[Natsu]

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

Natsu, in my experience, atheism comes in many flavors. There are the "God does NOT exist" atheists, who think believers are inherently foolish and there are the "I see no evidence of God" atheists, who don't necessarily shut their minds to a supernatural power, but don't anticipate that anyone will be able to convince them.

Yes, I've met the rare atheists who have seen paranormal effects and still are atheists because they value their freedom so much that they dont' want a God bossing them around (one of them just values freedom over everything, and the other was raised in a strictly Catholic family and ended up hating everything that had to do with religion). They are usually very respectful towards other people's beliefs, truly. I am afraid, though, that in my experience, they are rare. For each respectful atheist I've met, I've also met five who were of the "I am clever, believers are stupid, agnostics are cowards who don't dare be atheists" type. But that's my experience, I know there are very good and respecful atheists out there. I have been unlucky enough to be closer to the "too-proud" type But some people are unlucky enough to be closer to the fanatic believer type, so it's not that I can moan

Originally Posted by Matthew Shea

To add onto what Groundless said, I completely agree. None of us, myself included, have it all figured out. That's what makes an open mind so important. You have to be open to the fact that you may be wrong and you have to be open to changing beliefs in the face of clear evidence that something better awaits. That being said, you can't shove beliefs down people's throat, either.

If a guy sees a paranormal effect, an atheist may rationalize it into being "a subconscious projection of his inner wish, due to his fear of death and denial of it". But the guy who's seen the paranormal effect cannot think the same: the atheist only has to search for a logical explanation; but the other must start distrusting his eyes, his feelings and his perception of the world, and he's very unlikely to do that, since he has proof, or at least, all the proof that is needed for him to believe.

You can certainly have a good, honest debate, but in that case, conversions rarely occur. It's usually just an exchange of ideas.

I totally see your point, but at least with respect, you can change ideas and have, as you say, an open-minded set. The guy who believes has all the proof he needs, but can't give it. The atheist doesn't have proof. They can understand each other's reasons, but as the proof is not interchangeable (the believer cannot stop believing, because he's seen proof, and the atheist can't believe because he hasn't seen it). However, as you said, it all goes to having an open mind and treating others respectfully.