It's an absolute to state that convincing a Christian to be an atheist is impossible. I didn't mean to imply that it was impossible, although the "camel" analogy does imply this.
I don't think it is impossible at all though. Plenty of Christians lose their faith.. but I know a LOT of Christians that lose their faith well before they actually take a scholarly look into the depths of the religion.. They see some bullet points, hear what society is saying, and they sort of get stuck in the flow of things. But, regardless of that, this guy would be impossible (in a practical sense.. of course, theoretically, we will never know for sure) to convince.
My point entirely is... Why are you going to try to convince someone of something personal and subjective that you are right when there is no 100% substantial proof that you are the right 'side' of things?
I don't recall the kid saying that Hovind is a moron. Did he get some ideas from his father? Probably. But that's beside the point, and that is, his point demolishes Hovind so badly that he ended up stuttering and starting over again.
If you're going to tell me that your title alone does not suggest that the adult speaking is stupid in nature and that the kid is absolutely trying to imply this to the public then I don't really know what we have to talk about here.
I don't think stuttering and starting again make for a stupid person. For the record.. it is REALLY hard to be very PC with a child. Someone is always going to get upset. What could he do? Crush the kid in front of his father figure? What good comes of the adult winning a debate with an 11 year old child with his father standing right there? He was on film, with the kid's father, and the kid was stating things that the kid honestly doesn't really know anything about. The kid isn't a scholar, he hasn't delved into the religions and studied the things he needs to make absolute claims. He is being fed information--just like Christian children.
How do you sit there and tell a kid his father is wrong? You really can't without looking like a douche. And that was the catch 22 he was in. Either you're a douche, or you lose. Debating with kids is just not winning no matter what you do.
I have also witnessed scientists ending up stuttering and repeating themselves for precisely the same reason. And so I don't find myself siding with either one. The kid is certainly no scientist, he argued simply from logic, pure logic. Thus proving it's not necessary to argue from the basis of God's existence or non-existence, either as an atheist or a theist.
Faithful logic. Even if it isn't faith in God.. he has faith in the logic he was taught by his father. And there is nothing to say that he won't grow up to change what he thinks years from now.
It is not 'pure' logic. Children are molded by their surroundings. Of course they have personalities of their own, but I have no reason to believe this kid was saying anything except what his father repeats to him all the time. He sounds like a parrot, not a scholarly child curious about things.
Their respective personal beliefs in this or that metaphysical entity are not the issue here.
A wise (young) professor once taught me a valuable debating skill: deal with the other person's logic before the facts of the matter. Because if the other person doesn't have his or her logical shit together, the rest won't matter.
Which still doesn't address the issue that atheism is NOT the only, and true, absolute way to think logically as a human being. And everything here, in this video and what you are saying, is implying it does.
Which means.. the rest here does not matter. I mean, honestly, I think you were looking for a bunch of "Omg yes!" posts for this, in which case you're starting to get them so you can feel content with that. [MENTION=7280]Lark[/MENTION] and I sort of just got here first.
The thing is, it doesn't matter if you can or can't prove God exists. I believe God exists. If I'm right, I have everything to gain. If I'm wrong then I have little to lose. If you you don't believe God exists and if God does exist then you have everything to lose.
To some, it absolutely does matter. This is my point entirely.. until there is proof, why is it atheists always have this huge dick up their ass about people not agreeing with them 100%? It's like this awful cult-ish mentality of 'If you're not agreeing with us then you're a stupid, ignorant moron' and it's really irritating after a while.
At least Christians that feel that way know that is how they feel. Atheists get stuck in this ironic loop of complaining that that is how Christians are while being that way themselves.
