Comments on: Debating Evolution is a Waste of Time (yeah, I know it’s been covered before)

By: Sven

Sven — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:37:38 +0000

It still shocks me to hear people say their belief in a creation story is their opinion (and excuses them from accepting facts).
I usualy ask them how seriously they would listen to someone’s opinion that the earth is flat.
Not to start a discussion, it’s just to let them know how it feels to talk to an ignoramus.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Oh, I so totally agree. It is especially irksome when you see those large multimillion dollar complexes that don’t have to pay property tax…

By: Buffy

Buffy — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:27:06 +0000

It’s time to tax all religious businesses and for the greater enforcement of the laws separating church and state;

Hear, hear. I’m sick to death of them shoving their noses so far up my backside I need a colonoscopy to find them–on my tax dollars. State subsidized religion must end.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:26:54 +0000

I don’t know, three per hundred seems like a huge waste of time. Yeah, you’ve convinced three people, but those other 97?

Of course evolution is not a theory about the origin of life. I have not even had ten debates or conversations with creationists, let alone hundreds like you obviously have- You have much more patience than I.

The stupid just hurts too much.

I’ve found that when the argument collapses, when their understanding of evolution is so inherently flawed, they change the subject, pretend they didn’t hear it or get mad.

I think, for me, changing minds isn’t as important as other things are. I don’t like feeding trolls and I

By: GMNightmare

GMNightmare — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:50:32 +0000

How many? 6 have changed their minds. About a dozen or so after the fact have told me I started the cogs as it where. I’ve had numerous people who have read some of my debates (mostly in other places were it is mainly a debate instead of based upon an article) that I helped them in their newly founded atheism, and that I answered many of their questions.

Is this widespread? No. But it happens. Maybe about three per hundred.

But here’s the problem that I’m hearing even from you. Evolution is not a theory of the origin of life. In execution of just resorting to the basics, what happens is it shuts them up. Now yes, some resort to what you said, but for most of them, their argument collapses and most often they leave it for something else. And here’s why, I attack the flaw in their very basic understanding of evolution. They have no come back, there is no, no, evolution REALLY works like this, because it doesn’t.

It really works, try it sometime. I’ll maybe elaborate a bit more on this later.

By: Neece

Neece — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:31:04 +0000

Excellent points, Steve. I think I am on both sides of this argument. You’re right, debating a YEC is pretty pointless. I would hope that sites that tackle the issues (maybe even mine) help people when they are ready to open their minds.
Only when you’re ready to start asking questions and read to start accepting new information that conflicts with your old brainwashed beliefs, will you be able to change.

Sometimes this takes a long time. And with some people it will never happen. It’s up to the individual for when they are ready and willing.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:43:32 +0000

Personally, I agree that it’s a waste of time debating YECs. This is Morton’s Demon in a nutshell. How many debates have you engaged in where minds were changed? It’s even worse online- I think that for the most part it’s like debating a brick wall.

GMN, do you really think that they’re going to pay attention to your “stripping it down” for them? I imagine that most theists will respond by feeling patronized, attacked or made to feel stupid, and put their fingers in their ears and shriek “la la la, I can’t hear you.”

Metaphorically, of course.

Ultimately, I think that sites like this, or Talk Origins or SAB or Iron Chariots do a good deal to get the information out there, but at the end of the day, the only way a person will change their mind is by coming to it on their own. Most of the deconversion stories I’ve read point to the individual persuing truth no matter where it leads them.