Nivi
#564535
What do you gain by mocking these people?
It makes my stomach stop hurting for a few minutes and it means I don't work out my frustrations with these knuckleheads by kicking one of my cats.
What do you gain by trying to convert them?
I can only speak for myself but I have no desire to convert anyone to anything. I figure though, if I can make just one fundie pause for thought, even for a moment or two, I've brought just that much enlightenment into the Universe.
The only difference between the circlejerks that are sites like those mentioned above and the circlejerks that are sites like this one is that this type requires a victim. An INDIVIDUAL victim. An individual victim who is probably young and certainly doesn't understand EVERY FACET of their complicated beliefs (and don't tell me you understand all of science).
I wouldn't call what we do to fundie posts here "victimization". Other than the occasional "F*** you!" most of the responses here constitute a rebuttal against religious or philosophical assertions. Let's not kid ourselves here: these fundies post this stuff in forums that anyone can surf to and peruse. It's not as if we're covertly flipping through their diaries.
On the other hand fundie websites and posters, rather than focusing on a particular post (or victim, if you will), openly and ruthlessly attack not individuals but entire groups and cultures--homosexuals, scientists, atheists, members of other faiths (or the faith itself) and so on.
As far as the idea that these fundie posters are innocent kids who are overwhelmed by the complexity of their belief system goes I couldn't have less sympathy for them. If someone is going to stand up in front of the world and spout nonsense then that someone should expect to get blasted for it. To do otherwise is to give that person a distorted version of the world and its consequences. As my dad always said, "'Tis better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
