What's your comeback......

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Dave Matson's picture
Polish Guy,

Polish Guy,

Relish the moment when these guys show up at your door! Look them calmly in the eye and say, "Did you know that the Bible is a flat-earth book, that Genesis I is based on the Babylonian cosmos?" Of course, once they recover from the shock, they will assure you that it is not. If you are lucky, they might even ask for proof. This is the moment that you retrieve a pile of well written, well researched notes which you refine from visitor to visitor.

Ideally, such notes should contain a nice, big drawing of the Babylonian cosmos complete with biblical verses applying to each part of it. Tabs would give quick reference to different collections of verses. One tab might go right to those verses that describe a hard-shelled sky-dome (the "vault" in many translations), making it clear that the Bible wasn't talking about mere atmosphere. Depending on your mood, you could jump to those verses describing the pillars of the earth, or those verses describing stars as falling to earth like so many ripe figs at the end-time.

Of course, it will take some work to put together some really good notes. I did a thread called "Flat-Earth World" (03-23-2016 16:53) that should get you off to a good start. If that seems like too much bother, you could focus on a much smaller area. The size of Nineveh, for example. Once you find the appropriate responses to the 5 or 6 lame excuses for the Bible portraying it as huge, you're ready to go. Or, you could focus on God's confusion of mold and leprosy. I actually did a thread on that theme, "Bible Follies: God is Confused About Leprosy and Mold" (07-27-2016 00:53). With some practice, you will find that these guys are great at finding excuses to leave early! Chalk it up as cheap entertainment for a boring evening.

I fondly remember a time some years ago when these two guys showed up at my doorstep, dressed so very nicely in suits. A lot of times I just wave them off, but on this occasion I felt rather malicious! At first, they were doing all the talking as they followed their canned routine. By and by, as I wormed my way in with difficult questions, they fell silent and seemed to be in a sweat as I went on. (Well, it may have been a hot day in more ways than one!) Looking very uncomfortable, one of them finally broke in to inform me that they really had to be on their way.

On another one of those occasions when I felt malicious, some years later at another location, a couple of nice ladies landed on my steps all eager to convert me. I had my "cheat sheet" handy near the door and I dutifully explained to them that there were verses in the Bible that pictured stars as little more than ripe figs that could fall to the earth. The expression on one lady's face was worth the whole encounter! As they protested I also hit them with the totally fallacious size that the Bible assigned to Nineveh. (Being the capital of the Assyrian empire, it got blown up way bigger than what the archaeologists found.) To make the story short, they admitted that they didn't have the answers but promised to get back to me after they contacted higher ups. They must have been new or shell-shocked because they actually took some literature from me, something that is invariably refused.

Not all encounters are grist for a massacre. I was sitting at a table in a mall one day when two Swedish ladies asked if they might join me. I invited them to my table. It soon became clear that they had religion on their minds, but they also seemed willing to listen to me. We had a long, rather interesting, and friendly discussion which finally ended with each party recommending a book to be read by the other. I left that encounter feeling rather good.

arakish's picture
Oh. And here is another I

Oh. And here is another I have used that has shut up quite a few of those morons.

"Did you know that there is absolutely no hard empirical evidence that any story in the Bible is true?"

Most of the time they are trying to figure out what "hard empirical evidence" is that I can walk away without being bothered again.

rmfr

Alpha's picture
Hmmm , i think it’s really

Hmmm , i think it’s really tough to talk rationally with a Christian fundamentalist.I never had debated or would like to debate but i think starting from the problem of evil , free will , punishment and reward is good.Why evil exists? If they said because God wants to test us say the counter examples where innocent babies are killed in a war and ...
If they said sometimes he gives pain so we will have a higher place in heaven say how an omnipotent almighty god can’t have a better way to grant us a reward? If they were optimistic and said the world couldn’t be created any better than this say that rejects the omnipotence.If they agreed say you are just labeling yourself Christian but Christianity is something else.Say to them do you believe that god is all good and there is a good reason for evey thing he does? If they said yes there are plenty of counter examples.Is there a good reason to allow raping childs , wars begin , etc? They may reduce his power and say God isn’t all powerful.Again say that’s not the definition of being Christian...

Some sentences are mind-opening like :
The truth doesn’t have to be compatible with what you believe.
Even if you prove Jesus existed the fallacies in bible won’t be any more acceptable than before.
If you think bible is teaching us morality and facts then how millions of people interpret differently and our God isn’t god of confusion?
How most of scientists in the history were deist or agnostic or atheist? Is it a coincidence?
Why we have so many bibles and so many branches and they don’t agree on everything when God is one and is all powerful?
Is it a coincidence that most of the religious people in the world have religion of their family or the place they live? Are they all wrong but you are right?

Zaphod's picture
Oh cool the "Good Book" that

Oh cool the "Good Book" that's an interesting read, many twist, very violent, thought provoking and filled with content most certainly guaranteed to make just about anyone feel uncomfortable. Within it there is instruction on how to a carry out rape, make people slaves and instruction on how to carry out genocide. Have you read that book and do you believe everything that book says?

arakish's picture
Another one I have used I got

Another one I have used I got from Daniel Dennet: Have you ever considered the possibility that you may be wrong and have lived the life of a delusion?

rmfr

Cognostic's picture
I was in the Bus Station in

I was in the Bus Station in Daejeon just yesterday. A guy in a suit walked up to me and said "Hello." I looked at him and said. "I'm not religious and I think God is a really stupid idea. I am waiting for a friend to come out of the bathroom but if you want to stay and talk for a while that's fine with me." To his good natured graces, he smiled, extended his hand, and said "I'm Peter." Now I know for a fact that Peter was not his name because he was Korean. Peter was his Church name for when he goes out witnessing to foreigners. I smiled and shook his hand anyway. He had no idea I spoke Korean. Still, he was nice enough. After introducing himself he simply walked away. Probably best for both of us.

I made him out to be a JW. The Mormons here always work in pairs. Apparently there is some JW university in this town someplace. It's not the first time I have been approached by Koreans witnessing in English.

Being a foreign resident in Korea basically the only Koreans that approach me on the streets are the religious and people wanting to sell me stuff.

arakish's picture
Just got ambushed (and this

Just got ambushed (and this why I say Absolutists are always forcing their beliefs onto others) by two morons at the local Wal-Mart the other day. Or, is that mormon. Can't never tell the difference. Right off the bat:

"May we speak to you about your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?"

"First, he ain't never been my Lord and Savior. Second, you can talk about him all you want. But first, you must provide me with objective hard empirical evidence."

With the first sentence, they gave that standard look of shock (as if). Afterwards, they just stood there looking like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. After a long, few seconds...

"What do you mean evidence?"

"Exactly," I replied and left them standing there trying to figure it out.

rmfr

soyoz's picture
Keep asking "give me proof"

Keep asking "give me proof" until they really do give you proof. Likely not to happen, but fun anyways.

SeniorCitizen007's picture
When I'm confronted by

When I'm confronted by Christians who are getting a bit intense and critical of me I say:

"Do you believe in God?"

They, of course, reply that they do. I then say (in a matter-of-fact voice):

"Why should I believe you? You might be lying?"

This often REALLY upsets them ... I've had them shouting angrily at me ... behaving as if they can barely keep themselves from assaulting me.

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