Just wondering...

[Viking]

First of all, Viking, I have not ridiculed anyone. Sure, I do find some aspects of certain religions laughable. Others I find grotesque. But bear in mind that I have the deepest respect for some religious practitioners. Not because they are religious however, rather even though they are religious.

When you try to ridicule an ideology, you do naturally attempt to ridicule its believers/followers as well. Humans are not really capable of making sharp distinctions between persons and ideology.

As to ridiculing being the collapse of reason and communication - I disagree. Ridiculing can be quite healthy, I remember this guy from school who was rather loony. You know the type, hardcore christian. He was heavily ridiculed and what do you know? One day he picked up a(nother) book and soon thereafter dropped the whole religious thing.

Religion is by and large brainwashing, so a healthy dose of ridiculing from society at large can have a rather good impact. Not to mention a very strong impact.

You are right though, it is rather hard to convince/convert someone by ridiculing them. However, ridiculing might give them an incentive to convince/convert themselves.

It is the break down of reason and communication because it makes no attempt to justify itself, but rather takes itself for granted. A bigot may ridicule another bigot and make him think like himself, but they'll still both be bigots. See, all kind of people may ridicule each other - all without justifying their views. It is not healthy, it detoriates logical debate and puts a lid on alle the interesting questions and the debates that would follow them. A sane world begins with a sane debate.

You talk about "brainwashing", but not much reflection lies behind that statement. "Brainwashing" is the way humans grow up - they follow the norms and culture of the society they are born in, to a large extent. What some anti-religious people de facto do, is to give religion a really special place - that it may easily be separated from from the rest of the human mind. That is really a delusional view that may accidentially support the notion that humans have an objective rationality. Religion is in reality just one piece of a large spectrum when it comes to human ideas.

As to me being up to no good? Depends on what you mean. I would say I am "up to" debating religion. My perspective is that I am very much against it. As to that being good or not I do not know.

We have someting in common then, when it comes to religion. The bad part is that you think religious debate, any debate at all, is exempt from logical reasoning and other general rules of debate.