Older and wiser

There's no need to attempt to convert you. If atheism was acceptable to you, you would find it sufficiently compelling that you would have no choice but to be one.That's how it works. I'd much rather live in the ignorant bliss of belief; but fooling myself is not an option at this point. I know that there's no evidence for God, so I don't have any choice but to be an atheist.It's not that great, really. It would be really, really great if a magic god watched over us and prevented bad things and punished the evil, but there's just no way that I can believe that's true in the light of the world we live in.

Why would I want to pretend? That would make a mockery of your beliefs and my principles, and the principles of religious freedom we cherish in our society.I can't follow any religion sincerely, so I follow none. It's not really a choice. It's the inescapable conclusion when one realizes that there is no more proof for God than for anything else that we comfortably assume does not exist.Like the man said, you and I are both atheists, with a difference of degree - I disbelieve in one more God than you do.

Oh. I guess I missed that. I didn't realize that you were asking me to "act" like a theist for purpose of debate. Not that I'm interested in that, though.Good luck pretending to be an atheist. I'm not exactly sure what it will accomplish when you "lose" to B2P.

Well, he's not going to win. Even if he could, he's going to pull that final punch.I just don't see what kind of a "win" it is for you if the only win you could have is against someone who has no intention of doing anything but letting you win.It'd be like me in a boxing match with Mike Tyson, only the part of Mike Tyson will be played by a soft, cuddly kitten. Have I really won a boxing match when I inevitably kick the kitten's ass?