your views to yourself and i won't attempt to show you mine other than that i prefer to avoid them which being in britain is easy cause i barely ever meet religious people here... seriously where are they all

 

[Flamezdudes]

Not all religious people are like that, many do not share the same beliefs as each other even within the same standard belief like Christianity. Just like some Atheist?s can be ignorant and not listen to what you have to say, so can religious people... in conclusion don't group people together.

 

[El Poncho]

Everyone I know who is religous accepts the views of others so I've never had to reason with any.

However I like to have this quote in my mind most of the time, doubt it would work but I like it

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able, and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God."
- Epicurus, 33 A.D

 

[Yassen]

While I'm not saying this about every religious person, but the friend you're talking about sounds extremely insecure with his beliefs. If he needs to repond with personal attacks when a group that is extremely loosely based on his own faith is criticized then that doesn't paint him as secure in his religion.

Fact is, as long as you're being reasonable in your debate that's all you can hope to do. If your opponent argues like he does there's no way to calmly discuss each others points and it's really just pointless to try.

 

[Casual Shinji]

WBC and anyone who supports them are NOT religious, they're simply fucking morons.

And reasoning with fucking morons is futile.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Well that's a bit of a sweeping generalisation: I've reasoned with plenty of religious people and atheists alike. It's not to do with religion, but whether this person is a rational human being or not.

And if he isn't? Then the answer is simple: you can't.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I think your friend is just ignorant. You don't reason with religious people. You avoid the subject and secretly hope that they have some kind of revelation, for their sake and society's.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

You're not "reasoning with religious people". You're reasoning with your jackass friend who happens to be christian.

Explain to him exactly what it is WBC does. Tell him the original attack that was so hyped up was a lie cooked up by WBC to garner attention. Tell him WBC are devout christians to stand behind like suicide bombers are good representatives of all of Islam.

If you have to explain that last one to him it might be an idea just to consider him a lost cause.

 

[Master Kuja]

Spoiler: Trololololol...

No but seriously, your friend just seems like a bit (read: very) overly defensive of his faith and that ruins the image of the larger portion of remarkably reasonable religious people.
I'm not religious myself but I still don't understand how everyone can assume that all religious people are utterly unreasonable, just like with any other group they're a minority that makes the rest look bad.

Yes, it's entirely possible to have a reasoned debate with a religious person, I've done it and both of us came away from it with a lot of new, thought provoking things to think about.
There are just a lot of jackasses out there who will treat your belief, or lack thereof as a personal insult to them and rag on about it for hours.

That however, is not the entire religious community as a whole.

 

[Hobnobninja]

The only way I can think of dealing with unreasonable religious people is with tolerance and respect. If you can't do that (ie. they go off on a rant) smile sweetly and ignore them. They will eventually come to their senses.

 

[Flames66]

I keep to myself. If a religious person wants to try to "save" me, I will hear their arguments and then state my opinion.

If I was in your specific position, as soon as the person insulted me personally, the conversation would end. I will debate the points with them as long as they like (within reason) but as soon as it gets personal, conversation is over.

 

[Lawyer105]

Religion is based on the idea of accepting the logically inconsistent (or proveably false). As such, you CANNOT reason with them, because their faith is not based on reason.

 

[Matt King]

i am deeply religious but i still will give anyone a chance to argue that, i will defend my religion if someone critisised it but i won't get angry at them for expressing their oppinion, if people dislike or hate my religion fine, i will try to show them what is great about it, but i'm not going to shout at them over it or get unjustly angry about it and most of my other christian friends act that way aswell

 

[Thaluikhain]

You can't bring reason into discussions of religion. Religion, by definition, is something outside or contrary to reason. If there was scientific basis to it, it's science, not religion. If there isn't, or if you choose to ignore it, it's a matter of faith.

Therefore, attempts to appeal to reason can't work, you have to appeal to faith, or nothing at all.

 

[Valksy]

If you friend is on the side of WBC and thinks that they are right and they have similar religions - Find a new friend. Don't waste your time.

 

[InfiniteSingularity]

WBC is just stupid. They're not religious, they just use it as an excuse for hate, and it's pathetic. I don't know where they get it from, but it angers me to hell (no pun intended).

I don't get it, it's these "religious" extremists who are missing the point of their own religion, and they don't get it because they are also completely brain-dead sheeple who do as they're told and are not capable on independent thought. I'd put the WBC up there with the Church of Scientology on the amount of bullshit that spews constantly out of their ass.

 

[Woodsey]

WBC and anyone who supports them are NOT religious, they're simply fucking morons.

Well, they are religious. How many different interpretations are there of single religions? You can't just discount one because it's views are abhorrent.

 

[BENZOOKA]

You can't reason with people like that, about things like that.

I ignore them.